Home & Design

Trends in Ceramics

May 17, 2013

By Carol Snyder
2012 Best of Show Award Recipient

Ceramics are a versatile medium that offer many practical options for the home. As decorative vessels, ceramics provide us the ability to add a punctuation of color to a prominent area of the home, or tie a space together by adding synthesis to the patterns in the room.

Using advanced techniques, novel finishes and inventive textures, ceramic craft artists are offering exciting new options for pottery arts. Featured below are four ceramic artists who are innovating the craft with distinctly different approaches:

Carol Snyder, Best of Show in 2012

“I use porcelain for its white, translucent qualities that can express my vision without the use of glaze color. My influence is nature and the landscape. I create patterns and rhythms, syncopation within the structure of nature that I attempt to emphasize. These are carved into the surface of the vessel or appear as cracked earth by pushing the clay from within. Fields, furrows and crop circles provide endless patterns from which to draw inspiration.”

By Kina Crow

Kina Crow

“This body of work is unique in that it provides my 4″ high sculptures a stage on which to perform. Each figure is individually hand sculpted in a mid fire stoneware. Written words allow my wee people to communicate my ideas clearly and without the risk of my point being lost in translation.”

By Lisa Naples
2012 Jane And Leonard Korman Family Prize For Excellence In Contemporary Clay Award Recipient

Lisa Naples, 2012 Jane and Leonard Korman Family Prize For Excellence in Contemporary Clay Award Recipient

“I scour the countryside on a regular basis for objects that have meaning to me. Objects I find at flea markets, antique stores, yard sales and the like find their way home. At other times I fabricate an object from non-clay materials. All these objects help create symbolic language that, together with sculpted imagery communicate narratives.”

Cliff Lee

“I work on a potter’s wheel with translucent porcelain. I will then carve, apply, alter or sculpt the porcelain to obtain the desired form. I use a gas kiln to high fire monochrome reduction glazes.”

By Cliff Lee

Filed Under: 2013 Craft Show, Craft Artists, Home & Design Tagged With: 2013 Craft Show, arts and crafts movement, ceramics, craft artists, craft show, philadelphia museum of art, PMA Craft Show

Artist Spotlight: Dan Mirer

May 13, 2013

Dan Mirer, glass artist, started working in glass at the age of 16 and honed his skills by studying at Rochester Institute of Technology, Alfred University, and the Pukeberg School of Design, Sweden. His work has a signature style that reflects his strengths in craftsmanship and technical innovation. “I incorporate innovative and traditional glassmaking techniques to realize my designs. Many of the pieces require extensive processing,” explains Dan. The resulting work is elegantly shaped vessels that are both functional and decorative.

By Dan Mirer

Filed Under: 2012 Craft Show, 2013 Craft Show, Craft Artists, Home & Design Tagged With: 2012 Craft Show, 2013 Craft Show, art glass, furniture design, glass, handmade, philadelphia museum of art craft show, PMA Craft Show

Artist Spotlight: Mark Nantz

April 3, 2013

Mark Nantz at the 2012 Craft Show

Mark Nantz is an artist who constructs wood vessels using materials that have unusual and dynamic visual characteristics. He then encases the vessel, or integrates it, with materials such as ebony or precious metals to create an exquisite containers that are an aesthetic delight. Mark received the Wharton Esherick Museum Prize For Excellence In Wood at the 2012 Craft Show.

“With every piece I make, my goal is for it to be clearly identifiable as my own and flawlessly executed”, explains Mark. “What inspires me most are ancient artifacts, architecture and industrial components. Repetition in design always gets my attention, such as the teeth on a gear or sprocket, the scales on a fish, or facets on a crystal”.

Work by Mark Nantz

His most recent series of works is titled “Artifact Series”. Commenting on his process and inspiration, Mark stated, “I find it greatly rewarding to successfully complete a challenging piece and to be consumed in the process of creating my work. My most recent works suggest they may have been exhumed from the ruins of an ancient civilization, or possibly made by an ancient craftsman to glorify his Gods or King”.

