Week 11 - My First NCECA!!!
My amazing cohort (minus Jooby) celebrating Sarah’s epic win of getting into the Student Juried Show!
GH and me crammed into the back of Max’s car when they said we wouldn’t all fit. Oles can, Oles will!
It’s going to be impossible to recap one of the most formative experiences in my art journey in a short blog, but I will do my best. Sarah and I got home at 3am last night after staying behind an extra day in order to pick up her work from the Student Juried Show and had a lovely time decompressing about an hour from Richmond, VA, where the conference was held.
NCECA was bigger than I ever imagined, in all senses of the term. I am still wrapping my head around the sheer amount of like-minded, passionate ceramicists I saw and met in a matter of days. I’m both overwhelmed and inspired by how large and connected this community is.
After donating one of my goblets to the cup sale, I spent the majority of the first day hopping around all the booths in the expo hall, gathering pamphlets for grad schools and residencies that peaked my interest and a whole lot of free stickers. I also scored some new carving tools, which will replace my beginner trimming tools and make sculpting all the little holes and caves a whole lot easier! As intimidated as I felt about all the future opportunities and options I learned about at the conference, I have a whole lot of motivation to knock out some residency applications before the windows close in the next couple of weeks and have started to compile a list of grad schools I’m interested in applying to a year or two down the line.
Each day, I hit at least 5 exhibitions; I think we must have gone to around 20 in total. It was so mind-blowing to see a full spectrum of ceramic art and clay being pushed in every possible direction. I gathered a lot of inspiration from the range of installation methods I saw and specifically keep returning to this piece by Jing Huang that utilizes both the wall and pedestal.
Networking at these exhibitions was terrifying, but I got to connect with a number of my biggest inspirations (Louise Deroualle, Jing Huang, Ellery Eckleberry, and Austin Coudriet to name a few!!) and seeing the work of artists I greatly admire up close and in person was incredible.
These are some of my favorite pieces I saw:
By far the most memorable part of NCECA for me were the demos by Paul Briggs and Jabu Nala. The way they work with the material is so deeply aligned with my own process and reasons for working with clay; they are masters of rhythmic, meditative making, and watching them in real time was an indescribably magical and special experience that I am beyond grateful for. The way they both interact with clay is like a dance; every move is made with purpose and concentrated intent. They both also hold immense respect for the clay and seem to effortlessly guide and control it as they listen and respond to it. Jabu didn’t speak much during her demo, as she was in intense concentration and connected to her ancestors. Watching her in this state made me reflect a lot on my own concentration in the studio and times where I have felt connected to and led by a greater presence. Those are the times I have made my best work and danced with the material. Paul spoke throughout his demo and said a number of things that will stick with me forever. Listening to his wisdom and watching his mesmerizing process rekindled my passion and reminded me of my artistic purpose. I truly can’t wait to start a new sculpture and make in silence.
artists on my mind
Paul Briggs, Magdolene Dykstra, Rice Evans, Jing Huang, Jason Hackett, Jabuli Nala, Grace Tuthill