International Ceramics Festival

International Ceramics Festival Friday 28-Sunday 30 June 2013 Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Wales, UK

^ Gwyl Rhyngwladol Serameg Dydd Gwener 28-Dydd Sul 30 Mehefin 2013 Canolfan y Celfyddydau Aberystwyth, Cymru

Join leading potters and ceramic artists to celebrate one of the world’s greatest ceramic events.

Ymunwch â rhai o hoelion wyth byd y crochenydd ac artistiaid cerameg o fri i ddathlu un o ddigwyddiadau cerameg mwyaf y byd.

About the Festival Aberystwyth Arts Centre and North and South Wales Potters present the 14th International Ceramics Festival, a biennial event initiated in 1987.

With its enduring popularity it is the UK’s leading festival of ceramics. The event offers working potters, artists, teachers, students, collectors and lovers of ceramics the chance to meet distinguished international practitioners, discuss their ideas and watch demonstrations of their techniques. In 2013 the festival will play host to demonstrators from all over the world, including Korea, China, Spain, Poland, New Zealand and the USA – it’s truly an international event!

The programme is opened on Friday evening by Honorary President Henry Sandon, a world authority on Worcester Porcelain and curator of the Dyson Perrins Museum as well as a hugely popular TV presenter. Following this, the weekend’s guest demonstrators will introduce themselves and their plans of work for the weekend. Saturday and Sunday are filled to bursting with demonstrations and lectures, while kiln building,firings and hands-on events will take place outside.

There will be plenty of opportunities to socialise throughout, including an evening of live music on Saturday.

The atmosphere is friendly and welcoming, as ceramic enthusiasts share techniques, ideas and processes – it’s a fantastic weekend!

it’s a fantastic

Aberystwyth Arts Centre Award-winning Aberystwyth Arts Centre is the largest and busiest Arts Centre in Wales, with a wide-ranging annual programme of events and activities across all art forms. The Arts Centre is a department of Aberystwyth University, and sits at the heart of the university’s campus, with beautiful views of the sea and town.

The University’s prestigious collection of ceramics, including work by Hamada, Leach, Cardew and other pioneers of studio pottery ceramics alongside key contemporary work, is housed in the Arts Centre.

This growing collection is recognised as one of the most important in the UK.

The International Ceramics Festival takes place throughout the Arts Centre. Festival goers can enjoy demonstrations in the Hall, lectures and slide shows in the Theatre and Cinema, and visit the demonstrators in their informal working areas.

Trade stands are housed in marquees, and kiln building and firings take place in the outside areas.

In addition, visitors can see numerous exhibitions, including the special selling exhibition of guest demonstrators’ work which is only available during the Festival weekend.

The Arts Centre also offers a well-stocked craft & design shop, a bookshop and cafés and bars operating throughout the weekend.

weekend!

The Guest Artists The full programme for the Festival is still being finalised – check for programme updates on the festival website www.internationalceramicsfestival.org

Demonstrators during the Festival include:

Beth Cavener Stichter (USA) Internationally renowned sculptor Beth Cavener Stichter creates large expressive animal figures by a fascinating and painstaking technique which involves a process of hollowing and shaping blocks of clay.

Her powerful animal forms reflect human psychology: ‘There are primitive animal instincts lurking in our own depths’. www.followtheblackrabbit.com

Richard Notkin (USA) Richard Notkin is best known for his re-interpretation of traditional Yixing pottery and ‘that most complex vessel’, the teapot, remains his main medium.

He uses his works to make social and political comments, and at the Festival will be working on his ‘Legacy’ series.

Doug Fitch (UK) Doug Fitch is one of the UK’s leading slipware potters and watching him demonstrate his highly honed, traditional skills is sheer pleasure. ‘My clay is a blend of earthenware from Devon, dug from rich seams that have been exploited by potters for centuries. My pots are made on the wheel in the traditional manner. I draw great influence and inspiration from the pottery of the medieval period and the tradition of English Country pottery that provided basic, utilitarian rustic wares to the local rural community up until the beginning of the twentieth century.’

