DEADLINE: February 3, 2012.

Juror Sam Chung will select a crafthaus member

to be this year's NCECA scholar.

All ceramicists are invited to enter.

Email your entry by Feb 3. No submission fee.

Judging Criteria:
Sam Chung will select one scholarship recipient based on a review of images posted on the applicants’ crafthaus pages and brief responses to a short questionnaire (see application form for details).

Scholarship Details:

• Complimentary pass to the 46th Annual NCECA Conference taking place in Seattle, WA from March 28-31, 2012.
• Push Play catalog.
• Shuttle tour ticket, enabling the scholar to get to the conference exhibitions.
• One-year additional NCECA membership once the current membership expires.
• One-year additional crafthaus membership once the current membership expires.
• Prominent blogspace on crafthaus for one year. NCECA provides reciprocal blogspace on an NCECA website.
• NCECA will work with the winning candidate to include him/her in events and meetings with NCECA, staff board and conference presenters.

Entry Form.

Miel Margarita Paredes, Portland, OR

Alex Adams, Philadelphia, PA and Coral Gables, FL

Jeff Baenen, Waukegan, IL

Jinsoo Song, Tempe, AZ

Ingrid Donaldson, Chandler, AZ

Meryl Pataki, San Francisco, CA

Lisa Cain, Cornwall, England

Please welcome our newest crafthaus members:

 Tracey L. Black, San Diego, CA 

  Loraine Cooley, Webster, NY 

 Allison Dahle, Raleigh, NC       

  Joy Ivill, Sydney, Australia

Danielle James, Greenville, NC 

Andrea Kennington, Mount Airy NC

Ted Lott, Madison, WI              

Eva Sherman, Cleveland, OH

Matagi Sorensen, Tucson, AZ   

Yu-Hsien Shen, Athens. GA

Elaine Brewer-White, Vancouver, Canada

Dafna Whiteson, Maor, Israel

New Blogs on Crafthaus:

ECU Metals Symposium Material Topics blogged by Lisette Fee.

First blog: The Art of Influence Exhibition (image: Caroline Gore: "Micro / Macro")

The MFA Guidebook for Studio Artists blogged by Jessica Todd.

This blog is intended as a guide for potential and current MFA students, focusing on those in the craft disciplines. It will primarily focus on tips for prospective students, but will also address the needs of those currently working toward their degrees. By sharing my own experience, articles I find and interviews I conduct, I will work to offer guidance to studio artists who may be nervous to start the journey alone so that they can have the same phenomenal opportunity and experience that I’m having now in my MFA program.

Join and continue reading Jessica's new blog!

Steampunk-A gaslamp fantasy made real

blogged by Timothy Jay Nelson

I am a New Orleans based metalsmithwith a BFA from the University of Kansas. I am a member of SNAG, Crafthaus, and the New Orleans Arts Council with work currently on display at the Highwater Gallery in Uptown NewOrleans. I work at Symmetry Jewelers in uptown New Orleans, doing logistics, customer service and CAD jewelery design. I draw a lot of inspiration for my work from modern technology and from the Victorian aesthetic of highly embellished personal adornment.

I am a self styled Steampunk. The beauty of Steampunk design is that all practitioners are self styled. It allows people an avenue to express themselves directly. With wardrobe, accessory and gadgetry choices, a person quite literally builds their persona. In a much more literal form than most other genres of design which will be elaborated on in great detail throughout my time here.

Stay tuned true believers and new comers alike, for more tales of the amazing steampunks!

Member News and Updates:

Ted Lott:

Craft practices are at once defined and restrained by their connections to tradition.  Viewing woodworking in the context of objects made with wood; housing, particularly stick frame construction, emerges as possibly the most widespread use of the material throughout the modern world.  Utilizing these techniques in a studio based practice, it is my hope to further the conversation on how notions of craft fit into the modern world.

Shannon Craft:

The studio is just about complete! I spent just under $100 for new furniture, lighting etc. and here are the results!

Wayne Werner:

STULLER company is flying me down to be a presenter at the BENCH JEWELER conference!! I will be a demonstrator for FOREDOM the end of March.

Marcus Marguillier:

One of my creations found his way to a museum for the first time, for you this probably means very little, but for myself it's a major event.
The Hologram3/3 ring of my Holograms collection is on show in "The Design Circus, Los productos mas Fascinantes del Mundo" at the Circulo de bellas artes in Madrid.

Adventures in Switzerland blogged by Callie Shevlin.

Callie visits Bruna Hauert's gallery Friends of Carlotta in Zuerich and spots - among other things - work by fellow crafthaus members Jillian Moore and Anthony Tammaro.

What a nice surprise!

