Add your VOTE for the People’s Choice Award for Artists Wanted. Just click the link below and vote using the star rating at top right corner. Thanks to all of you fabulous friends who have already voted (twice or three times, even!)…love you all! Happy 2011…christa xo
Back by popular demand, and now with an extra *bonus* location and more shopping days AND the holidays to justify your spending…it’s the best tableware show in the biz: La Mesa
details here!
FERRIN GALLERY EXHIBITION, RECEPTION AND RELATED EVENTS
Location: Ferrin Gallery www.FerrinGallery.com
437 North Street info@FerrinGallery.com
Pittsfield, MA 01201 413-442-1622
CHRISTA ASSAD: Vestigial Tales
Solo show of sculptural objects
DATES:
Exhibition: September 16 – October 16
Reception: Saturday, September 25 from 4-6pm
Meet the Artist and Preview: 3rd Thursday, September 16, 6-8:00
SOFA CHICAGO: SOLO November 5 – 8, 2010
HOURS:
11 – 5:00 Wednesday – Saturday and by appointment
FERRIN GALLERY, Pittsfield, MA – Christa Assad’s solo exhibition, Vestigial Tales, opens at Ferrin Gallery with preview on Thursday, September 16 and public reception on Saturday, September 25th.
Vestigial Tales, a series of sculptural forms based on objects and architecture is Assad’s first solo at the gallery. Designed and produced in her San Francisco studio, Assad’s work pays homage to American industry in transition. Assad explains, “Whether architectural, biological, or mechanical in origin, vestigial objects and their history of use both perplex and attract me.”
The origin of this show began when Assad visited Pittsfield, MA during the summer of 2009. Inspired by the rapidly changing city, she sought out a single object to interpret for her upcoming solo show. Her search produced image from the Smithsonian’s archives of a transformer manufactured by General Electric in Pittsfield. Seeking additional information, she discovered how it symbolized the transitions taking place in the region and by extension, the world. The image of the large transformer from the 50’s became became the starting point for her show of sculptural forms based on vestigial buildings and objects.
For Assad, an artist whose first career aspirations were aerospace engineering, the “transformer” is symbolic of the transition taking place from creativity in industry to creative industries. The electrical transformer was invented in Pittsfield by William Stanley and produced by General Electric. These objects literally “transformed” high voltage current to low voltage thus delivering useable electricity. Except for the plastics division which is owned by SABIC, the Saudi Basic Industries Corporation, the GE plant is now closed and in the process of being disassembled. The city and the region are still recovering from the loss of GE, other manufacturing companies and the aftereffects of their closing on local employment and the environment. With Pittsfield and the Berkshires transitioning into a broader based economy – specifically, the creative economy, the concept for Assad’s show also represents a transformation in her own career. Starting her studies in aerospace engineering, she soon realized her capacity for three-dimensional design was coupled with an equal interest in building and transitioned into the more physical realm of making art. She has spent the last 20 years working in the studio primarily as a utilitarian potter; her solo show, Vestigial Tales is the first to explore conceptually based ceramic sculpture.
Assad’s original Transformer Teapot, produced in spring 2010 and exhibited by Ferrin Gallery in “ReObjectification” was acquired by The Kamm Teapot Foundation.
A resident of San Francisco, California, Assad is a teacher, traveler and full-time ceramicist. With a MFA from Indiana University, Assad’s work is in the permanent collections of The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, The Ceramic Research Center at Arizona State University Museum, and The Penn State Fulbright Scholar Collection, and numerous private collections.
In conjunction with Assad’s show at Ferrin Gallery, her visit includes a full schedule of research, talks, workshops and demonstrations taking place at Ferrin Gallery, Pittsfield, MA; IS183 Art School, Stockbridge, MA; Simon’s Rock College, Great Barrington, MA and the Harvard Ceramics, Allston, MA.
September 16, Thursday, 6-8:00 p.m.
Ferrin Gallery, Pittsfield, MA
Meet the Artist, Preview “Vestigial Tales” 3rd Thursday
www.FerrinGallery.com
September 18 – 19 Saturday – Sunday, Weekend Workshop
Ceramics Program, Office of the Arts at Harvard, Allston, MA
Saturday: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm, 6:30 pm slide presentation
Sunday: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Contact: 617-495-8680; panepint@fas.harvard.edu
www.ofa.fas.harvard.edu/ceramics
September 22 , Wednesday
Slide Presentation: 6:00 pm
Bard College at Simon’s Rock, Great Barrington, MA
Clark Auditorium, Fisher Science and Academic Center
Info: Ceramic Department, Ben Krupka, 413-528-7413; benkrupka@gmail.com
September 24 – 25; Friday – Saturday
IS183 Art School, Stockbridge, MA
Featured Artist: LOCALLY THROWN/LOCALLY GROWN:
Dinner: Friday, September 24, 7:00 pm
Demo: Saturday, September 25, 10:00 am-12:00 pm
at IS183 Art School, Stockbridge, MA
RSVP: 413.298.5252; www.is183.org
September 25; Saturday
Ferrin Gallery, Pittsfield, MA
Vestigial Tales: Solo Show
Reception: 4 – 6:00 pm
Photo Caption: (left) Wood Burner Teapot (Vancouver, British Columbia), 2010, 8 x 10 x 8”; (right)Woodburner Teapot II (Nubieber, California), 2010, 9.5 x 9 x 7”; stoneware, oxides, glaze
Photo: Tom Story
Photo Caption: Lemon Grenade, 2010, 9.5 x 8.5 x 6”, stoneware, oxides, glaze.
