MAP: Curators Incubator Program Thursday

The Curators Incubator brings young curators under the wing of an experienced art organization to program inventive projects for the MAP galleries. On view through October 24 are the three projects designed by this year's curators. The first of four gallery talks happens This Thursday at MAP!

Janell Olah

2009 Featured Curators:
Shelly Blake-Plock: Art of the Set-Up: Sound Objects as Artifacts
Artists: Peter Blasser. Alessandro Bosetti. Andy Hayleck. Bonnie Jones. Melissa Moore. Mike Muniak.

Rachel Sitkin: In Our Nature: Artists Reflect on the Manmade Landscape
Artists: Kim Beck. Laura Cooperman. Michelle Hagewood. Alex Lukas. Igor Pasternak.

Margaret Winslow: Soft Space: Architecture in Contemporary Art
Artists: Ronald Longsdorf. Janell Olah. Stephen Ruszkowki.

Laura Cooperman

This Thursday there will be a gallery talk and sound art performance with curator Shelly Blake-Plock and John Berndt and Art of the Set-Up artists. The program starts at 6 p.m. on Thursday, September 24. Gallery talks by the other two curators will follow in October.

For more details and info on additional programs visit the MAP Web site!

Kokeshi: From Folk Art to Art Toy

I wrote about my involvement in this show a while back, when my custom Kokeshi was just a "work in progress", but now she's a full fledged Art Toy, kicking back with over a hundred of the most beautiful works of art I've ever seen... or played with. 

The show "Custom Kokeshi 2009" Showcases artists from all over the world, and further explores the idea of the art toy/doll, that so many of us Indie Crafters, Fine Crafters and Artists are so intrigued by. The show is part of a larger show about Kokeshi, being sponsored by the Japanese American National Museum, in collaboration with the Los Angeles Toy, Doll & Amusements Museum. And while it may be the other side of the country for many of us, if you're planning on being out in California anytime between now and October 4th, I would highly recommend paying it a visit. 

For those of you a little closer to home, I can finally reveal my submission to the show. Her name is BlueBearrow. 

to see more of the show, including group shots and close ups, check out the Curator (Christina Conway)'s blog!

Inspired by Teapots

I've been attempting to give up my hot-chocolate habit. Yes, I know, there's nothing wrong with drinking a cup of hot cocoa on a cool winter's night, but really, hot cocoa everyday and twice on Sundays is a bit much even for a sweet tooth like me. So a couple of years ago I started to drink hot tea. Now, I'm hooked. There is nothing like the comfort a hot cup of tea held in chilled hands on a cool winter's evening. And, it's a great excuse to use a handmade mug (of which I've accumulated many over the years).

But what to do when a friend drops by? Tea for two requires a teapot and I haven't got one. So I headed over to Baltimore Clayworks last week in search of ideas. Their current exhibition, Teapots IV, is an eclectic collection of teapots ranging from the fully functional to the purely sculptural, from serious form studies to whimsical objects. I was inspired––both to drink more tea and to build teapots. They look like so much fun!

"The teapot is the quintessential ceramic enterprise. It is an aspiration to the novice, and a source of inspiration and consternation to the experienced clayworker," ––David McDonald, juror

Included Artists: David Austin (MI), Hadi Abbas (FL), Lorna Awalt (MD), Marc Barr (TN), Abigail Deneau (MI), Jim Dugan (MD), Jessica Dubin (NY), Delores Fortuna (IL), Yoshi Fujii(MD), Susan Greenleaf (DC), Jim Geletka (MD), Robert Garron (FL), Hsin-Yi Huang (OR), Matt Hyleck (MD) , Steve Hilton (TX), Judi Tavill (NJ), Elizabeth Keller (SC), Judith King (FL), Susan Kent (PA), Jon McMillian (IL), Joyce Nagata (PA), Crystal Pillsbury (FL), Roberta Polfus (IL), Collette Smith (MD), Gary Slavinsky (MD), Lauren Sandler (PA), Rebekah Strickland(GA) , Joy Tanner (NC) , Katherine Taylor (TX), Delanie Wise (MA), Sherry Wells (MT), Gwendolyn Yoppolo(NJ)

Teapots IV is on display through February 28 at Baltimore Clayworks in Mount Washington. For further information visit baltimoreclayworks.org.