Raw Goods
the transformation of material by local industries
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Raw Goods
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The exhibition, Raw Goods: the transformation of material by local industries, was curated by Professor Anne Currier, Division of Ceramic Art and Assistant Professor Ezra Shales Ph.D., Division of Art History, with support and funding from the Fosdick-Nelson Gallery, School of Art and Design, New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University and the Gary Horowitz Center for Service Learning, Alfred University. Raw Goods: the transformation of material by local industries January 28 – February 23, 2011 Fosdick-Nelson Gallery Harder Hall, School of Art and Design 2 Pine Street Alfred, ny 14880
The catalog, Raw Goods: the transformation of material by local industries was produced by the Division of Ceramic Art with generous financial support provided by The Marcianne Mapel Miller Fund for Ceramic Art, Alfred University, Alfred, ny. Additional support for the catalogue provided by St. Vincent Press. Š 2011 Division of Ceramic Art, School of Art and Design New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University Alfred University 1 Saxon Drive Alfred, ny 14802 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Catalog design by Nick Kuder, Divison of Expanded Media Gallery & studio photography by Woody Packard, Rochester, ny Catalog coordination by Anne Currier, Division of Ceramic Art Printed by St. Vincent Press, Rochester, ny isbn 978-0-9840078-0-6
Raw Goods
the transformation of material by local industries
An exhibition curated by Anne Currier & Ezra Shales Fosdick-Nelson Gallery ¡ Harder Hall, School of Art and Design January 28 – February 23, 2011 Division of Ceramic Art, School of Art and Design New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University Alfred, New York
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contents Director’s Note 7 Foreword 8 Victor Insulators, Inc. 10 Boston Valley Terra Cotta 20 Eddy Lumber Company & Hyland Woodcraft 32 itt Geospatial Systems 40 Cutco Corporation 50
d i r e c t o r ’s n o t e The Fosdick-Nelson Gallery, housed in the School of Art & Design at Alfred University, is a vibrant learning center for the visual arts in western New York. Our rotating exhibitions highlight the talents of established and emerging artists who work regionally, nationally and internationally. Raw Goods presented a lively collaborative event: the combined curatorial efforts of Anne Currier, Professor of Ceramic Art, and Ezra Shales, Assistant Professor of Art History. The exhibition brought together two divisions of the School and diverse points of view about the nature of art, craft and the manufactured object. Additionally, the lenders to the exhibition were not collectors or artists in the conventional sense but local manufacturers located within close proximity to Alfred, ny. The visually stunning exhibition featured an array of finely crafted objects, ranging in scope and scale from finely polished stainless steel knife blades to massive blocks of architectural terra-cotta. In addition to students and faculty from the University, the opening reception was well attended by the Alfred community and representatives from the participating companies. Sean Hyland’s timber frame demonstration during the reception contributed to the festive environment, a suitable beginning for this popular exhibition. My appreciation to the curators and participating companies for their enthusiastic support; my thanks to Nick Kuder for contributing beautifully designed exhibition graphics. I also want to thank the staff of the FosdickNelson Gallery, especially preparator Jason Green, student graphic designer Joy Smith, the work-study crew and the ceramic graduate students; all worked tirelessly to install this ambitious exhibition. Sharon McConnell Director, Fosdick-Nelson Gallery 9
foreword Focusing on the resources of companies and individuals whose production facilities exist within an 80-mile radius of Alfred University in Alfred, New York, Raw Goods: the transformation of material by local industries featured objects manufactured in clay, wood, metal, and glass whose refinement and versatility combined functional objectives with ingenious engineering, elegant solutions and material innovations.   The porcelain insulators, architectural terracotta units, milled logs, steel blades, and laminated lenses that were culled from research labs, production lines, loading docks and storage yards for exhibition in the Fosdick-Nelson Gallery, appear poised on a threshold, caught in a suspended moment–an isolated pause–between their source of design and fabrication and their final destination of utilitarian application. Gallery presentation transforms context. Perceptions of size and scale, mass and weight, volume and density, construction and touch are enhanced. Close inspection reveals parallel methods of production and types of tools. The process of extruding is shared by several manufacturers, as are the actions of cutting, grinding, and polishing. These products are raw materials in a transitional or residual state. Their completion or application is determined by inclusion in additional processes. Integrated into the final product, their singular
