President's Message
I wanted to report on our general meeting in September, which took place at the Tucson Botanical Gardens. We had just over 30 members attend (we currently have 198 SACA members). The meeting was also a SACA social, and members could tour the grounds and perhaps become inspired artistically by what they saw. Also, our membership chair, Laura Stiltner, arranged for all of us to have lunch. The weather was perfect for dining in the gardens and sharing with one another.
The agenda for the 2016 general meeting included seven items, with the priority being elections for the 2017 board of directors. Here is a recap:
1. Board elections.
Board members who are staying on for their second year of a two year term:
Janet Bruner, Secretary
LaVonne McCord, Treasurer
Brenda Arwood, Member at Large
Glenda Neff, Workshops
Laura Stiltner, Membership
Members leaving the board at the end of 2016:
Dan Granger, Newsletter
Ray Kuhn, Member at Large
Jada Ahern, Public Relations
Craig Wunderlich, Vice President
Theresa Poalucci, President
New Board Members voted in for 2017:
Louise Buth, Newsletter
Jerry Bird, Member at Large
Theresa Poalucci, PR
Craig Wunderlich, President
The board is still seeking to fill the positions of Show Chair and Vice President. If you have any interest in serving on the board, please contact
Craig Wunderlich (click on his name to email him or call him at
520-743-4558).
2. TMA Fall Show, November 18-20.
There are still some spots available, but not many. Everyone was encouraged to sign up online soon! There are only five spots left!
3. Nancy Gallagher Workshop, October 21-23
This is a great deal, with three days of instruction! There are only a few spots left for this workshop, so everyone was encouraged to sign up online.
4. SACA Survey
Information about data collected from the survey was shared. Here is a recap:
We had 39 participants. Ranged from 29 years to 1 year as a SACA member. 31 respondents currently sell their work. The majority of respondents said they did both pottery and sculpting. 18 of the respondents had not been juried with SACA. 25 respondents said yes to the idea of a second Tohono Chul show. 22 said yes to the idea of a co-op gallery. 27 said yes to supporting arts education.
Some ideas that came out of answers as to improvement, or new ideas:
1. Creating a collective space for those who do not have a studio.
2. We need more active participation from our members, not just from the board.
3. More publicity about SACA.
4. Be a more cohesive group. More socials, more workshops.
5. Stop recreating the wheel with each new leader.
6. More new members.
5. SACA Socials
Chair, Laura Stiltner, gave a report on upcoming socials and asked for ideas from the group.
6. Treasurer's Report
Treasurer LaVonne McCord provided a current P&L and took questions from the group.
7. Arts from the Attic
It was decided that a committee would be formed specifically to work on Arts from the Attic. The goal is to have 1,000 pieces to sell and we currently have 300. More information will be forthcoming as the committee gets to work. If you are interested in serving on this committee, give me a call at 206-255-4483.
Also discussed was that the next jury would be in January.
I also wanted to say thank you to our non-juried members whose work graced three large glass shelves at the entrance to the downtown Tucson library. Everyone's work was so good, that I encourage all who participated to consider being juried the January. Below are a couple of examples of some of the art that was on display during the month of August.
Keep creating,
Theresa Poalucci
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Artist Karen Robello
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Artist Ina Fryer
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Also showing at the Library Show were Diana Edeline, Dan Granger, Melissa Miller, Cynthia Mlakar, Jane Peterson, Frances Pitts, Mary Racel, Terrie Regina, and Cindy Straw.
Next year's library show for our non-juried members will be in November.
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Empty Bowls: Making a Difference
Jada Ahern, Chair
Thanks for working on Empty Bowls.
Our next event is March 4th with Interfaith Catholic Services (ICS).
Please contact me if you want to pledge some bowls, need clay or have bowls
that need to be picked up.
You can also fill out the
pledge form online by
520-870-0823
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October SACA Raku and Potluck Social
Friday, October 14, from 5 pm to 7 pm
Laura Stiltner, Chair
This is for all of you who have been asking for a potluck!
The event takes place at Glenda Neff's home. She has a great set up to do Raku. You need to bring a bisque piece. If you have some raku glaze you would like to share, then bring it along as well. There will be glaze at Glenda's. This is a great time to learn about raku, or if you have not done it in a while, it is a great chance to try it again.
There is no charge to SACA members. If you bring a guest who wants to try to raku a piece there will be a $5 fee.
Click here and send Glenda an email to let her know you are coming, and what you will be bringing for the potluck to share with everyone.
The Neff residence is at 1510 West Avocado, Tucson, 85704
Please note, both our membership chair and president our out of town for this event, so if you have questions email Glenda.