Sung Jae Choi (Korea) Sung Jae Choi makes vessels in the Korean tradition of ‘buncheong ware’, with all their painterly qualities of decoration; his works are a powerful evocation of his country’s aesthetic. A member of the International Academy of Ceramics, he is currently a professor at the Korean National University.

Rafael Perez (Spain) Multi awardwinning potter Rafael Perez creates complex sculptures, often using a contrast of clays to emphasise the form. ‘My work is about surprising myself and the audience, using white porcelain and black earthenware clay’.

Takeshi Yasuda (China) Takeshi Yasuda is a master thrower and a captivating demonstrator.

Trained at the Daisei-Gama Pottery in Mashiko, his early work consisted of ash-glazed stoneware, after which he explored Sancai and Creamware and Celadon-glazed Porcelain.

He remains a Ceramics Tutor at the Royal College of Art and has established his studio in the Jingdezhen Sculpture Factory, China. www.takeshiyasuda.com

Virginia Scotchie (USA) Virginia Scotchie is a ceramic sculptor who is inspired by everyday objects: a cup, a bowl, a funnel, her childrens’ toys. Both playful and thoughtful, her hand-built ceramic artworks ‘blur the lines between vessel and sculpture.’

She is Head of ceramics at the University of South Carolina. www.virginiascotchie.com

Monika Patuszynska (Poland) After ten years of modelling smooth and perfect pieces in porcelain, Monika Patuszynska decided to work backwards! She destroys her clay moulds, smashing them into fragments before piecing them back together with edges resembling the profiles of rocks jutting out from the sea or mineral formations. As a reviewer commented, the results are ‘head turning’

Among the KILN FIRINGS will be Peter Lange and Duncan Shearer (New Zealand) Peter Lange and Duncan Shearer are leading potters from New Zealand. Together they will be exploring the intriguing possibilities inherent in using unusual kiln building materials, making and firing two breathtaking kilns during the weekend: Phone Book Kiln (Saturday night) A startlingly beautiful spectacle of an inferno, created with 150 phone directories!

Origami Kiln (Sunday daytime) A kiln created from composite laminated material, folded into shape around the pots and wood fired.

Jeremy Steward (UK) Jeremy Steward will be building and firing a wood-fired soda kiln at the Festival, of a size and construction that could be successfully adopted by most potters with modest premises.

Jeremy trained in Cornwall and Cardiff before joining Wobage Workshops in Herefordshire as apprentice to Mick and Sheila Casson. He makes wood-fired salt-glazed stoneware and porcelain, once-fired to 1300ËšC. www.jeremysteward.co.uk

Hands On Activities will include Mick Morgan (UK) Festival participants can get stuck in with French clay, adding a white slip applied using a method of their choice! The pots will then be wood fired in an experimental kiln based on the traditional Greek method of post fire smoking which will give the distinctive black and orange finish.

Programme Friday 7pm Official opening followed by short introductory slide shows by each guest.

Saturday 9am – 6pm Continuous demonstrations and lectures.

8pm Live music and a chance to socialise Sunday 9am – 4pm Continuous demonstrations and lectures 4:30pm Finale and official close.

Please note that there are no organised events prior to the 7pm start time on the Friday. However the registration desk opens at 2pm so you can collect your information packs, relax after your journey and book into your accommodation in plenty of time.

The demonstrations, lectures, slide shows and kiln buildings take place simultaneously in several areas and festival goers can move about as they wish.

All times are approximate. All information in this programme is provisional and may be subject to change. A detailed programme will be provided upon registration.

Trade Stands Trade stands have become an increasingly valuable part of the Ceramics Festival. They offer festival visitors a unique opportunity to see and compare new equipment, tools and materials as well as being able to purchase tried and tested products directly from the suppliers. They are also an opportunity to find out more about ceramics courses from around the world, and to buy specialist ceramic publications and books, plus much more!

