Workshops
Session 4 - July 20 to August 1
4/BASKETS
Creative Thinking in Basketmaking
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| Spaces and Lines VI by Hisako Sekijima, 2006. Maple splint, 36 cm x 27.5 cm x 14 cm. |
Basketmaking gives joy by combining the activity of hands and mind. In this experimental workshop, participants will experience how dramatically a new way of thinking and perceiving enhances working in this medium. Projects are designed to learn again or ‘un-learn’ what you think you know (for example one knows what cordage is but to best find its mechanism and nature: untwist it). The class focuses on re-evaluating structural rules and limits (for instance, remaking a sample basket you are interested in) and exploring the properties of materials, tools, and sculptural devices that you normally work with. If experienced, this would be an opportunity to revitalize know-how as a fresh resource of ideas; if new to basketmaking, begin
to develop a method of self-learning. All levels welcome.
HISAKO SEKIJIMA is a Japanese basketmaker who has been exploring a new use for a large variety of plants she grows and gathers as the materials for contemporary basket-making. She makes basic simple forms whose spaces are often defined with a web of randomly interlaced lines of vine, tree bark, or bamboo splits. They are a kind of symbolic package of ideas referring to the meaning of void or negative space as well as to the redefinition of geometric terms such as corners, turns, layers, and edges. Hisako Sekijima’s work is widely exhibited and is in public collections including Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and Longhouse Reserve in Easthampton, NY. She teaches an intensive course of basketmaking as a visiting professor at Tama Art University in Tokyo, as a part-time lecturer at Joshibi Art University, and Kanazawa University of Arts and Crafts, and has twice before taught at Haystack.
4/CLAY
Informing Forms
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| Comet Bowl by Jack Troy, 2007. Wood-fired porcelain, 16" x 16" x 4". |
Haystack is an excellent place to cast off the shore of familiar forms and surfaces—cups, bowls, jars, bottles—and explore the assumption that our best work is “just around the corner.” Using stoneware and porcelain, participants will alter thrown and hand-built forms by paddling, stamping, and enhancing surfaces with slips and glazes for high-fired reduction and salt-firing. Demonstrations and discussions will include process-oriented issues involving the scale of the work, brush-making, and firing techniques, as well as value-related concerns: what is most challenging and rewarding about working with clay. Basic clay forming techniques required.
JACK TROY is a potter, teacher, and writer, from Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, where he taught at Juniata College for thirty-nine years. Introduced to clay in 1962, his education in ceramics has included trips to thirteen countries. He has taught more than 190 workshops in the US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and Great Britain, and has worked at the Institute of Ceramic Studies, Jingdezhen, China; and was an invited artist at the Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, in Japan. Having published over sixty articles in ceramics publications, he is also the author of Salt Glazed Ceramics (1977), Woodfired Stoneware and Porcelain (1995), and Calling the Planet Home, (poems, 2003). His work has been exhibited widely, and is in numerous collections, public and private.
4/DRAWING/PAINTING
Exploring the Edges: An Improvisational Approach to Drawing and Painting
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| Glowing Water with Bright Trees #2 by Eric Hopkins, 2007. Watercolor, gouache, and Prismacolor crayon, 30" x 42". |
Participants will be asked to look from the outside in and the inside out—exploring the woods, the rocks, and bringing experiences together in the studio; actively observe the motion of wind and water rhythms, the (apparent) stillness and solidity of Haystack granite, and the constantly changing atmospheric light. While the focus will be on process, the finished product is also important. Participants can expect regular critiques and should be prepared to go through volumes of sketchbooks. Basic drawing and painting skills are required, as this course will be weighted more toward content than technique.
ERIC HOPKINS is a native of North Haven, Maine, where he has maintained studios and a gallery on Hopkins Wharf since 1990. In 2006, he opened a second gallery and studio in downtown Rockland, Maine. A graduate of Rhode Island School of Design, Eric Hopkins has exhibited in one-person and group shows throughout the country, and his paintings and glass are held in many private and public collections, including the Farnsworth Art Museum, Portland Museum of Art, Corning Museum of Glass, Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, and the US Department of State Art in Embassies: Bahamas, Pakistan, Philippines, and the West Indies. He is also represented in the corporate collections of L.L. Bean, Johnson Wax, Sanyo Securities, and Idexx Laboratories.
4/FIBERS
Machine Knitting: from Sweaters to Sculpture
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| Skeleton Dress by Liz Collins, 2006. Knit silk and cotton wrapped elastic. |
Machine knitting has resurfaced as a powerful medium for the creation of sculptural and wearable forms. In this workshop, participants will learn to use manually operated knitting machines to develop and build garments, pieces, and/or installations. The focus will initially be on creating collections of knit samples, which will provide each knitter with a vocabulary of structures, patterns, and color and material experiments to consider when turning to the creation of larger pieces. Each day will balance demonstrations with presentations on contemporary knitting, discussions, and studio work time with focused and individual assistance from the instructor. All skill levels are welcome, and knitters with their own machines and yarns are encouraged to bring them along.
LIZ COLLINS is an artist and designer, recognized internationally for her use of machine knitting to create ground-breaking clothing, textiles, and 3-D installations. She designs knitwear, collaborates with other designers and artists, and is an Assistant Professor in the Textile Department at Rhode Island School of Design. A 2006 United States Artists Target Fellow in Crafts, she is also a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America. Liz Collins’ work, included in Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting, Museum of Arts and Design, New York City in 2007, can be seen the books Fashion- ing Fabrics and Knitknit: Presenting 27 Innovative Knitters and Their Projects.
