(The Pottery of the Zapotecs and a Taste of Old Mexico)

A WORKSHOP WITH AVELINO JIMENEZ

Instructor: Avelino Jimenez

Date: Friday, August 2, 2013

Times: Part One: 1 – 4pm, Part Two: 5:30 – 7pm

Cost: $50/person

Requirements: Ages 10⁺, Little Skill Required, Limited to 20 Participants

Location: Old Elk’s Lodge Patio – 315 N Texas St, Silver City, NM 88061

Description: During “Part One,” participants will first learn how the clay is prepared by hand using centuries-old methods. Using a kick-wheel, the instructor will then demonstrate how to form a “casuela relleno,” – an oval-shaped pot with handles for cooking usually over an open fire. Participants will have an opportunity to practice making their own casuela.

“Part Two” will begin at 5:30 pm during which time participants are invited to a tasting of the flavors of southern Mexico. Avelino and Lisa Jimenez of Regalos de la Tierra will demonstrate how to use various traditional Zapotec cooking pots, including the casuela relleno demonstrated in “Part One” of the workshop. Also featured is the “Oaxacan Weber,” a handmade clay oven and grill.

About the Artist: Avelino Jimenez is a third-generation Zapotec Indian potter from southern Oaxaca, Mexico. Avelino grew up in the family business, first preparing clay for his father who provided for the family by making utilitarian pots for cooking and food storage. Today, Avelino continues this ancient tradition using the original methods and techniques in his own business, Regalos de la Tierra Pottery Company. For more information on Regalos de la Tierra Pottery Company, click HERE.

Provided: All materials will be provided

Bring: N/A

Contact: 575-538-5560 or info@ClayFestival.com

Registration: ONLY 20 SPOTS AVAILABLE!

To register, click HERE

A WORKSHOP WITH BEN OWEN III

Instructor: Ben Owen III

Date: Wednesday, July 31^st, through Thursday, August 1^st

Time: 8am – 5pm daily

Cost: $200/person

Requirements: Ages 10⁺, No Skill Required, Limited to 20 Participants

Location: Western New Mexico University Expressive Arts Department – McCray Building Clay Studio

Description: Ben Owen III will be part of the 2013 Silver City Clay Festival conducting a clay workshop and lecture at Western New Mexico University in Silver City. The workshop will focus on pottery made on the potter’s wheel and other techniques for shaping clay.

Many different functional and decorative forms and styles will be made that have been a foundation in Ben’s family pottery and his studies while in college and abroad. Some forms will be made in multiple pieces and assembled during the workshop. Attention to detail and the finishing of work will be discussed along with various approaches to glazing and firing techniques.

Slide presentations and video will be shown to describe some of his philosophy, design, and specific ways of processing pottery along with the pottery tradition in the historical Seagrove area of North Carolina. Marketing and other aspects of representing one’s work will be discussed. Open discussion will be encouraged during this special workshop.

About the Artist: A ninth generation potter living in Seagrove NC, Ben Owen III approaches his handmade functional pottery with a process rich in tradition. Influenced by “Jugtown Pottery” and the Neolithic Chinese traditions, Owen III continues to incorporate innovative and traditional techniques into his large-scale works. “Ben Owen III has made pottery for sale since he was 13 years old at the site where his grandfather and father established the Old Plank Road Pottery in the Sea-grove area in 1959” (Craft in America). For a detailed biography on Ben Owen III, click HERE.

Provided: Seating, bathroom facilities

Bring: Recommended – camera

Contact: 575-538-5560 or info@ClayFestival.com

Registration: ONLY 20 SPOTS AVAILABLE!

To register, click HERE

A WORKSHOP WITH ZOE WOLFE & LARRY TAYLOR

Instructor: Zoe Wolfe (Artist); Larry Taylor (Flautist)

Date: Monday, July 29^th, 2013

Time: 2pm-5pm

Cost: $50/person

Requirements: Ages 10⁺, No Skill Required, Limited to 15 Participants

Location: Zoe’s Studio – 305 Cooper Street, Silver City, NM 88061

Description: Join Zoe Wolfe and flautist, Larry Taylor, in creating an ocarina flute. Constructed from clay, decorated with low fire glazes, and fired in a kiln – they will be ready for those who choose to accompany the opening ceremony of the CLAY Festival Adobe Labyrinth at the Historic Waterworks Building the morning of August 1^st.

About the Artist: Zoe is a Silver City sculptor known for her work in clay and mixed media and for her work as an arts educator. Her love of ocarina making began as “little sculptures that toot!” in the 1980’s for a NYC gallery. In the 90’s, she flew inter-island in Hawaii giving workshops in making the whistles. Since then, her exploration has developed them into multi-toned flutes.

Provided: All materials will be provided

Bring: N/A

Contact: 575-538-5560 or info@ClayFestival.com

Registration: ONLY 15 SPOTS AVAILABLE!

To register, click HERE

Deadline for Application: June 1st, 2013

Date of Vendor Fair: August 2-3-4, 2013

Location of Vendor Fair: Workshops of Carneros at 405 N. Bullard Street, Silver City, New Mexico, 88061

General Information: Vendors may apply for their preferred size space to sell their clay-related materials including books, clothing, pottery, jewelry, etc. All applications will be juried by a committee.

To Apply: Please complete and return the application NO LATER THAN JUNE 1, 2013.

See application for details.