Mark’s detailed, precise approach to woodworking and his skill in combining multiple elements in a single vessel results in modern wood art that maintains its timeless form and function.

Filed Under: 2012 Craft Show, Craft Artists, Home & Design, Inspiration Interviews Tagged With: 2012 Craft Show, 2013 Craft Show, furniture, furniture design, philadelphia museum of art, philadelphia museum of art craft show, PMA Craft Show, wood, woodturning, woodworking

Auction Online Bidding Ends Soon

November 13, 2012

The 36th Annual Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show closed on Sunday, November 11 at 5pm BUT it is not too late to support the show and bid on a fabulous collection of works donated by participating artists. All proceeds benefit the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Go to the Auction Online site and start bidding on your favorite pieces. The Auction Online will close on Tuesday, November 13th at 9pm.

Here are a few of the items you won’t want to miss.

Filed Under: 2012 Craft Show, Craft Artists, Home & Design Tagged With: auction online, bidding, contemporary craft, craft show, handmade, philadephia museum of art craft show, PMA Craft Show

An Interior Look by Marcello Luzi

November 10, 2012

The Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show offers interior design aficionados a plethora of options for finding distinctive artisanal works. We have been talking with two of Philadelphia’s leading interior designers to gain insights on trends, and to gather ideas about how to incorporate unique craft items into a home.

In this interview, we spoke with Marcello Luzi, a partner at the award-winning design firm Weizler, Peterson & Luzi, and graduate of the Interior Design department of the Art Institute of Philadelphia. Marcello specializes in residential design and small-scale commercial projects, and was the lead designer on the Philadelphia Magazine Design Home 2012 which opened in September 2012.

What are the trends you see for 2012-13?

I see a cozy, comfortable, rustic, natural, raw, unfinished, casual, hand-crafted, special, one-of-a-kind mind set. Style, but without pretentiousness; simplicity in the natural materials used in objects and furnishings. I definitely see a trend towards showing the beauty of the source of objects (like wood) without too much decoration, and things being used more in their natural state than highly processed – and perhaps used in a new way. People are seeking out and gravitating towards nature and the environment. Object like wood, glass and porcelain whose raw materials come from the earth but then are transformed into an object of beauty and very appealing in their warmth and humanness.

Additionally, we no longer want to be confined to one style in our interiors. As the world becomes “smaller” due to travel and technology, we are much more aware of distant places and other cultures. We have embraced many of these cultures and borrowed from their styles. Therefore we no longer want to be restricted to just one style for our homes. Eclecticism is the new style where we can take from many styles and blend them together.

How does the handmade craft item fit into these trends?

These style trends work perfectly with crafts and handmade objects. I find people wanting to get away from mass production and see them gravitating more towards special unique pieces. Everyone doesn’t want the same exact thing their friends or neighbors have; we want our spaces to be special and uniquely ours. These artists and artisans are a way to do that. “One of a kind” hand crafted pieces are so much more special and unique.

You’ve had a chance to preview the craft artists exhibiting at the 2012 Craft Show…

Yes, and if I had a million dollars to spend I would go on a wild shopping spree!

If you were to incorporate one of the craft artist’s pieces into an interior, how would you do so?

I’ll offer suggestions for two of the craft artists – Justin Teilhet and Jay Rogers. Incorporating either artist’s pieces into the home is quite easy. Beautiful objects will travel and work in a variety of spaces and styles. Here is what I recommend:

Justin Tielhet

Justin Teilhet makes gorgeous porcelain vases and vessels which are sculptural and stunningly beautiful. Whether you use them as a center piece on a dining table, on a console in an entry foyer, on a fireplace mantle, on bookcases or in a wall display as shown on his website, they are all three dimensional art that is amazing beautiful to look at. Placed alone as single pieces or in groups they provide lots of flexibility. I find myself just staring at them for their beauty, simplicity and yet somewhat complex quality. Art does not only exist in two dimensions on a wall in a picture frame, this is three dimensional art and a great way to add more interest to an interior.