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visibility and identity will become assimilated with and interdependent on other components. To their manufacturers, these engineered objects are identified by their technical nomenclature as they move on a regimented and scheduled course towards an intended application in a competitive marketplace. As commercial products, they address and adhere to traditions, standards and codes of construction that require strict tolerances and specifications. Choices of size, shape, color, and surface are integral to utilitarian and decorative intentions. The overall interplay of the raw material with the esthetic choices of the designer, the structural demands of the engineer and, ultimately, the manufacturer’s dedication to quality and craftsmanship creates the visual and intellectual dynamics. Through the generous support of local, participating manufacturers, Raw Goods introduced a local audience to an extraordinary array of objects that reveal material transformations, designs, engineering and fabrication skills at stages of production not easily accessible to the general public. On a historical level, relationships between art and design, material and industry, hand and tool as an unfolding dialectic are kindled: what is industrial craft; where is the hand (manu-) in “manufacture”; how do traditional practices and current technologies define and effect the individual manufacturers? From an artistic
perspective, the provocations stem from the visceral and migrate to the intellectual; in the presence of such visually and physically stunning manifestations of invention and creatively manipulated material, what are the assumptions and relationships that challenge and enlighten definitions of visual art and sculpture? Anne Currier for The Division of Ceramic Art
This catalog is dedicated to the manufacturers whose participation and generous contributions made this exhibition a reality. Boston Valley Terra Cotta · orchard park, ny Cutco Corporation Cutco Cutlery Corporation Ka-Bar® Knives Inc. · olean, ny Eddy Lumber Company · alfred, ny Hyland Woodcraft · alfred, ny ITT Geospatial Systems · rochester, ny Victor Insulators, Inc. · victor, ny
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victor i nsu lators, i nc. 路 victor, ny
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Victor Insulators, Inc. Station post pug blank at the dry turning lathe Unfired porcelain p. 10–11 Victor Insulators, Inc. Partially dry turned station post 2011 Unfired and unglazed porcelain 14
Victor Insulators, Inc. Station post insulators 2011 Porcelain, cone 10, sky gray glaze
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Victor Insulators, Inc. Pin-type insulator, ansi 55-3 2005 Porcelain, cone 10, cobalt glaze Color is esthetic and unique to Detroit Edison Electric. Victor Insulators, Inc. Guy Strain insulator ansi 54-4 Porcelain, cone 10, sky gray glaze
Victor Insulators, Inc. Pin-type insulator, ansi 55-4 2010 Porcelain, cone 10, sky gray and radio black glazes Originally introduced in the 1920s to coincide with radio mass production, the radio black glaze functions to reduce static on radio transmissions.
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Victor Insulators, Inc. Suspension insulator ansi 52-9 (unassembled) Porcelain, cone 10, slate gray glaze Specialty insulator purchased by oem for use in the transportation industry.
Victor Insulators, Inc. Detail of the sand band Suspension insulator ansi 52-9 (unassembled) The sand band is necessary for proper adhesion and assembly of the insulator with the hardware.
Victor Insulators, Inc. Spool insulators Small: ansi 53-2. Residential & distribution usage Large: Specialty for residential & distribution usage 18
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Victor Insulators, Inc. Station post assembly jigs
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Victor Insulators, Inc. Pug mill operation producing blanks for green finishing
Victor Insulators, Inc. Green turning operation of the ansi 56-1 Pin-type insulator
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boston valley te rra cotta ¡ orchard park, ny
Boston Valley Terra Cotta Hand-pressed restoration units with glazed finish and mortar indent 2009–2010 Glazed, cone 3 buff clay Fabricated for p.s. 50x, Bronx, ny Original construction and architect/designer: na
p. 22 Boston Valley Terra Cotta Detail of mortar indent on hand-pressed restoration unit
p. 23 Boston Valley Terra Cotta Detail of hand-pressed restoration unit with glazed finish and mortar indent
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Boston Valley Terra Cotta Hand-pressed restoration unit with glazed finish and mortar indent 1998 Glazed, cone 3 buff clay Fabricated for the New Orleans Court Building New Orleans, la Original construction: 1908 Brown, Brown and Marya, architects/designers 26
Boston Valley Terra Cotta Detail of hand-pressed restoration unit with glazed finish
