Studios Insider

This is a general announcement that Monday night classes for February 13th, 2012 are still happening. We're not letting a little snow keep you from your clay romance this close to Valentine's Day.

I was having a conversation with one of the Studio Members the other day about pottery.  She was trying to make some gifts for her family and friends for the holidays.  Though not the strongest wheel thrower, she was determined that the pots be made on the wheel.  I mentioned that there are lots of different ways to make pots; they don't have to be thrown all the time.  And then it clicked that Sandi Pierantozzi is coming in March.  If you're not familiar, she is a fantastic Philadelphia potter who doesn't necessarily use the wheel for all of her pots.  In fact, she is pretty big on using decorated slabs.  She's got a fun and fresh personality and Red Star couldn't be happier to have her coming here.  She'll be in town on the First Weekend in March: present for the opening of a exhibition of her work, as well as her husband (also a potter) Neil Patterson, then a weekend workshop - Saturday and Sunday (March 3rd and 4th), hands-on and demonstration.  Though a little late for the holiday gift-making season, it's going to be a great weekend with some new insight as we squeak towards the end of winter!

-Tommy

 

We've got Richard Notkin on site these days.  He's been helping out with the details of a piece for his exhibition that required a little tender loving care.  If you haven't seen the installation of one of Notkin's "ear piles" then here is your chance.  Legacy, a piece that incorporates over a thousand different shaped ears, is on display along with many other memorable artworks in the East gallery of the Belger Art Center as part of a collaboration with Red Star Studios.  The show coincides with a two-day hands-on workshop where Notkin will explain his process and discuss the matters of mold making.

I got to help Richard out in the two+ hour long process of carefully choosing which ears are arranged in their respective places in the installation.  They are different shapes and sizes, made from different stoneware clays and weathered by being tumbled in a cement mixer.  Each time the piece gets set up, it's different.  I think Richard enjoys the meditative process of placing each ear and discovering a new look every time.  We laughed about the fact that creating something to look random takes a lot of calculation.  He's been working with these ear installs for over a dozen years.  In all that time the install itself has become regimented, but never formulaic.  He has a rhythm going for each ear's correspondence to the next to create a kind of chaotic harmony.

His earnestness in his commitment to what the ears stand for has not faltered in all that time either.  Resembling a pile of shoes or bodies from the Holocaust, Legacy explores issues such as "listening to the outside world, cycles of life and death, and evolution and survival."  To see this piece and many more thought-provoking and gut-wrenching pieces, stop by 2100 Walnut this First Friday.  If you can't make it then, don't worry, the installation will be on display until the end of the year.

-Tommy

On August 27th, the Artists in Residence of Red Star hosted a group of high school students from Ottawa, KS.  They were in town to get some bowl expertise from our residents and to check out Harvesters to learn more how they operate to fight hunger.  What do bowls have to do with a food bank?

Some of you potter folks out there may be familiar with a project called Empty Bowls.  Less of an organization then an ideal for other organizations to participate in, Empty Bowls is manifest as an event.  Here's a typical event that I've been a part of:  People come to a central place where they pay admission and get a handmade ceramic bowl.  It magically transforms into a bottomless bowl that gets filled with soup from local restaurant supporters.  There are often silent auctions and raffles that get thrown into the mix.  Things auctioned range from art to movie tickets.  The participants leave with the empty bowl as a reminder of people out there who live with hunger.

So, Joleen Macy Thompson of Ottawa High School called us up and asked if they could get some insight into making great bowls for their event which is coming up February 22, 2012.  Early on a Saturday morning about a dozen teenagers came to Red Star for the intensive three hour demo.  Whew, what a whirlwind it was!  We had Stephanie lead off with a fun majolica demo.  Some of the students had used majolica before, but Stef got to show them what you can do with a couple of years of practice.  Ryan and I saddled up next for a demo on throwing bowls; talking about how to make a seamless curve in the bottom, having a nice foot ratio, and keeping the rim from being razor-sharp so you don't cut your lip off drinking the leftover milk after a huge bowl of Frosted Flakes.  Then I did a little demo regarding handbuilt pots using plaster and bisque molds.  We talked about beefing up the rims after you stretch out a slab of clay over a mold and how you can make shapes on a hump mold that take a lot more time if the bowl is thrown.  Bowie brought it home with a talk about glaze decor and working with different resists to create layered effects.

Why am I writing a blog post about this after more than a month has gone by?  Well, the folks from Ottawa sent a really nice card this week.  They put it together using photos they took during the demos.  It was a really great surprise and we were happy to get such a fine card as thanks.  If you're down near Ottawa in late Feb, you should stop by their event.  If it's as nice as the card, I'm sure they'll raise plenty of support for the cause!

