ECU Metals symposium presenter lineup

Wow I can't believe it's October and I also can't believe that we're already seeing posts for the annual ECU Symposium 2016.

As usual I'm super excited for the symposium and seeing all my old friends/classmates as well as participating in all the great workshops.  Every year the metals grad students and undergrads do a killer job of presenting thoughtful discussions and selecting fantastic presenters.  The symposium is completely student run and I'm always amazed at how they cover every detail and make the school welcoming to so many attendees. 

I'm even more excited about the symposium as I'll be curating an exhibition in conjunction with the symposium that will be held at Art Avenue, of course?! I haven't curated an exhibition since Preyed Upon, which was back in 2012.

The Afterlife exhibition will display works/objects that give new life to the bones of the departed.  Bone art has existed for as long as humans have been alive and the significance to bones is deeply rooted in many cultures.  Over the past several years I've come across some amazing artists that use bone in such fascinating ways.  We will be releasing the call for entries soon, in the meantime I wanted to drop a lil hint.

Afterlife Exhibition print design by Kayla Staigvil

Sarah West represented at the Jewelry Edition pop up at the ECU Symposium 2015

As always, thanks for reading and stay lovely!
xoxo
Lisette
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I Do, Do I? Exhibition at the Art Room

On to the next ECU Symposium 2014 posts; I apologize it's taking me awhile to get these going.

There were seriously so many amazing exhibitions the weekend of the symposium, and I loved visiting every one of them.

The concept behind I Do, Do I? Exhibition was a discussion and pieces on marriage and what it means to each artist.  Some were celebratory and others sad yet hopeful.  And some artists viewed marriage as also a marriage of themselves to the act of not marrying.  The exhibition was curated by fellow Nicole Jacquard as part of her One Night Stand traveling series exhibition. Some of the participating artists included: Andrew Kuebeck, Tina Lazzarine, Joshua Craig, Daniel Dicaprio, Marlene True, Randy Long and more. 

The displays for the rings were quite sensuous and imitated a ring shape.  Each exhibition piece accompanied an explanation of their submission.  

PS - I apologize for the grainy photos, taken with my iphone. 

Andrew Kuebecks copper ring.  Loved it!

Marlene True and her tin and silver rings. 

A description of David's ring...which I didn't capture.

Leather rings.

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Artist profile Ken Bova

Artist Profile Ken Bova from Jed Watson on Vimeo.

This is such a great video of the how Ken thinks and his current body of work.  I love that you can also see the students and undergrad studio in the background.  

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Studio Tour Weekend at ECU

First and foremost, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

I don't know what it is about this year but for some reason, I'm so much more in the Autumn/Halloween/festive mood.  I went a bit nuts decorating my apartment and I'll be SO sad to take them down.

Okay, now on to more serious business.  This weekend is the annual artist studio tour hosted by the Friends of ECU School of Art and Design.  Proceeds from the ticket sales go to scholarships for current art students.  And I feel so lucky to be a part of this year's tour.  It's a really fabulous idea considering there are quite a few studios in Greenville and the school is promoting this to the community.  

Jeremy Fineman, ceramicist and co-resident artist, will also be participating with me as we represent Art Avenue.  

Photo by Aileen Devlin. 

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ECU Symposium 2014 Presenters announced

Once again, it's that time of year to begin preparing for the 

ECU Metals Symposium, this year's title is: Image & Meaning.  

I think that title is appropriate and really great.  As well as the presenters, every year it gets better and better! I have to say that for several reasons, the symposium is near and dear to my heart.  I was here (in Greenville, still am!) when it was conceived by Laura Wood, it's small and intimate and also...I don't have to travel and it isn't expensive! (I know I'm a bit lazy).  

This years presenters are seriously good, Arthur Hash, Avery Lucas, Teresa Faris, Christine Clark...and MANY MORE!!! 

From the first symposium part at Tipsy Teapot (sorry for the bad quality image)

And did I mention that we have the coolest tshirts and pin swap?! Registration will open October 11th, so mark you calendars! 

If you'd like to read about the past symposiums, please scroll through my old posts here. 

Thanks for reading!

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Art Avenue update

I haven't written about the really great progress we've made at Art Avenue (where I run my jewelry business and studio) in awhile, so here is a brief update.  We recently we hosted a Cinco de Mayo member social to celebrate our biggest supporters in the eastern North Carolina region.

The idea came about from Claire Edwards, the Director of Art Avenue, to share with the community how the studio space and gallery has improved over the past year.  We also wanted to tell people about the studio rentals and how much this benefits artists from the School of Art and Design at ECU and at Pitt Community College.  