4/GLASS
Everyone into the Pool
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| Black & White Herringsbone Top by Nancy Callan, 2007. Blown glass, 11 1/2" x 11 1/2" x 16". |
Glassblowing is one of the rare crafts that demands team work. In this class, rather than ignore the implicit collaboration that the process entails, students will embrace and exploit it. Participants will have the chance to work with each other and the faculty in the conception, design, and execution of intricate works that require multiple skill sets. Venetian techniques will be emphasized, including working with cane, using the garage, and bit work. A minimum of two years glassblowing experience required.
NANCY CALLAN has been working as a glass artist in Seattle, Washington since receiving a BFA from the Massachusetts College of Art in 1996. For the past eleven years she has been a member of Lino Tagliapietra’s glassblowing team. Nancy Callan has also worked as a gaffer for Manifesto Corporation, Seattle; Pilchuck, Stanwood, Washington; and artists Flora Mace and Joey Kirtpatrick, Ginny Ruffner, and Anne Wilson. Her teaching experience includes courses at Haystack; the Studio, Corning, New York; and advanced workshops at Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle. She has been exhibiting her work since 2001, including William Traver Gallery, Seattle, Washington; Hawk Gallery, Columbus, Ohio; Holsten Gallery, Stockbridge, Massachusetts; Davis and Cline Gallery, Ashland, Oregon; and Daniel Kany Gallery, Portland, Maine.
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| "For Ever" "And Ever" by Katherine Gray, 2005. Blown glass, 15" and 16" tall. |
KATHERINE GRAY lives and works in Los Angeles, California, where she is Assistant Professor in Glass at California State University, San Bernardino. She received an undergraduate degree from Ontario College of Art, Toronto and an MFA from Rhode Island School of Design. Since then Katherine Gray has been the recipient of several residencies and fellowships. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in many group and solo shows and can be found in the collections of the Corning Museum of Glass, the Tacoma Museum of Glass, and the Museum of American Glass. As well as having written about glass, Katherine Gray has curated several exhibitions, and has taught workshops around the world.
4/METALS
Beyond a Simple Bowl: Form Exploration with Metal Fabrication
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| Adieu II by Kye-Yeon Son, 2002. Sterling silver, copper, enamel, gold leaf, 24 x 9 x 7 cm. |
This workshop is for students interested in exploring creative approaches to the hollowware vessel form. The design process will investigate visual elements from nature and manmade forms as sources of inspiration. The design of the final form evolves from studying paper/clay models, quick sketches, and discussions. The main objective of the workshop will be on creating a dynamic and interesting hollowware form whether sculptural or a utilitarian object. Even while focusing on the development of metal fabrication skills, students will be guided through a range of simple silversmithing techniques by way of projects involving designing and constructing a finished piece. Basic metalsmithing (soldering, raising) skills required.
KYE-YEON SON is Associate Professor in Jewelry Design and Metalsmithing at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax, Nova Scotia. She was born in Pusan, South Korea and earned a BFA in Applied Art at Seoul National University and an MFA in Jewelry Design & Silversmithing at Indiana University, Bloomington. She has been honored with awards from many organizations including the Canada Council for the Arts and Metal Arts Guild of Ontario. In 2000 she became a member of Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. Kye-Yeon Son has been exploring the concepts of containment with various vessel forms. She considers vessels to be highly versatile instruments for expressing emotions and ideas.
4/VISITING MUSICIAN
DONALD HARRISON is being called one of the most important musicians of the new millennium by CBS Sunday Morning. In the classic jazz genre, he is the originator of the Nouveau Swing style which merges acoustic swing with modern R&B, second-line, hip-hop, Mardi Gras Indian music (New Orleans African American roots culture), and reggae rhythms. His smooth jazz recording, The Power of Cool, is considered a classic; Indian Blues captured the essence of Mardi Gras Indian culture within a jazz context; The New Sounds of Mardi Gras updates New Orleans music, putting the sounds of Mardi Gras into hip-hop, R&B, and funk and marks Donald Harrison’s debut as a rapper; Heroes, a trio recording with the great bass innovator Ron Carter and drum innovator Billy Cobham and 3D, features three genres: classic jazz, R&B-smooth jazz, and hip-hop, and showcases his ability to produce, write, sing, rap, and play many instruments.
Donald Harrison is also master singer/dancer in the Mardi Gras Indian tradition of New Orleans. He is now a Big Chief and designs and makes his own Mardi Gras costumes, which are considered works of art. He has composed and played classical works with major orchestras and has developed his own personal style that traverses and synthesizes all these mediums with great success.
“Mr. Harrison turned out to be one of the most musicologically literate jazz players to come out in ages.” (New York Times)
“Donald Harrison Jr. … the most interesting, most accessible, and most talented musician in the country right now.” (East Bay Express)
Visiting artists augment the session with informal activities and are not workshop leaders.
Support for musical performances comes from Haystack’s Hy Frumkin Fund.
Donald Harrison’s residency at Haystack is in conjunction with the 8th Annual Deer Isle Jazz Festival, Expanded Edition: New Orleans Culture and Crisis, at the Stonington Opera House, produced by Opera House Arts, July 25–26, 2008. www.operahousearts.org