"Ideal Made Real" Exhibition!

The exhibition Ideal Made Real: MN NICE is up in the Vine Arts Gallery through April 8, 2019. The show features the work of program Alumni and Affiliate Artists and celebrates MN NICE’s fifth anniversary. The exhibition is on display during Claytopia, the 2019 National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) Conference held in Minneapolis. 

Installing

MN NICE alumni worked hard this week to install their stunning exhibition at the Vine Arts Center Gallery. They transformed the space! The exhibition highlights work from program graduates as well the work of Affiliate Artists who mentor students throughout the year.

Jeff Oestreich Studio Visit

The NICE students headed out to Jeff Oestreich's on a recent wintery night for a potluck and studio tour. We got to see Jeff's collection of historical pots from three impressive Bartmann jugs he has in the corner of his dining room to a Michael Cardew platter by the door, and we had a lovely dinner with lots of stories and laughter. Jeff currently has the treadle wheel Leach used in his studio and many of us jumped on the opportunity to try it out.

Mia Tour

The NICE group visited the Mia Museum this week and spent some time in the Chinese and Japanese galleries. Long-time NCC studio artist Mary Ann Wark recently completed her training to become a docent, and it was a treat to have someone so knowledgeable about ceramic history, materials and process lead our discussion.

Field Trip Bonding

After a thoughtful and informative visit to Emily Murphy's home studio, the NICErs bonded while fixing a flat tire. Lots of learning today about building a ceramic business and as well as where to place a jack on the car chassis.

Peter Jadoonath's Studio

The NICErs drove out to Shafer, MN to visit Peter's studio this week. Peter is a long-time teacher and potter in the area and recently relocated his studio to the St. Croix River Valley. We had a wonderful visit hearing about his journey as a potter and seeing his new space.

Eileen Cohen Gallery Talk

The MN NICE group met Eileen Cohen for a gallery talk about her current installation in the Augsburg College Gallery. We discussed Eileen's concept for the work, her movement away from the object for this project, and the nuts and bolts of making and installing a large-scale ceramic piece.

Visit to Linda's

MN NICErs traveled out to Scandia, MN to visit Linda Christianson this past week. In addition to talking about pots, inspiration for pots, and the process of creating work, the group got a demonstration of Linda's fancy apple peeler.

Warren MacKenzie Demo

MN NICE students had the wonderful opportunity to spend an afternoon with Warren MacKenzie this week. Warren came into Northern Clay to meet with art educators and MN NICE students for a workshop over the MEA weekend. He told stories about his time at the Leach Pottery, talked about John Reeve and the current exhibition up at NCC, and threw some fast and loose pots.

Mia Visit

The MN NICErs visited the Minneapolis Institute of Arts on our field trip this week. We recently read the Arcanum by Janet Gleeson and everyone was excited to see some of the Meissen pieces in person.

Steve Rolf Studio visit

The MN NICE group visited Steve's studio this week. In addition to discussing pots, we talked about ways of building a business that is sustainable and fits into larger life goals. Steve is an Affiliated Artist with the NICE program and meets for individual studio visits, so it was great to get a glimpse into his working process.

Emily Murphy Studio Visit

We went on a second studio visit this block to Emily Murphy's studio in the heart of Minneapolis. She walked us through some of the economic, artistic, and practical decisions she made in renovating her home and studio. She also talked about how she strategically balances a business with being a mother to two small children. We also got to see the infamous photo table and marvel at her incredible organizing systems.

Willem Gebben Studio Visit

We had a great trip out to Colfax, Wisconsin this week to visit with Willem Gebben, a local-wood fire potter who apprenticed in England. We toured his kilns, studio, sales gallery, and had a wonderful conversation in his kitchen looking at and holding the pots he uses daily.

McKnight Fellows Lecture & Demo

The group attended the lectures and simultaneous demonstrations by Mika Negishi-Laidlaw and Ursula Hargens this past weekend. Mika and Ursula are the 2015 recipients of McKnight Artist Fellowships in Ceramics. Mika cast and assembled some small sculptures, and Ursula demonstrated low-fire surface techniques.

Weisman Museum visit

For our field trip this week, we visited the Weisman Museum on the University of Minnesota campus and spent time in the ceramics gallery. It is a great teaching collection with pieces organized by theme rather than date or culture. We spent time looking at both pouring pots and cups which led to a discussion about the different ways objects function in the world.

Linda Christenson Studio Visit

We had a delightful trip out to Linda's studio. The leaves were gorgeous, and we couldn't have had a better day. Linda was as gracious and thoughtful as ever about the life and work of a potter.

Gallery talk with Rob Silberman and Isadora Cuellar

We had our first field trip of the fall term in the NCC gallery and looked at the current exhibition, Out of the Labyrinth: Contemporary Mexican Ceramics.  Isadora Cuellar, a ceramic artist from Mexico City, and Rob Silberman, curator of exhibition, spoke to the group about putting the show together and the current state of ceramics in Mexico.

Kathy Mommsen Studio Visit

We took a field trip this week to Kathy Mommsen's studio in the Northrup King Building in Northeast Minneapolis. Kathy talked about her recently completed Kickstarter campaign which supported her to study in Viceno, Italy with maiolica artist Marino Moretti. She demonstrated a traditional image transfer technique and black maiolica decoration on tiles. We also discussed her approach to establishing a viable business through commissions, public gallery space, and workshops.

St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour!

This weekend was the annual St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour! Some of the MN NICE students made it to EVERY stop on the tour. Everyone came to class Monday morning with stories and pots. As usual, chatting with Linda Christianson was a highlight!

Amy Santoferraro Demo

Amy Santoferraro is the current McKnight Resident Artist, and although she has only been here a few weeks, she already seems like part of the family. This week, she presented a comprehensive demonstration to MN NICE students on mold-making and slip-casting strategies and talked about translating found objects into clay. We also got to see a demo of her famous Plate-O-Matic!