As we approach our 50th anniversary, the NCECA board has been looking at ways to expand the reach of the Council beyond our annual conference. This was a charge directly related to NCECA’s strategic plan and developed from asking questions about the role we could play in helping structure a national conversation around contemporary ceramics.
Towards this end we have been developing meaningful partnerships with a number of organizations such as SOFA, the College Art Association, the New York Ceramics Fair and the 92Y among others. In each of these instances we are helping generate content that is reaching a wide and diverse audience while strengthening the core values and mission that drive NCECA forward.
A few of these events have already taken place and many more are rolling out in the coming months. We have been posting about these on social media and the blog, but here is a run down of where NCECA has been and where we are going over the next few months. We look forward to seeing you!
SOFA Chicago
In November NCECA was at SOFA Chicago to present a lecture by Michael J Strand, Ford Foundation Fellow and Head of Visual Arts at North Dakota State University. Strand’s work has been influential in the area of social practice and his lecture “Across the Table: Craft Practice beyond the Object” argued for the potential of objects in the 21st century to be effective catalysts for community cohesion and agents of social change.
The 92Y
This month saw the launch of a new season of co-sponsored lectures presented by NCECA and the 92Y Virtual Clay series. Originally developed by Bobby Silverman, this innovative program has been bringing dynamic content to an international audience through live web streaming lectures by some of the leading practitioners in the field. NCECA is thrilled to be partnering on a series of four lectures throughout the spring that kicked off last week with Namita Gupta Wigger’s talk “Color in clay- who’s making work now?” Upcoming speakers in the series include Tom Sachs, Michael J Strand and Bill Strickland.
The New York Ceramics Fair
This past week NCECA partnered with the New York Ceramics fair that took place to critical acclaim at the historic Bohemian National Hall, 321 East 73rd Street. If you have not attended this event in the past its one you should definitely consider.
As an active partner in this year’s event, NCECA co-sponsored a series of lectures by Leslie Ferrin, Paul Scott and Garth Johnson that highlighted the intersection of historical content with contemporary practice, alongside several days of lectures by leading scholars in the field of decorative arts. Lectures included:
Leslie Ferrin: Made in China: New Export-ware from Jingdezhen
Paul Scott: Duchess, Dogs, Detroit, Dragons, Handles and Cherrypickers
Garth Johnson: I’m So Fancy: Young Artists Take on Historical Ceramics
The College Art Association
T
he College Art Association will be holding their annual conference in New York City this February. NCECA has an affiliate relationship with CAA and this year we will be hosting a panel discussion entitled, “Terracotta… the New Black: Clay Crosses Over”, moderated by NCECA executive director Joshua Green and President Elect Paul Sacaridiz. The panel will bring together artists and thinkers based in the greater New York area that are approaching ceramics from a wide range of perspectives. Panelists include Adam Shiverdecker, Nicole Cherubini, Lisa Sanditz and Francesca DiMattio and takes place on Wednesday February 11th from 12:30-2pm in the West Ballroom of the Hilton, 1335 Avenue of the Americas.
What about those of us in the Middle West? Has NCECA considered annual regional conferences? Such as splitting US into 4 regions, and holding an annual conference in each region, so members would not have to travel so far.
Hi Glenda,
Thanks for the commment! I have a few responses for you:
1. The 2016 Conference is in Kansas City…it doesn’t get more midwest than that, I think!
2. A big part of the reason that the NCECA conference is in a different city each year is to address exactly the point you brought up. The goal of the board is to find locations that alternate from central US to east coast to west coast each year. It *usually* works out pretty well that way.
3. This article also brings up another way that we are trying to connect people throughout the year….much of the year-round programming exists online. Additionally, we are excited about partnerships with CAA, SOFA, New York Ceramics and Glass Fair, and hopefully more to be added, which will help NCECA better serve its membership across the country, and even internationally.
4.The idea of regional NCECA conference has been brought up many times, but once the logistical and….i’ll say *familial* issues have been identified, the idea is always dismissed. For me personally, the conference is about more than the programming, it’s an opportunity to expand my horizons beyond my own region, and I really look forward to seeing my friends from far away places at the conference each year. It just wouldn’t be the same if it were regional. There’s also the issues of planning, scheduling, finding & prepping locations….as an organization, we just don’t have the resources to handle that. We do continue to look into new and innovative ideas though, so stay tuned!