Below are some of the photos from the event.  We were able to raise a good amount from memberships that will go to making small renovations in the studio space to allow for more renters and future exhibitions.  

Thanks for reading!

A member admiring Jeremy Fineman's Bullfrog Ceramics. Photo by Aileen Devlin.

Me, talking about how important community support is.  Photo by Aileen Devlin.

Andy Denton singing his praises, literally!  Photo by Aileen Devlin.

Jalapeno beer!! I really loved it, generously donated by these young men.  Photo by Aileen Devlin.

Our awesome interns, aka Pitt Community college students.   Photo by Aileen Devlin.

Guests and supporters having fun.  Photo by Aileen Devlin.

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Autumn Brown demo at the ECU symposium

As I stated in my previous ecu metals symposium blog post, there were so many great demos and visiting artists, and I was really excited to see my good friend Autumn Brown demonstrate how she combines metal and enamel with porcelain (cone 6).  I wasn't able to take extensive notes but I'm going to borrow words from the ECU Ceramics guild blog: "She fires the porcelain with the metal in an enameling kiln at 1500-1535 degrees F for approximately 10 minutes.  The decorative porcelain pieces are then set into constructed metal frames with clutching prongs that hold the porcelain into the metal backing."

My favorite part of how Autumn combines metal with clay is the use of copper wire placed on the porcelain making cool shapes or images.  She showed us how you can use thin 22 gauge wire to make a saw frame on the porcelain.

Autumn is an MFA alumni of the metals program received her BFA from the University of Georgia.  She currently teaches several courses at Pitt Community College (here in Gvegas), works out of her studio at Dirty Lamm, AND contributes to Greenville's newest gallery and studios over at Art Avenue -whew, she's busy! I met Autumn when I first moved to Greenville and she is a great source of knowledge for me and advice; I'd say she's my big sister metalsmith!

Autumn getting her demo ready.

Autumn's eery  yet goregous samples and pieces.

Linda Darty enamel and silver cups

Felicia Szorad necklace (enamel, silver, felt).

Kathryn Osgood's delicate yet strong pierced enamel pieces.

Above are several shots I snapped, very quickly between workshops, of the Enamel Exhibition. 

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Caffeine and Sawblades Call for Entries

 The deadline has been extended to December 28th!! 

“Caffeine & Saw Blades”  is a juried metal design showcase that will feature work completed by East Carolina University students. The purpose of the showcase is to highlight the accomplishments of ECU students (both past and present.) We also hope to provide insight into the mind of the student and allow the observer to experience the work from a students prospective.

Eligibility

This showcase is open to any current or former ECU metals student. In order for work to be accepted, it must have been completed while attending ECU. Mixed media work will be accepted, but metals must be the main component.

Jurors

ECU Metals Faculty

Awards

TBA

Calendar (Dates are subject to change)

December 28	Submission Deadline
December 26th-January 1st	Notification of Acceptance
January 2nd- January 13th	Receipt of Accepted Work
January 18th	Exhibition Opens
January 18th (6-9pm)	Reception/Awards
January 20th	Exhibition Closes
After January 21st	Return Work

Submissions

There is a non-refundable entry free of $10 for up to 2 pieces of work. Payment must be submitted via PayPal to caffeineandsawblades@gmail.com After completing payment, email the entry form, along with photographs of your work to: caffeineandsawblades@gmail.com Please submit high-quality photos. Incomplete entries will not be considered.

Shipment and Insurance of Accepted Work:

All work must be shipped through USPS, FedEx, or UPS. Shipping costs to and from ECU is the responsibility of the artist. A shipping address will be provided with notification of acceptance. We recommend that work be insured during shipping as we will not be accountable for damages occurring during shipping. A prepaid return shipping label must be included with artwork. Work that does not arrive by the January 13th deadline will be excluded from the showcase.

Questions can be directed to Mariah Lee Ross at: caffeineandsawblades@gmail.com

Caffeine and Saw Blades Entry Form:

(Email entry form, receipt of payment and photos of work.)

Forms will not be considered without payment of entry fee ($10).

Paypal Email: caffeineandsawblades@gmail.com

Name_____________________________________________________________

Graduation/Anticipated Graduation Year ___________________________

Graduate or Undergraduate Program (circle)

Email _____________________________________________________________

Phone #___________________________________________________________

Title of work______________________________________________________

Year Completed __________________________________________________

Dimensions ______________________________________________________

Materials _________________________________________________________

Preferred Way of Display___________________________________________

Possible Wall Text: Please provide an Artist Statement for the piece. (50 words or less) ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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