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Tucson Clay Artists in Tempe Exhibit
Three Tucson clay artists are among those exhibiting work in a show of Clay at the Tempe Center for the Arts (TCA) through December 31 of this year. Elaine Isner, George Penaloza and Kazuma Sambe (all artists associated with The Romero House) have had work accepted into the exhibition. The Romero House is on the campus of the Tucson Museum of Art.
Every anniversary of the TCA, it showcases artists working in specific media such as paper, glass, wood and copper, all of which are traditional anniversary gifts. This year the exhibit focuses on clay, a traditional gift for a 9th anniversary. Pictures of all entries are available on the
TCA website.
Elaine Isner is President of the Board of Romero House and a student of Hiro Tashima. George Penaloza, a teacher at Romero House, is a former student of Hiro Tashima as is Kazuma Sambe, who has a MFA in ceramics from ASU.
According to the Tempe Center for the Arts, 21 artists from around Arizona were selected by a prestigious jury panel including Patsy Cox, Peter Held, Garth Johnson and Aaron Thacker.
The Tempe Center for the Arts is located at 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway in the city of Tempe. The gallery is open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. T-Th, 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Friday, and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday. They are closed Sunday and Monday.
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RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP for 2017
SACA members, there are two ways to renew your membership:
1. You can go online at anytime and fill out the membership form.
Just click here.
2. In November, our treasurer will be creating invoices for all current members who have not yet renewed for 2017.
Our 2017 Membership rate remains $20 per year. However, as we start to develop new ways to give back to arts education, you will see a place on both the membership application and on the invoice, where you can make a personal (and tax deductible) donation towards the SACA Arts Education fund. This is entirely optional.
Once we have produced our first "Arts from the Attic" event we will have start a granting process for area clay art teachers.
To review the benefits of membership, please visit our benefits page online!
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Call for Workshop Proposals
The Pottery and Sculpture Studio of Quail Creek is located in the Robson Resort Community in the Creative Arts and Tech Center. We are looking for experienced instructors in Hand building, Wheel work and Sculpture to submit proposals for 1-2 day workshops or demonstrations. Our wheel room is small with three wheels so a demonstration would be preferred for the wheel. We have a large work area for hand builders that is equipped with a slab roller. We have one large rectangular electric kiln and one large gas kiln as well as a small electric kiln. Currently we have about 50 members. Since we share the studio with ceramics, Friday afternoon and/or all day Saturday are the preferred days to schedule a workshop but we may be able to set up other days. Most of our members are winter visitors so the best time to schedule would be January through April. We are located at 2175 E. Quail Crossing Blvd., Green Valley AZ. Contact Cheryl Osburn, Education and Certification Chairperson 520 280 9581
cherosburn@aol.com .
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Strut your stuff at the
TMA 31st Annual Holiday Artisans Market
November 18-20, 2016
Only a few spots left,
so register now at the SACA website.
This year our space will be where you see the Red Box on the map above.
This is flat ground, not at an angle, as in the past.
Also, participating artists at the SACA Co-Op area will be able to
load in from West Telles Street.
http://www.southernarizonaclayartists.org/Shows.html
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Fall SACA Workshop
Cutting Edge Texture: Altering Textured Surfaces for Wheel Throwers and Hand Builders
Nancy Gallagher: October 21, 22, & 23
Clay Art Center 1703 E. Ft. Lowell, Tucson, 85719
Gallagher received her BFA from Kutztown University, originally in graphic design, then further studied functional pottery for four years under Bill van Gilder. She has continued her studies with many ceramic artists both in the U.S. and U.K. Nancy works and teaches currently at her studio in Seven Valleys, Pennsylvania while maintaining a gallery shop and exhibiting throughout the area. Her work has been published in Ceramics Monthly, Pottery Making Illustrated, and Surface Decoration Techniques.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THIS EVENT.
REGISTRATION IS BE AVAILABLE at http://www.southernarizonaclayartists.org/Workshops.html.
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JADA AHERN
By Theresa Poalucci
A long time member of SACA, Jada Ahern served as the organization's Board President from 2012 to 2014. She also served as a SACA Membership Chair in the 90s, and as a Member at Large. Her day job, is as a clay arts teacher at the NW Art Center for Pima County, where she has taught and mentored hundreds of students. Her passion is functional art.
Jada, has had her hands in clay for most of her adult life. With a degree in Three-Dimensional Design from the Fine Art School at the University of Arizona, she has continued her education through participating in workshops with internationally known artists. She has also become an expert ceramic technician with expertise in both making glazings and operating a kiln.
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As a potter, Jada enjoys making functional pieces.
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"I worked for Galen Miller, glazing and firing for him when he was staying at Humming Bird House," said Jada. "I started there as a technician, as I did not have a studio at the time. I got the benefit of learning about glazes and how the kiln functions from Galen."