Jay Rogers

Jay Rogers makes beautiful intricate wood boxes which in themselves are conversation pieces. Beautiful to look at and often even functional with secret storage compartments these are special one of a kind hand crafted masterpieces. Wood is transformed into something beyond its simple natural quality and yet while very intricate and seemingly engineered to a high standard the warmth of the natural wood makes a complex shape very approachable and inviting. I would use these pieces as art, on a table, on display, in a bookcase or on a sideboard. Some can even hang on walls and be truly functional.

Both artists’ work is unique and special and appeals to me on many levels.

Filed Under: 2012 Craft Show, Craft Artists, Fashion, Home & Design Tagged With: 2012 Craft Show, craft artists, design, Eric Rymshaw, furniture, glass, Marcello Luzi, philadelphia museum of art craft show, PMA Craft Show, wood

The Art of the Cupcake

November 8, 2012

Lily Fischer and Nima Etemadi, Chefs/Owners, of A Cupcake Wonderland will give a demonstration on the Art of the Cupcake at the 36th Annual Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show on Sunday, November 11 at 2:00pm.

Here’s a little bit about their business as told by Lily.

Best friends from college, my business partner Nima and I both quit our respective careers to become pastry chefs. (In our past lives, I was a preschool teacher here in Philly and Nima was the assistant editor of Aperture magazine in NYC.) I started ACW as a home business in 2009, and was first invited to be on Cupcake Wars in 2011 (premiered June 21), on the Bollywood episode, in which we came in first, winning $10,000! Shortly thereafter, Nima came on board, having recently graduated from pastry school.

We got a new look relocated the business to an immaculate, new, commercial kitchen in the Globe Dye Works building, located in Frankford, Philadelphia, which we share with LoveBar, a local bean-to-bar chocolate maker. All baked goods from A Cupcake Wonderland are prepared fresh to order using high-quality, wholesome ingredients. We specialize in custom cakes, cupcakes, wedding cakes, and artisinal pastries, and sell our baked goods at such vendors as Di Bruno Bros. (Comcast), as well as various locals events and markets, as opportunities arise!

This year we were featured on Food Network twice! First on Cupcake Wars’ Cupcake Champions tournament (premiered May 13, 2012), in which we competed for a chance at $50,000 on the Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark episode. Then, most recently, we were featured on Cupcake Wars All Stars (premiered July 1, 2012), which had a patriotic, USO theme. We came in a close second in both episodes, but with all the love and support Philadelphians have been showing our business, it feels like we came in first!

Filed Under: Home & Design, Uncategorized Tagged With: art of the cupcake, artisinal pastries, cupcake wars, demonstration, makers

The Guerilla Mug Assault

November 4, 2012

On November 8, 2012, The Clay Studio will hit the streets of Philadelphia. Stationed at six different locales with both foot traffic and an abundance of coffee shops, teams will give away 500 beautifully crafted handmade ceramic mugs to 500 individuals with disposable cups. A tag attached to each mug will include information about the project, the mug’s maker, and The Clay Studio’s blog address with a statement encouraging the recipient to post about their experiences using their chosen mug and the relationship they develop with it.

With support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, as part of its Knight Arts Challenge, The Clay Studio will explore the relevance of handmade ceramic tableware in the 21^st century by distributing free handmade mugs to people holding disposable coffee cups around various coffee shops throughout center city Philadelphia. The recipients are then to share their experiences of use on The Clay Studio blog.

500 People. 500 Conversations. 500 Free Hand Made Mugs. 500 Experiences.

Filed Under: Craft Artists, Home & Design Tagged With: ceramic mugs, ceramics, clay, clay studio, hand made, handmade, mugs, philadelphia

The Art of Buying Crafts: Genvieve Goldstein

October 23, 2012

We’re gathering tips for shopping at the show and collecting crafts from Genvieve Goldstein. Genvieve is co-chair of the Young Patrons (40 & under) of the Craft Show Committee, and first became involved with the event as a volunteer. Among her collection of fine crafts, one can find hats, semi-precious jewelry, ceramics and wearable fiber.

How did you become involved with the Craft Show?

Describing her first volunteer experience booth sitting for artists on their lunch break, Genvieve said, “I learned how much work and talent went into each one of these crafts and just fell in love with this whole experience of being able to talk face-to-face with the artists there.

