New Website

All of my new work, news, and a new blog can be found at:   http://michaelarnoldceramics.com


Thanks for following me and I hope that you join me at my new site.

University of Minnesota Wood-Firing, Round 2

These are two of the successfully fired pieces from the last soda chamber, wood-firing at the University of Minnesota. While I didn't have a lot of work in the firing, I had too few pieces come out... the built up soda peeled off and fell in large pieces on much of the work. 

To make things worse, the top-most piece was stolen. Such is life...

University of Minnesota Wood Firing March 2011

Here are a few images of the work from my recent firing of the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis wood fired cantenary arch kiln. It was fired for 32 hours to cone 11. I will replace these photos with more professional shots shortly.

Owen Rye, Dick Lehman, and Steve Harrison: Wood Fired Potters

I have posted links to the articles of Owen Rye, Dick Lehman, and Steve Harrison under the heading of "Lectures and Articles on Craft". All three of these potters make wood-fired work and most of their articles explore the techniques and aesthetics of wood firing. Enjoy!

Owen Rye:
http://www.owenrye.com/articles/index.html

Dick Lehman:
http://www.dicklehman.com/html/writing/index.html

Steve Harrison:
http://www.hotnsticky.com.au/

Were You Exposed to Craft Theory as an Undergraduate Art Student?

I have posted a polled question on the right side of my blog. I am trying to gather information on how many undergraduate art students are exposed to craft theory. I am interested in gathering poll data, but please leave comments under this thread too.

When I refer to "craft theory" I am not simply referring to craft as related to art, or the classic "is craft art?" argument. This seems to be constantly discussed and argued within academia. Instead I mean the study and relationship of craft within the context of society, industry, design, and yes... art too.

Approaching Ceramics Criticism

I will be starting to post links to ceramics criticism and reviews under the page heading "Ceramics Criticism and Review Links" at the top of the page, as I come across them... few and far between as they seem.

Published Essays by Rob Barnard

Rob Barnard has a great collection of essays spanning the last twenty-five years. They encompase a number of topics which he has categorized them by: "Use," "Tradition-Is There Room For It In The Future?" "The Modern Crafts Establishment," etc... Thoughtful writings which I highly recommend, and a great website in general:

http://www.rob-barnard.com/essays/contents/

The Smithsonian Institution's "Archives of American Art"

The Smithsonian Institution has a great resource called the "Archives of American Art." On their website is a link to their “Oral History Interviews” which has interviews with prominent arts and craftspersons in a written transcript form. It is a great resource and the first place that I read about Warren McKenzie. There are interviews with Val Cushing, Jun Kaneko, Kurt Weiser, Charles Furgus Binns, Beatrice Wood... the list goes on and on. I have provided a link below, or find it later in my “Podcasts and Conversations” page:

http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/

BFA Show

I am finally documenting my BFA show pieces... now that I have my photo booth set up permanently, it will be easier to tweak the setup and at last get good shots of my work. Now I just have to eliminate user error from the shooting process.

These are far from perfect shots, but I am starting to understand the process. For whatever reason, even after custom setting the white-balance, the shots seem to have a pink hue... working on that issue.

Lectures on Ceramics and Craft

I have added a new page to my blog, "Podcasts and Conversations." As you may guess, I have begun collecting the links of websites which host lectures, podcasts, articles, etc... which contribute to the field of ceramics, clay, and craft.

As my second and newest addition, I added a link to the Museum of Contemporary Craft. It has a great collection of podcasts which span 2007-present. They are diverse and engaging and include such lecturer's/writers as Garth Clark and Glenn Adamson... well known in the ceramics community, but also so many more.  Anyway, most are worth a listen. Enjoy:

http://www.museumofcontemporarycraft.org/programs_podcasts.php