"Today I teach basic to advance classes," she said. "I also teach a clay fundamentals class that touches on all the different ways of working with clay."
As a teacher, Jada has touched the lives of some 2,000 students, since she started working for the county. She has taught since 1992 - first out of her garage, and then at Marana Community Schools. By 1994 Jada had learned to fire a gas kiln and when the county classes moved to the location they are in now, she asked for and got a gas kiln for the classroom with a cone 10 downdraft reduction.
"Glazes are more interesting at cone 10, and the clay is fired tightly," she said.
She worries that she has since become something of a cone 10 snob, "but I am learning to like cone 6."
"It's funny, my boss tells me I was his first clay teacher when he was in grade school," she laughed. "I just love helping people be successful with clay, from process to the final result."
"Art gives us all a more well-rounded view of the world and its multitude of cultures," she said. "It is its own language, speaking to everyone. It is my belief that if you don't get a reaction from the viewer, then you are not creating art."
"I see clay art as a form of impressionism, where you are seeing a softer view. It is self-expression born into realty," she continued.
Jada says she always had a passion for art, from the time she was a child. Growing up in a single parent household with a tight budget forced her to use her imagination and often be creative with little in the way of materials. She feels that this idea of taking a lump of clay and making something functional and beautiful fits with her upbringing.
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Empty bowls waiting to be glazed at NW Arts Center.
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Along with teaching, Jada is also the SACA Chair for Empty Bowls. "I watched Lil (Kinslow) organize Empty Bowls. Since I personally had to use the food bank in my past, I wanted the opportunity to give back."
Currently, Jada is organizing SACA artists to make another 800 bowls by March, as the total needed for this year's event is 1,000. Empty Bowls, which is an Interfaith Catholic Service's hosted event will help raise funding for two area food banks.
"All the studios and artists are so generous with their time," said Jada. "There is absolutely no way I could do it on my own. I feel this community, as a whole, has been extremely supportive."
Recently, Jada has been busy in her home studio making bowls and cups. She is building inventory, as she plans to participate in the Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance Open Studio Tour which takes place the October 22-23. Then she will be a part of the Tucson Open Studio Tour November 12-13.
"I am making a huge shift, because of recent back problems," she explained. "I will be phasing out of technician work at NW Arts Center, and will only be teaching. This will give me more time to focus on my own work."
"My number one priority is craftsmanship, when I am in the studio. I like to make work that serves the purpose it is meant for," said Jada. "I tend to be a bit tight compared with most potters - that's the technician in me. However, I am always learning to be an artist."
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Clay Community Information
SACA offers a venue for those interested in clay to share
their pass
ion, inspire each other, and share resources
Toward that end, SACA offers many avenues to share information with its members and the clay community at large. Among these are:
-the
SACA website at
www.SouthernArizonaClayArtists.org
The redesigned website has a new events calendar, so check it out.
There is a contact page where you can send your information as well.
-the
SACA Newsletter delivered directly to your email inbox via Constant Contact:
We invite you to share information about your upcoming shows, classes, events, and goings on in the community by using the resources above.
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SACA members honored by the DeGrazia Gallery
for the 5th consecutive year !
DeGrazia's Little Gallery in the Sun
located at 6300 N. Swan, Tucson, Az will once again be hosting SACA members for the 2016-2017 gallery season. This continues the long standing tradition of SACA members who have been given the honor of a 13 day show in this historic Tucson venue.
The most exciting thing for the upcoming season is that there will be two SACA members with solo shows at the Little Gallery. This is a first for SACA, and it is with great pride that we congratulate Jennifer C. Vigil and Terry Parker each in their 1st solo show.
SAVE THE DATES ! ! !
Jennifer C. Vigil will be the guest artist in the Little Gallery from New Year's Day through January 13, 2017. Updates on this event can be found on Jennifer's website www.mayaartstudio.com
The Little Gallery will host Terry Parker as their guest artist from January 29, 2017 through February 10, 2017. Terry's updates on this
show will be found on her website
www.LomaPrietaPottery.com
Previous SACA members who have been honored as guest artists in DeGrazia's Little Gallery include:
2015-2016 season - Barbara A.E. Banks
2014-2015 season - Linda Starr Baker, Kathryn Ann Falk, Audrey Goldstein -combined show
2013-2014 season - Gail Brynildsen, Kathy Kibby, Fran Sivertson -combined show
2012-2013 season - Elaine Dow, Clydean Troner -combined show
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A CALL TO ARTISTS
Be a part of "Art in the Garden" show and sale.
New and returning artists are welcome.
This is a multi-media juried show located in NW Tucson, AZ.
Dec. 3 & 4, 2016
Booth space is $45. Limited spaces so sign up early.