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Boston Valley Terra Cotta Hand-pressed restoration unit with glazed finish and mortar indent 2007–2009 Glazed, cone 3 buff clay Fabricated for Liberty Tower New York, ny Original construction: 1909 Henry Ives Cobb, architect/designer
Boston Valley Terra Cotta Hand-pressed restoration unit with glazed finish and mortar indent 2007–2008 Glazed, cone 3 buff clay Fabricated for the Thurgood Marshall U.S. Federal Courthouse New York, ny Original construction: 1932 Cass Gilbert, architect/designer 29
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Boston Valley Terra Cotta TerraClad™ Ceramic Rain Screen: wire-cut custom profile extrusions 2008–2009 Through-body clay color, cone 3 terra cotta Fabricated for the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art Charlotte, nc Original construction: 2009 Mario Botta, architect/designer Boston Valley Terra Cotta Restoration units: extruded coping profile, cut with laser aligned, diamond-edged wet saw 2006, 2009–2010 Glazed, cone 3 buff clay Fabricated for Highlands High School Fort Thomas, ky Original construction and architect/designer: na 32
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e ddy lumbe r company & hylan d woodcraft 路 alfre d, ny
Hyland Woodcraft Timber frame bent Assembled in gallery by Sean Hyland January 2011 Milled and notched local species of cherry, hard maple and ash 34
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Hyland Woodcraft Detail of assembled timber frame bent Collar tie joint Milled ash and cherry with 1" octagonal white oak pegs
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Hyland Woodcraft Housed dovetail joint Milled hemlock
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Eddy Lumber Company Frick circular sawmill 54" steel blade
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Eddy Lumber Company Hard maple log with pine stickers Straight-sawn with waney edges 2011 Harvested in Allegany County 39
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Eddy Lumber Company Japanese larch log on saw carriage Cut three sides
Eddy Lumber Company Banded bundle of aspen pipe stickers for local industry
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itt geospatial systems 路 roch este r, ny
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itt Geospatial Systems Support body for fabrication of lightweight optical components Fused Silica glass
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itt Geospatial Systems Templates used to protect the polished surfaces of a lightweight mirror core structure in the Abrasive Water Jet cutting process 2006 Robax速 glass-ceramic cover plate residual
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itt Geospatial Systems Prototype for core structure of ultra-lightweight optical components 2010 Thermal vacuum formed borosilicate glass
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itt Geospatial Systems Core residuals derived from the Abrasive Water Jet cutting process used in the fabrication of lightweight structures for space-based optical components Ultra Low Expansion (ule速) glass
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itt Geospatial Systems Details of demonstration samples from the Abrasive Water Jet cutting process Ultra Low Expansion (ule速) glass 49
itt Geospatial Systems Optical component for space-based imaging system Lightweight, Ultra Low Expansion (ule速) glass, mirror substrate half-coated with reflective metallic coating
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cutco corporation 路 olean, ny cutco cutle ry corporation ka-bar庐 kn ives, i nc.
Cutco Corporation Cutco Cutlery Corporation Shear blades (#77c) 2010 Steel and plastic 52
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Cutco Corporation Cutco Cutlery Corporation Blade mirror polishing process
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Cutco Corporation Cutco Cutlery Corporation Robotic hafting process (sanding and buffing)
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Cutco Corporation Ka Bar速 Knives, Inc. Residuals of Ka-Bar速 manufacture 2010 Steel
Cutco Corporation Ka Bar速 Knives, Inc. Blade sharpening
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Cutco Corporation Ka Bar速 Knives, Inc. Progression of Ka Bar速 Leather Handled Fighting/Utility Knife manufacture Steel and leather
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Cutco Corporation Ka Bar速 Knives, Inc. Ground Ka-Bar速 steel blades in transport pan
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Cutco Corporation Cutco Cutlery Corporation Punch and die stamping tool for table knife (#1759)
Cutco Corporation Cutco Cutlery Corporation Thermoresin raw material pellets for handles
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Cutco Corporation Cutco Cutlery Corporation Residuals of knife blade stamping production (#1759) 2010 Steel
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Cutco Corporation Cutco Cutlery Corporation Table knife blade blanks (#1759) in wooden transport trays 2010 Steel
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Front cover Cutco Corporation Cutco Cutlery Corporation Wooden transport trays Back cover itt Geospatial Systems Detail of support body for fabrication of lightweight optical components Fused Silica glass