Do you like a challenge? Do you live life as a “lively experiment?” Do you push boundaries, can you solve problems on the fly while working in front of an audience? Then, 2015 NCECA Projects Space is where you need to be. Don’t worry- you still have a month to complete your application materials for the October 1 due date for the 2015 NCECA Conference in Providence! NCECA’s Projects Space is a platform for ceramic artists to create and present works during the annual conference that incorporate clay as medium in time-based, performative, relational or site-responsive work. 3-5 projects will be selected to take place in spaces created in a publicly accessible area the Rhode Island Convention Center adjacent to Gallery EXPO and the Commercial and Non-profit Resource Hall. Artists will create their works on-site interacting with visitors from Tuesday evening through Friday afternoon of the conference. To give you an idea of what Projects Space can mean, we’ve compiled some media on the past few Projects Spaces. Here are some examples captured at the 2014 NCECA Conference in Milwaukee:

Nichole Howard invited Projects Space visitors to join her in an installation that served coffee inside lightly fired terra cotta cups. When finished with their drinks, participants were led to an area where they were prompted to dispose of their drinking vessels by smashing, tossing or chucking their cups into the ground. The project draws from Indian tea drinking traditions and offers a fresh way to engage the ceramic material in the 21st century. Bumfack, Co Kevin Kao and Xia Zhang were in town with BUMFACK Co. The project manifests itself as a Chinese production facility specializing in the reproduction of “famous” ceramic artwork. Together, they produced several wet, acrylic glazed knock-offs, which were then peddled to conference-goers at the end of each work day. The project questions the heart of contemporary ceramics: from authenticity, value, craft and cultural methods of making. What makes what we do, so special? Head to their site to see their digital project proposal. Mandi SalovAmanda Salov Amanda Salov used materials common to contemporary ceramics, as well as those less familiar, to poetically highlight issues concerning the disappearance of the American honeybee. Through the course of NCECA 2014, Amanda Salov hosted a dialogue about a poignant and timely issue using the latent materiality of ceramics. Cast ceramic and wax lemons slowly filled the sinking boat as Amanda discussed the many reasons we desperately need to save the bees. Watch the videos below for footage and interviews from the 2013 NCECA Conference in Houston!
We’re looking forward to the new and exciting adventures the 2015 NCECA Conference in Providence will bring us, and hope you will join in! Application and information available here and remember, October 1st!