What advice would you give to someone considering going to the Craft Show?

“There is certainly something there for everyone. It’s important not to have any kind of preconceived notion of what you are going to see.

The crafts are all museum quality… and there is a jury of five experts in the field of contemporary craft who decide who gets to show at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show.

Tell us a bit about your collection. Is there a piece that is particularly sentimental for you?

“I love them all! I get a lot of joy out of purchasing and taking something home an object that was handcrafted and made by artisans.

My mother actually bought me a ring [by Kristin Lora] and it’s a car, and there is a little figurine of a woman inside the car, driving. The headlights and taillights are stones. It definitely starts a lot of conversations.

And I have a number of hats, and one I’m particularly fond of is a straw top hat from Ignatius Hats… a lot of fun to wear in the summer.”

“There was an artist at the 2011 Show, Paveen “Beer” Chunhaswasdikul, who does these whimsical ceramics… he had the most wonderful way of talking about his work. He was just so in love with his work and excited about it that it was hard not to get excited with him… the mug I ended up getting looks like a grenade – each piece is different – and you pull out the pin of the grenade if you want to microwave it or put it in the dishwasher… Each one had it’s own quirky aspect.

The ability to have a conversation with the artist who made the piece is one of the unique aspects of purchasing an item at the Craft Show.

“Yes, and the fact that there is an international component… you rarely get to meet the artists who make some of these crafts. But at the Craft Show, you get to meet artists from a different country and purchase a piece of theirs to take home or give as a gift to someone… it’s really amazing.”

What advice do you have about selecting a contemporary craft piece to purchase?

“Go with your gut feeling and your heart and buy what makes you happy and smile. That’s what I do when I go – I don’t go looking for anything in particular. You have to find something that draws you to it, something that you want as part of your collection that you go to year after year. There are items that are affordable – what I buy generally ranges from $50-$200.

The things I collect are something more [than just the object] – it’s something I like to share with other people, or let them borrow, or simply enjoy just looking at – I have a hat that hangs on my wall all year round because I just love seeing it.”

Each year there are new craft artists who participate, and some who return. For a preview of artists participating this year, visit our Flickr account. Come to the 2012 Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show and get inspired!

Filed Under: 2012 Craft Show, Craft Artists, Fashion, Home & Design Tagged With: 2012 Craft Show, craft, craft artists, craft show, Genvieve Goldstein, international craft artists, philadelphia museum of art, PMA Craft Show, women's committee

The Past and Present, continued: Jennifer Zwilling

October 9, 2012

In the second of a two-part series, we complete our interview with Jennifer Zwilling. This post focuses on how Jennifer makes the world a better place by promoting art-filled inspiration.

You’ve spoken of unity between art and life, and the importance of inspiration.

“Yes, I understood how meaningful this was to me. I chose a profession where I could look at art, and help others be inspired by art in their lives. It helps to be aware so that you can be grateful and continue to be inspired, so raising awareness about it is also important to me.”

As an Adjunct Professor in the Art History department of the Tyler School of Art at Temple University, Jennifer frequently teaches a two-semester “History of Craft” course in which students learn about the history of different craft media, and also create connections to contemporary craft.

“[In the History of Craft course] art students are taught to see their surroundings and continue to be inspired by them, and this has a big impact on the work that they do.

This past semester I had a Graphic design student who was so inspired by Victorian hair jewelry that she did her whole final project, which was to create a book, on the history of hair jewelry and she studied it and found all these wonderful photographs, and that was really exciting for me.”

What are your plans for the future, and how do you plan to inspire the next generation?

“I’m excited to continue teaching and I’ve been expanding my teaching role. Next semester I will be teaching at PAFA [Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Art] about Frank Furness the architect. I’m really inspired to teach the students who go to school in the building and see it every day about the architect and get them to know the architectural history and notice it. (Note: this is in conjunction with a celebration of the 100th anniversary of his death.)

Children learning at Nurture exhibit

I’m also interested in getting back to the museum world in education, in terms of inspiring the next generation, because it’s how you interpret these things and how you help people see what they’re looking at in all its layers that is important.