Business Blog for Creative People blogged by Michelle Pajak-Reynolds.

Can't or Won't by Josh Linkner:

Some things just “can’t” be done, right?

Up until 1954, the top scientists and athletes agreed that running a mile in under four minutes was physically impossible. Never been done in all of history. That is, until Roger Bannister did it on May 6 and shattered this preconceived notion. Just 46 days later, another runner broke the four-minute mark and from then on, times continued to decrease.

With a fresh year ahead of you, you’re probably reflecting on the things you want to do. It may be to fit into that new pair of jeans. Or perhaps you have bigger goals: to drive social change, launch a business, or heal the sick.

Throughout the journey, you’ll be met with challenges that will test your resolve. You’ll be dealt that inevitable setback, making it easy to play the victim card. When you say something “can’t” be done, you are relinquishing your power. It is the world’s fault that a goal wasn’t met, not yours. It may be easier to rationalize in that moment, but in doing so you end up settling instead of achieving.

Continue reading...

Featured Exhibition:

Velvet da Vinci, San Francisco: "Myung Urso: Signature."

February 1 through 29, 2012 Artists’ reception Friday, February 3, 6 to 8 p.m.

Korean-born jewelry artist Myung Urso had a degree in biology, received her Master’s degree in fiber arts and then studied jewelry making before finally combining those varied interests into the wearable sculpture on view at San Francisco’s Velvet da Vinci. Assisting her elderly mother with hand sewing and the traditional ways for the preparation of food helped to shape her hand skills. The shaping of rice cake and arranging vegetables for winter storage enhanced her visual aesthetic. She makes silver cages that are enclosed in hand-stitched panels of painted silk. She forms clusters of dyed silk cocoons that reflect on nature without exactly mimicking it. This exhibition will open on February 1 with an artist’s reception on Friday, February 3, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Featured Workshops:

Touchstone Center for Craft: Spring Workshop lineup: Metals.

Jewelry Courses in Florence, Italy( English speaking Professor!)

Workshops in Australia!

Marjorie Simon, Hilary Pfeifer, Amy Tavern, Sarah Doremus, Arthur Hash and more are teaching down under this Summer !

Pocosin Arts Cabin Fever Reliever Workshops

More workshops (for signed in crafthaus members!)

Featured Video:

The Joy of Books.

After organizing our bookshelf almost a year ago, my wife and I (Sean Ohlenkamp) decided to take it to the next level. We spent many sleepless nights moving, stacking, and animating books at Type bookstore in Toronto (883 Queen Street West). Everything you see here can be purchased at Type Books.

New toy: crafthaus live CHAT.

I am happy to let you all know that I have implemented a neat new feature for us: Live chat! Next time you are on crafthaus give it a try. You will see 2 fields at the bottom of the crafthaus main page. One is called Main Room, the other Members Online. You will figure this out pretty quickly: The Main Room is available to all members to leave comments and posts publicly (only crafthaus members can see this not the general public). When you click on a name in the Members Online group, you can privately chat with that person.  

I tested this yesterday and had a great time. I chatted with Heng Lee in Taiwan (was able to talk him into hosting a future online exhibit with Taiwanese artists, so look forward to that), Ross Annels in Australia (boy was it late there... he said he'll be visiting the US this Summer! Hope I get to meet him.) our US expat Callie Shevlin in Switzerland who is experiencing her first snow over there, no shortage of that in my hometown either) and many others in the US who told me about their exciting plans for 2012 (graduating MBA with a 4.0 average - Michelle Pajak-Reynolds - , attending conferences and workshops and so on.) This was so much fun. Warning: Highly addictive!

Comment from Cami Ruh Clemo: "This feature makes you want to go look up folks work." 

Hope you will enjoy this too!

Humor in Craft by yours truly. :-) For those so inclined, this can be pre-ordered via Amazon in various countries. Book will be in stores March 28!

What happens when professional craft artists are allowed to let loose – when they get to explore their mischievous and irreverent sides? Find out in this groundbreaking book, which, for the very first time, reveals an entirely different side of “serious” craft. Hundreds of images and essays from all over the world allow you to gain insight into the creative minds of contemporary artists like never before. A variety of traditional craft media are shown, such as furniture, ceramics, glass, fiber, jewelry, and metal, as well as a number of unique, nontraditional techniques. Even a bus shelter in London gets a creative make-over that’s sure to make you smile! The topics range from the playful to the serious, but the message is always most enjoyable. Humor in Craft is a treasure trove for craft aficionados and humor enthusiasts alike.

Foreword by Andrew Wagner.

Essays by craft writers and artists.

Fun for all.

Mug on the cover: "Smug Mug" by crafthaus artist Jason Kishell !