Please contact Glennda Neff for more info.
glenndalee@hotmail.com
520-271-7190
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SACA workshop, Alex Kraft in January 28 - 29,
2017
Enriching Your Surface:
Mono-Printing with Mayco Colors products.
This is a hands-on workshop. Participants will learn how to create surface
designs in reverse on paper. We will transfer these hidden images to clay
through a mono-printing technique. We will incorporate the use of simple
tarpaper templates to create hand-built forms. Students will each have
a small take away example at the end of the workshop.
Location: Clay Art Center, Tucson, AZ
Contact Glennda Neff for more information as it comes in.
glenndalee@hotmail.com
520-271-7190
FUTURE SACA workshop, Vince Pitelka in May 2017
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Recreating Prehistoric Maverick Mountain
Polychrome Pottery Workshop
With Andy Ward at Old Pueblo Archaeology Center, 2201 W. 44th Street, just west of La Cholla Blvd., ½-mile north of John F. Kennedy Park, Tucson
2 to 5 p.m. each Sunday October 16, 23, & 30,
and November 6, 2016;
Fee $79 ($63.20 for Old Pueblo Archaeology Center and Pueblo Grande Museum Auxiliary members) includes all materials
Schedule: Day 1, construct pottery; day 2, scrape, slip and polish; day 3, paint decorations; day 4, firing. Minimum class size 7, maximum 12. Reservations deadline 5 p.m. Wednesday October 12.
Reservations required: 520-798-1201 or
info@oldpueblo.org
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What's New at the Tucson Clay Co-op
The opening of Maxine Krasnow's show, Wood/Soda Vessels
is Friday October 7th from 5 to 8 pm. Maxine enjoys the challenge of making useful pots to enrich and celebrate the mundane rituals of daily life and to make them holy. There will be home made food and beverages. This is also a good time
to get a tour of the Tucson Clay Co-op.
We are firing our downdraft gas reduction kiln & wood/soda Bruce Bower kiln, both to Cone 10 and Cone 6. We are looking for reliable Cone 6 reduction glazes and any help will be greatly appreciated.
Free showing of Michael Moore's "Who Shall We Invade Next" Fri. Oct. 21, followed by a discussion group.
Free Halloween workshop for kids of all ages
Saturday Oct. 22 from 1 to 3 pm.
Lauren Raine will be giving a class in Portraiture, Mask Making and Casting in January 2017.
www.laurenraine.com
She will only be giving this class once a year - do not miss this great opportunity to study with an extremely talented artist. Class size limited.
We look forward to meeting you.
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1703 E. Ft. Lowell, Tucson AZ 85719
Classes at the Clay Art Center are focused on improving the skills of all students, building on their current
expertise. Individualized instruction will enable a student to create vessels on the potters' wheel, build a vessel
with coils or slabs of clay, or design a tile wall plaque.
Students will complete their projects by creating texture or surface decoration using slips, engobes, and
glazes. Advanced techniques using wax and/or sgraffito will help create beautiful surfaces.
Come cool off and take a class in our air-conditioned studio this summer!
Classes are in 4-week sessions
Wednesday _ 9:30 - 12:30
Open studio time, glazes, and firing are included
Fee: $140.
Betsy C. Tanzer bct.cac@gmail.com 520.955.7350
2016 Fall class schedule
WORKING WITH CLAY
ALL SKILL LEVELS _ 4 week sessions
September 28 - October 19
October 26 - November 16
Thanksgiving recess
November 30 - December 21
Christmas - New Year recess
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FOR SALE
Moving to the Beach Sale of all Clay Supplies & Glaze
I am moving to Myrtle Beach, SC and am selling all of my clay business "stuff"
......and we all have lots of stuff!!
Wednesday, October 5 through Saturday, October 8
or until all is gone
.
10:00 am to 4:00 pm daily
Skutt kiln, kiln furniture, studio supplies, glazes, etc.
Feel free to call me if you are looking for something special. 520-207-9890
Address:
Gail Brynildsen
957 E Josephine Saddle Place
Green Valley
520-207-9890
gail-clayartist@cox.net
,
Directions from Tucson:
I-19 South to Green Valley, Continental Rd Exit.
Turn LEFT under I-19 and continue east to the STOP STREET at Whitehouse Canyon Rd (the way to Madera Canyon)
Turn RIGHT onto Whitehouse Canyon Rd
Over RR tracks, up hill - Top of hill turn LEFT into Madera Reserve onto Madera Reserve Drive
Continue 1 mile to END of Road
Turn LEFT onto Josephine Saddle Pl - #957 is on the right.
Hope to see you!
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The next issue of the SACA Newsletter will be the November issue. Please submit your items by Friday October 28. Publication of the November issue will be on November 1. Send your submissions to dwgranger@comcast.net
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