It makes a difference when that person goes home and starts to look at their own surroundings and they think “I would like to have a chair like the one I saw at the museum”- or a new one made by an artist – and they start to understand that it’s a different kind of art, but one that they can live with every day.”

Filed Under: 2012 Craft Show, Craft Artists, Home & Design Tagged With: 2012 Craft Show, craft, craft artists, furniture, furniture design, handmade, jennifer zwilling, Nurture, philadelphia museum of art, PMA Craft Show

Nurturing the Connection Between Past and Present: Jennifer Zwilling

August 14, 2012

Take a moment to look around you, and the space you have created. Where are you sitting? Look up from your computer. Do your eyes see a photo, a vase, or a memento that reminds you of a happy time? Does your space provide you with comfort, energy or peace?

Jennifer Zwilling, Art Historian, Adjunct Professor and Curator of the recent contemporary craft exhibit Nurture, believes we can make our surroundings serve us better when we choose to surround ourselves with objects that inspire us. Jennifer looks at craft objects as being items that are imbued with use, ones that convey our nonverbal ideas and emotions through our aesthetic environment. We spoke with Jennifer to learn more about trends in craft, how she connects the past and present, and also about how she believes art and life are unified when we surround ourselves with beautiful things that are well made.

How did you become interested in craft?

“I majored in History, and I was really interested in social and cultural history. As an undergraduate, I went to Spain and saw the architecture and the history and the art all being intertwined and I got really excited about studying history through art. I came back to the U.S. and went to graduate school at Temple in the Tyler School of Art. I was much more interested in architecture and fashion and things that people use because I feel that they are imbued with the history of use, the history of people living with those objects and how they expressed their nonverbal ideas through these objects.”

What do the past and present have in common regarding decorative arts and modern craft?

“Craft objects are imbued with meaning. Understanding how people lived in the past can be so instructive. I think it helps us better understand how we’re relating to our modern world when we look at how people 100 years ago related to their surroundings…[they] were living as we are, and when you take our modern life out of the picture, you can see what still exists, and find those universal qualities of humanity.

When you look at a room in a Renaissance home that people used, and maybe see the dress that the woman was wearing when she was sitting down writing [a] letter, those objects can actually tell you the history in some ways, even more, because you understand the posture that she had to sit in to not be uncomfortable in this fancy dress she was wearing and the kind of chair that she would sit in, and how her skirts fell to the ground and the kind of inkwell that she was dipping her quill pen into and all the things around her imbued her life with beauty and with an aesthetic sensibility that you could never really get from reading a letter. …. Then we can think about the same thing when we’re sitting down at our desk at work with our computer in front of us and see meaningful photos and whatever we gather around ourselves. We do that in order to create a space that speaks to us, or is comforting to us or provides us energy.”

What are the trends you are seeing in the craft world?

“An interest in the past and an interest in ornaments is something that’s hot right now. People are interested in beautiful objects. Now it’s not about just creating something out of a beautiful material, rather, people appreciate hand work, hand carving, or hand embroidery as a level of ornament that is parts of a really well designed structure. Ornament can be modern, original and fresh while also being inspired by the past.

It seems you had the chance to explore connections and new trends in your recent curated exhibition.

Jennifer Zwilling curating Nurture exhibit

“The exhibition “Nurture” gave me the opportunity to connect the artists who I know in Philadelphia, and the different visions that they have and the themes that are connecting them.

In the exhibition, it’s not nurturing a child or a relationship, but nurturing our understanding of the past

Nuture

and that continuity and humanity. That’s always what it comes back to when I try to explain to somebody why I’m doing what I’m doing. I believe that all of this helps us understand humanity better, and that will make the world a better place.

I’d like to continue to explore this in the future”.

To be continued… Learn more in a second post coming soon!

Filed Under: Craft Artists, Fashion, Home & Design, Uncategorized Tagged With: 2012 Craft Show, architecture, arts and crafts movement, craft artists, education, handmade, Jennifer Zilling, Nurture, philadelphia museum of art, PMA Craft Show, woodworking