Artist in Residence

Words by Claudine Fernandez Claudine is Project Officer at JamFactory.

JamFactory has a long tradition of inviting established and emerging artists and designers to work with and mentor Associates, creative staff and members of the wider community through the sharing of experiences, skills and methodologies. The residencies are equally beneficial for JamFactory and visiting artists and create opportunities for ongoing collaboration and an exchange of ideas beyond participants’ usual scope.

Over the past eighteen months, JamFactory has continued to build upon its Artist In Residence Program by hosting a number of influential artists, craftspeople and curators. In September 2017, JamFactory’s Glass Studio hosted international glass artist David Walters, from Washington, USA. Across a five-day intensive workshop, Walters worked with Associates and glass artists from JamFactory’s Glass Studio and the wider glass community. ‘David creates a strong visual narrative in his work through the use of sculptural glassblowing and layers of hand painted enamelling,’ says Glass Studio Program Manager Kristel Britcher. ‘The participants had the opportunity to learn the processes of low fire enamelling and explored a variety of Venetian glassblowing techniques to develop more sculpturally ambitious work.’

In April 2018, celebrated metalsmith Junko Mori joined JamFactory’s Jewellery and Metal Design Studio for a four-week residency focusing on the concept of ’uncontrollable beauty’. Trained in Japan and based in the Welsh countryside, Junko is sought after for her uniquely delicate sculptures that defy the very nature of the materials used. Her residency involved two three-day workshops for skilled craftspeople, a full demonstration day for people of all skill levels and a three-day rural escape to McLaren Vale with the Jewellery and Metal Studio’s Creative Director Sarah Rothe and the Associates for what was an immersive experience into Junko’s expert methodology.

Participants’ reactions to the two workshops were overwhelmingly positive and they were clearly impacted by Junko’s creative ideology and metalworking skills. Awarded local jeweller Jess Dare says, ‘Junko is fantastic! She is energetic, encouraging, supportive, generous with her knowledge and patient.’ Canberrabased sculptural artist Dan Lorrimer explained, ‘She is open to hearing other perspectives and techniques with a genuine respect for sharing.’ Junko was likewise impressed saying, ‘I am impressed by JamFactory’s education and commercial commitment to promoting craft.’

Junko’s time in Adelaide culminated in the solo exhibition Visiting Nature: Junko Mori Metalsmith. The exhibition showcased new works alongside significant sculptures from public and private collections, including a loan from the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, SA.

June 2018 saw Chinese ceramic artist Huang Fei in residence at the Ceramics Studio for three weeks, as part of a partnership with Guildhouse, Adelaide, SA and the Yiwei Art Foundation, Shanghai, China. This residency marks the beginning of a long-term vision intended to exchange skills and develop relationships between Shanghai and Adelaide. Huang Fei is a third generation craftsperson who studied under two separate masters; one with a traditional approach and the other more contemporary. These two divergent styles together with the influence of western artists, has led to his unique free-style work.

Huang Fei conducted three workshops at JamFactory in traditional Chinese blue and white porcelain decorative skills, calligraphy and on-glaze enameling. He also spent time in the Flinders Ranges collaborating with a group of artists and presenting an artist talk. ‘Huang Fei’s simplicity of brush stroke belies his mastery of skill,’ says David Pedler, Production Manager, JamFactory Ceramics Studio. ‘His experimentation with cobalt is very exciting and I look forward to playing with the skills I have learnt.’

Finally, in July 2018, Lyndsay Rice, Associate Professor at Alberta College of Art and Design, Canada, joined JamFactory for a residency with the Jewellery and Metal Studio. She came directly from a three-week teaching residency at the Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China. Lyndsay conducted an Associate workshop based around her installation artworks, presented an artist talk about her career and showcased a series of brooches in the Jewellery and Metal Studio made during her residency.

In this digitally connected world of seemingly diminished distances it is easy to forget that nothing can replace the face to face connection of actually being there. For those invested in the nuanced world of material and process these moments of genuine exchange with craft and design practitioners are invaluable. Through its Artist in Residence Program JamFactory continues to be a point of real connection between local and international artists, collectors and community.