The Silver City Clay Festival ended with a grand finale on Sunday, August 5, when winners of the Juried Art Tile Show were announced at Bear Mountain Lodge. Lee Gruber, Director of the Festival, and Sheila Menzies of the Tile Heritage Foundation proudly made the announcement.
Renowned ceramic artist Alfredo Ratinoff, who is a faculty member at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC, was the distinguished juror for the show. His juror’s statement was read to those attending the awards celebration.
Juror’s Statement by Alfredo Ratinoff of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC:
“Today I want to say to all of you, ‘Congratulations!’ A group art exhibition is not a competition, even if awards are presented – an art exhibition is a celebration of many people working together, each one with a vision, but collectively making a bold statement about the importance and power of art.
Tile making is an exciting form of art and a unique expression in clay. I have been working in clay and creating tiles for the past thirty years, and every time I make a new tile I learn something new. As ceramic artists, we work with a very powerful medium. Clay possesses the four basic elements, the same elements of which our planet is made: water, earth, air, and fire. This is one of the reasons that I believe so much in this medium, since what we create is really an alchemy of sorts: we turn something elemental into works of art.
When I received the images to be juried, I was very impressed with the quality of the pieces and by the wealth of artistic expression of each of you. As I reviewed each piece, I was constantly reminded that this work is a reflection of what we all do as ceramic artists, and each participant, no matter the level of experience, expressed a message with clay and in the moment of creation, we are putting our energy in motion to make something that someone else will take as their own and treasure with love.
So, this is my special message to all of you: remember that you have the ability to create something with your hands that can make someone happy — what better compensation can one have? That is your best reward, and for that reason everyone is going to go home knowing that he has won an award: the award of being an artist and making art that brings beauty and joy to the world.”
There were 132 entries in the Juried Art Tile Show from 50 local, national, and Canadian artists, which will be on display through September 3, at six local galleries: Art & Conversation (Yada Yada Yarn), Blue Dome Gallery (Bear Mountain Lodge), Leyba and Ingalls Arts, Lois Duffy’s Studio and Showroom, Seedboat Center for the Arts, and Silver Spirit Gallery.
JURIED ART TILE AWARDS
Best of Show: Tad Van der Weele Memorial Award – $ 1,000
Elements in Fractal, Kelsey L. Jordan of Pinos Altos, NM
Second Place Award – $ 750
Standing or Carrying, Marilyn Andrews of Plainfield, MA
Third Place Award – $ 500
All Together Now, Stephanie Osser of Needham, MA
Tile Heritage Foundation Prize – $ 200
Abdul Rahman Ibrahim, Idris Kabir Syed of Kent, OH
PURCHASE PRIZE AWARDS
Syzygy Tileworks Purchase Prizes:
♦ Green Crab, Maria Matthews of Blue Hill, ME
♦ Secret Life of Trees, Carrie Martin of Tallahassee, FL
♦ Snake Totem, Ellen Stakes of Harrisville, RI
♦ Harpie in Red Hat, Penny Brogden of Berkeley, CA
Blue Dome Gallery at Bear Mountain Lodge Purchase Prizes:
♦ Flicker and Strawberry, Cory Winn of Vashon, WA
♦ Oven Bird, Maria Matthews of Blue Hill, ME
Juried Art Tile Show – August 3 through September 3, 2012