Archive for November 18, 2010
Clown meat tastes funny, and other observations on ceramics
Having launched the impressive and well-received Karen Karnes retrospective on view now at the ASU Art Museum Ceramics Research Center, Curator of Ceramics Peter Held traveled to Santa Fe at the end of last month for the conference “CRITICAL Santa Fe: Developing Criticism in Ceramics,” at which Las Vegas-based critic Dave Hickey spoke and, as Peter put it, “stirred up the proverbial pot.” (Pun clearly intended. Those ceramics people are a clever bunch. The best Dave Hickey quote of the conference, according to Peter: “Clown meat tastes funny.”) Other speakers at the conference included Donald Kuspit, Janet Koplos and poet and critic Raphael Rubenstein.
Here’s just a taste of what Peter saw at the NCECA conference in Santa Fe:
Above: Nathan Craven installation, Kosmeo, 6 ft. x 10 ft. x 7 in
Above: Adrian Arleo, Apiary Twins, clay, glaze, wax encaustic, 21 1/2″ x 20″ x 15″
Above: John Mess, Landfill No. 23, 11 x 13 x 9
Shortly after his return to Tempe, Peter turned around and headed to Chicago for SOFA (Sculpture Objects & Functional Art), and he brought back the photos below to share:
Above: Cristina Cordova @ Ann Nathan Gallery, SOFA Chicago
Above: Marc Sijan @ Ann Nathan Gallery, SOFA Chicago
Above: Elise Siegel @ Dubhe Carreno Gallery, Chicago
Above: Richard Notkin’s The Last Syllable of Recorded Time, 2010, white earthenware clay, glaze, watercolor and pastel, 77″ x 51″ x 2″ @ Zolla Lieberman Gallery, Chicago
Above: Peter Held (on the left, in sunglasses) and Jeffrey Spahn in Millenium Park, in front of Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate.
Chris Todd – Open for Business
Chris Todd Title – America’s Toughest Jukebox Business – Sucker Punch Sally’s*America’s Toughest Jukebox “takes requests.” It plays a selection of cover songs performed by Joe Arpaio, whose identity has been fictionally re-cast from controversial sheriff to gruff lounge singer. In this alternate existence, Mr. Arpaio is a versatile crooner whose repertoire includes a number of memorable tunes. America’s Toughest Jukebox affords customers a special opportunity to consider how things might have been if Sheriff Joe had chosen a different “calling” and to contemplate his sociopolitical impact in a poetic, casual and humorous light. The Scopitone, a film-based jukebox popular in Europe in the 1950s and 1960s, provides inspiration for the exterior of America’s Toughest Jukebox.
*Todd’s piece was originally set to appear at the Sucker Punch Sally’s location at Mill Avenue and University Drive before they closed their doors in June of 2010. This jukebox is now available for loan to businesses in downtown Tempe, with certain guidelines. Please contact the ASU Art Museum to make arrangements.
Saskia Jorda – The Shoe Mill
Peter Bugg with Ryan Peter Miller – ASU Art Museum Store Mary Lucking – Rúla Búla David Tinapple – Cartel Coffee Lab Cyndi Coon – Downtown Tempe Community, Inc. (DTC) Jon Haddock – The Headquarters Tania Katan – The Library Bar & Grill* Adam Murray – Caffe Boa Wendy Furman – BrandX Custom T-Shirts Matthew Mosher – Fascinations Erin V. Sotak – La Bocca Chris Todd – Sucker Punch Sally’s* Jen Urso – The Bicycle Cellar Nic Wiesinger – Monti’s La Casa Vieja
Erin V. Sotak – Open for Business
Erin V. Sotak Title – Stowage from the Eternal Optimist Business – La Bocca To most individuals lemons are the symbol for all things sour, however, for the eternal optimist, the lemon is an icon of hope and promise. In Erin Sotak’s invented mythology, it is a prize greater than gold to sailors, a secret misplaced, forgotten hope that is eternally waiting to be found.Stowage is a component of the artist’s larger ongoing quest. The history of the lemon and specifically the Sfusato Amalfitano, a type of lemon unique to the Amalfi coast of Italy, are used by the artist to interweave connections between La Bocca and the ASU Art Museum.
Order a glass of lemonade next time you are at La Bocca to get an edible connection to the mythology.
Saskia Jorda – The Shoe Mill
Peter Bugg with Ryan Peter Miller – ASU Art Museum Store Mary Lucking – Rúla Búla David Tinapple – Cartel Coffee Lab Cyndi Coon – Downtown Tempe Community, Inc. (DTC) Jon Haddock – The Headquarters Tania Katan – The Library Bar & Grill* Adam Murray – Caffe Boa Wendy Furman – BrandX Custom T-Shirts Matthew Mosher – Fascinations Erin V. Sotak – La Bocca Chris Todd – Sucker Punch Sally’s* Jen Urso – The Bicycle Cellar Nic Wiesinger – Monti’s La Casa Vieja
ASU Art Museum 