To download the application, click HERE.

During this 2 hour meeting, historic adobe preservation will be presented and discussed followed by a question and answer period. The questions and inquiries asked during this meeting will inform the content of three free July adobe preservation workshops. This is your chance to ask preservation expert Jake Barrow about your home and attend a workshop that will teach you how to conserve your adobe and stone structures.

Jake Barrow is the program director of Cornerstones Community Partnerships and since 1986 the organization has worked to preserve architectural heritage and community traditions at more than 300 locations in New Mexico and the Greater Southwest. By starting a model program for the preservation and maintenance of historic adobe buildings involving the training of youth in traditional building skills and sustainable construction methods, Cornerstones has built a national reputation for the creative use of historic preservation as a tool for community revitalization and the affirmation of cultural values. Cornerstones is a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit historic preservation organization located in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Their projects have been based in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, California, and in many states of the Mexican Frontera. Currently Cornerstones is helping in Idaho.

In July, the hands-on workshops will take place, July 26 in Santa Clara, July 27 in Silver City, and July 28 in Gila. The workshops are open to the public. A $20 registration fee (includes lunch) is required. To register and learn more about the workshops, please call the Silver City Museum at 575-538-5921 or visit www.silvercitymuseum.org. These workshops are partially funded by the Historic Preservation Division, State of New Mexico, with funds from the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

The adobe preservation workshops are in collaboration with the Silver City Clay Festival which will be August 2 to 4, 2013.

Cordelia Rose

What’s the difference between a labyrinth and a maze? Find out for yourself during Cordelia Rose’s two-day workshop, July 30th and 31st. Participants will assist Cordelia in building a labyrinth out of locally made adobe bricks while simultaneously learning about the history, design, and purpose of labyrinths.

In addition, local artist and educator, Zoe Wolfe, will discuss and assist with the installation of a ceramic threshold designed and created in collaboration with local university students. The workshop will take place at the historic Silver City Waterworks site. The adobe labyrinth will remain in place to return to the earth over time – 10 to 15 years.

Cordelia Rose left a career in midtown Manhattan for the wilds of southwestern New Mexico, starting a second life as a yoga teacher and labyrinth builder. She has been practicing yoga for 21 years and founded Glenwood Yoga 10 years ago. Her first labyrinth was completed in 2002, and five labyrinths and a maze currently comprise Whitewater Mesa Labyrinths.

Artists’ studios, galleries, cooperatives, museums and other sites physically located in Grant, Catron, Hidalgo and Luna Counties where clay-related activity is a significant component of the enterprise are encouraged to apply for inclusion in the Southwest New Mexico Clay Arts Trail. 

Find out more at ClayTrail.org

Stephani Stephenson

Handmade tile artist Stephani Stephenson will host a multi-day workshop at this year’s festival featuring the process of creating relief tile.

“Stephani Stephenson has been working with clay for more than 30 years. After earning her BFA and MFA, she started a studio in Missoula, Montana. In 1997 she was awarded a Montana Individual Artist Fellowship for her sculptural clay work. Later that same year, she turned her artistic talents to architectural ceramics. Her work has been sold nationally and internationally. She has lectured at NCECA and other conferences, and is an experienced workshop presenter.”

Find out more about Stephani, including her 2 disc instructional DVD set “Studio Scale Architectural Ceramics with Stephani Stephenson“, at Revival Tileworks.

This past Sunday, Nancy Reid & Lisa Smith, of Big Blend Radio, featured the CLAY Festival on their Champagne Sunday show, with lots of special guests, including Lee Gruber (Festival Director), George Dworin (Tourism Director), and several artists and local residents who are all excited about what this year’s festival will bring to Silver City.

Have a listen below, or listen in at Blog Talk Radio:

This episode is dedicated to The Art of Clay & Ceramics and Silver City Clay Festival held Aug. 2-4 in Silver City, New Mexico.

Featured Guests:
- Lee Gruber- Syzygy Tile & Director of Silver City CLAY Festival
- George Dworin – Director of Silver City Arts & Cultural District
- Pam Lujan-Hauer – Taos Pueblo Potter
- Joe Taylor & Sheila Menzies – Directors of Tile Heritage Foundation
- Charmeime Wait – Silver City Museum
- Diana Ingalls Leyba – Artist & Curator for 2013 Neo-Mimbreno Vessels Juried Exhibit
- Stephani Stephenson – Clay Artist of Revival Tileworks
- Cordelia Rose – Whitewater Mesa Labyrinths
- Rob Connoley – The Curious Kumquat Restaurant
- Jessa Tumposky – Silver City Clay Festival Co-ordinator

Diego Valles

Diego Valles and Carla Martinez, a team of artistry known for their thin-walled pottery of Mata Ortiz, will be joining us from Mexico to host a two-day workshop at the Silver City CLAY Festival.

Diego Valles was awarded the National Youth Award for Arts, Mexico’s highest honor to a young living artist, “for the combination of Science, Art and Excellence in the creation of his ceramics” in 2010 and continues to gain international popularity to this day.

“I work on my ancestral art of Mexican pottery. I consider my job a blessing, as it not only allows me to make a living, but I dedicate myself to something that fully satisfies me and fills me with pride. Personally I think art in general is the highest distinction between human beings and other living beings by giving meaning to our existence.” – Valles

See more of Valles’ pottery at Galeria Mata Ortiz.