Photo: Tom Story
Photo Caption: Transformer Teapot, 2010, 14 x 11.5 x 4.25”, stoneware, oxides, glaze.
Photo: Tom Story
Portrait: Christa Assad
Photo: Robert Schlatter
This Wednesday, Travis and I head off to Greece for my workshop in Kea, which we’ve combined with a wonderful cooking workshop led by Aglaia Kremezi. I am so excited – have all my clothes rolled up and a brand-new backpack, for after Greece I continue on to England, Israel (thanks to AIDAShed!), and then straight to Boston to hop a 6-hour bus up to Haystack Mountain School of Crafts! Eight straight weeks on the road, in the air, in the sea, ocean, and best of all, clay studios all over the world. Groovin’ with texture!
Speaking of groovin’ with texture…that was the theme of my workshop last week with Josh Copus and the Arrowmont gang. I met Josh last year at Art of the Pot, in Austin, and knew immediately that he and I would jive in the workshop setting. He just has that je ne sais quoi – that contagious enthusiasm about clay…and karaoke…and dancing and life in general. Our class was bonded by tuesday – they get a quick start out of the blocks there at Arrowmont, with a brief but useful introductory class Sunday night from 7:30 – 9:30 pm, after dinner and a welcome speech by Bill Griffith, one of the nicest guys out there…
So – our class was a mixed bag of never-touched-clayers to a workshop veteran, Hannah (in her 80’s?) from Brazil. All women – except for Josh, of course – and all ages. Gatlinburg is an amusing place, if you’ve never been there…here’s the girls, Kirstin and Kathryn, sporting the shirts they had made after Josh and I showed up the last day of class wearing the exact same airbrushed design! AWESOME!!!
What a treat to wake up this morning and find that an amazingly flattering blog has been posted about me today! SO cool. Handful of Salt is a visually gorgeous, informative, interview-style blog that “explores the idea and people behind what we call DesignCraft: great design that’s beautiful, authentic, responsible, locally-crafted, personal, and deeply human.” I feel incredibly fortunate to be featured as part of this powerful series of interview which includes some of my favorite artists and many friends…check it out when you have a free minute! Thanks, Regina and Handful of Salt – you’re the true heroine!
hope to see you this weekend…we’ll have lots of new and some “must go” pieces from undisclosed times and places! Whitney Smith will be joining us, and we’ll have snacks and our usual selection of bevies…plus great Indian chat next door at Vik’s!
xo, christa
Just got back from an amazing week in NYC – – living by my mantra of “Just Show Up” (come and get it, Nike!), I flew to the Big Apple last wednesday, just in time for the V.I.P. opening for SOFA New York on thursday eve. Represented by Ferrin Gallery, of Pittsfield, Mass., I was excited to have a brand-new series of about 7 teapots debuting. Leslie Ferrin and Donald Clark, co-owners of Ferrin Gallery, did an absolutely stellar job of showcasing 19 nationally renowned artists’ work, as well as personally standing there at the (beautiful) Armory building for five days straight, connecting with collectors and curious New Yorkers and making things happen. With the best location in the show – – the very first booth to see upon entering the enormous room – – it was impossible to miss Ferrin Gallery’s diverse booth of 2D and 3D works.
My Transformer Teapot, above, sold on Thursday to Sonny Kamm of the notorious Kamm Collection (some 6,000+ teapots and counting!) and was reviewed, albeit briefly – but hey, I’m not complaining, in ARTINFO. Yeah! Great excuse to buy a new dress (okay, okay – so I’d already pre-bought the one above in anticipation) AND a new leather bag (spotted on Facebook)…all in all, I couldn’t have had a better time. Got to see some fabulous, much-missed friends…Rebecca, Claire, Josh, Paul, and Jake — AND make some new ones (Gerit Grimm is RAAAAAD!)…thanks to all of you for painting the town red (dots!) with me!!!
p.s. the in-studio shots of the two teapots above were taken by the talented Tom Story, of Emeryville, CA – thanks, Tom!
christa assad 