For Trade Stand information, please visit our website, or contact the Festival Office on 01970 622338 / sob@aber.ac.uk

Mick Casson Memorial Lecture A special lecture in memory of the Festival’s former honorary president Mick Casson was introduced at the 2005 festival and will again be a feature of the 2013 event: speaker to be announced.

Awards The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to a person for outstanding services to the ceramic arts. Past award winners have included Ruth Duckworth, Mick Casson, David Leach, Janet Mansfield, Ray Finch, Janet and Frank Hamer, Warren McKenzie and Emanuel Cooper.

The 2013 award will be announced during the festival.

The Potclays Emerging Makers Award is an opportunity for new potters and artists working with clay who have graduated from college within the past five years. For more information or to download an application form visit the Awards page on our website, or contact the Festival Office on 01970 622338 / sob@aber.ac.uk

Aberystwyth Cup Sale An opportunity to purchase cups made by many of the exhibiting artists and visiting ceramicists, whilst at the same time raising funds for the festival. Each Festival goer will be asked to bring with them a cup to be donated, exhibited and then sold in aid of the Festival at the Grand Cup Sale on the final day of the festival. For more information on how to enter your cup into the sale, visit our website or contact the Festival Office on 01970 622338 / sob@aber.ac.uk

Self-Catering Accommodation Accommodation is available on the University campus in student halls of residence at a reasonable cost (200-500 metres away from the festival site). The accommodation is in single rooms and is self catering with a well-equipped kitchen and dining area on each floor. A limited number of twin rooms are available.

All bookings for accommodation MUST be made in advance as numbers are restricted.

To book please contact the University Conference Office by email conferences@aber.ac.uk or phone 01970 621 960 – please note, this accommodation is not administered by the festival and must be booked separately. Don’t forget!

For information about local hotels and B&B options, contact Aberystwyth Tourist Office on 01970 612125 or visit www.visitaberystwyth.com

Getting Here The Arts Centre is situated at the heart of the campus of Aberystwyth University. The turning is from the A487 as you head North out of Aberystwyth and is well signposted.

If you are travelling to Aberystwyth by train we advise that you double check the timetable in advance to ensure that you don’t miss any of the festival events.

The Aberystwyth service runs approx every two hours. For more details go to www.railtrack.co.uk There is a regular bus service from Aberystwyth town centre to the campus – with a new 03 Mid Wales Travel service offering a link from the town right up to the Arts Centre.

Trains from London Euston change at Birmingham or Wolverhampton. Approx journey time is 5 hours.

We advise that you confirm all travel plans prior to setting off.

Extend Your Stay Mid Wales is a beautiful part of the UK and there’s plenty to enjoy – so stay a little longer and explore a little! A number of hotels and guest houses in the Cambrian Mountain Initiative are offering special rates for festival attenders after the weekend - find out more on our website.

Booking Info You can book tickets online at www.internationalceramicsfestival.org Or by calling 01970 62 32 32 Full Price

£130

NWP/SWP members

£120

Students / Young People

£90

Children Under 14

FREE

ps Grou r 12

fo Pay s and t e k tic ne get o

Saturday Day Ticket

£80

Sunday Day Ticket

£70

E!

FRE

Your ticket price includes Admission to all demonstrations, lectures, slide shows, seminars and exhibitions.

Souvenir programme Car Parking for the weekend Saturday evening live music (regular attenders please note: this replaces the usual Saturday night buffet) Don’t forget: accommodation must be booked separately! See the information section earlier in this leaflet

Cancellations/Refunds If for any reason you need to cancel your booking, we will issue a full refund or credit note up until 31 March 2013. After this point we are not able to offer a refund.

International Ceramics Festival Aberystwyth Arts Centre Aberystwyth, Ceredigion SY23 3DE, Wales UK Festival Office: 01970 622338 / sob@aber.ac.uk Bookings: 01970 623232 / artstaff@aber.ac.uk Ff么n/tel: 01970 623232

Design Stephen Paul Dale Design spdale@live.com Photography from the 2011 festival by Glenn Edwards

www.internationalceramicsfestival.org