Keira Norton, Jo Kamm, Jessica Brandl, Tommy Frank (Studio Manager), Cassidy Creek

Sunday was the official welcome to the new Artists in Residence of Red Star Studios.  Thanks to all of you who stopped in to say hello.  It was a good day, filled with doughnuts and time spent getting to know one another.  It didn't take long to get onto the subject of clay, our common language, where ideas started flying around about the coming year and what fruits it would bring.  We have a very nice diverse mix of work represented too.  We have a figure sculptor, experimental mold-maker and slip caster, ceramics painter who loves pots, and an abstract sculptor.  All have different backgrounds and stories to tell.  In my opinion, it's a solid crew that will carry Red Star into the future.  And we can't wait to see the work they'll make!

-Tommy

A small delegation from Red Star Studios made a trip up to Omaha. NE this weekend.  In brief, we had a blast!  The trip consisted of studio visits, a little glass blowing, a sushi boat the size of the Lusitania, and good old-fashioned road trip laughs.

We started out at the Bemis Art Center which houses a great short-term Artist-In-Residence program.  We got a tour of the facilities, the upcoming Art Auction exhibition and got to talk to a couple of the Residents in their live/work studios.  We also got a quick tour of the new Ceramics wing that is still in the finishing stages.

The road-weary crew outside of the Bemis Art Center

Bowie Croisant checking out drawings from Bemis Resident, Peter Owen.  Owen is about a third of the way through his three month residency and is heading back to Brooklyn, NY after it's completed.

Bemis has been working to expand its Sculpture and Ceramics studios as well.  With big bay doors, lots of natural light, and flexible studio sizes, the turn-of-the-century railroad depot promises to be a truly inviting 3D studio experience.

 

We mosied along to lunch in the Old Market and then made our way to Jess Benjamin's studio where we were welcomed with open arms.  Jess recently had an article published in Clay Times about her adventures in setting up a new studio space.  Her ceramics work has a deep connection to her personal life and the land that surrounds her.  A bit of a self-titled environmental nerd, she makes beautiful work that captures the rough-and-tumble realities of the water table of Nebraska and the surrounding states.

Getting together to have a chat with Jess Benjamin about building a studio, her process, what she thinks about local water politics, and why coming back to Omaha was important to her.

 

Our final stop of the day was visiting Jun Kaneko's studio.  Jun has been in the Old Market of Omaha for a number of years.  Most recently he is moving his 40,000 square foot operation a couple of blocks away to a 100,000 square foot space comprised of three buildings.  I guess he just needed a little more breathing room.  A man who has many irons in the fire, Kaneko is getting his massive work made, organizing the stage design for The Magic Flute at an opera house in San Francisco (his third and most intensive design project), and working with the city of Lincoln, NE on a 56 foot tall glass tower.  To help him with all of these simultaneous projects is a fleet of assistants and John Balistreri, acting studio manager, who is on a research leave from Bowling Green State University.  John has taken on the burden of transitioning the move of the old studio to the new complex as well as investing in his development of a Ceramics 3D rapid prototyping project.  What an operation!

 

Upon waking up the next day, we headed to the Hot Shops Art Center not far from the Old Market section of town.  Tim Barry, Ed Fennel, and a couple of other artists partnered eleven years ago to convert an old Serta mattress factory into a myriad of working artists studios.  Named for the HOT processes that each of the founders specialize in (Pottery, Glass Blowing, Metal fabrication and Casting) the studio is alive with art making activity.  Our group got a nice tour, saw a variety of the works being made by autonomous (not anonymous) artists, saw a glass-blowing demo, and then got our hands dirty with our own glass making projects!  With assistance from the folks at Crystal Forge, we each made our own little tokens of glass.  For some of us, it was the first time getting to work with a process that has only been within the reach of a PBS special.  With some of the familiarity of working in clay, glass gave us a rush of immediacy and good timing.  For some it was the highlight of the entire trip!

Our final experience in Omaha before hitting the road was going to Hiro 88 in the Old Market for a boatload of sushi.  Really, a BOATload.  After all that glass work we had an appetite to beat the band.  It made for a very calm drive home, considering nearly everyone was passed out in a sushi coma on the way.

We made it back in time to see the March of the Elephants from the Sprint Arena to their train car transportation.  It was quite a finish to a whirlwind weekend.  For those who couldn't make it, we hope you join us for our next Red Star Studios Field Trip Extravaganza.

-Tommy

In the time that Red Star has been in the Belger Art Center at Walnut Ave, it has expanded twice.  The first time was to provide more gallery and studio space.  As of this week, we are entering Phase Three.  This new chapter expands the studio space by some 25%, making room for a new group of Artists in Residence and shelving that accommodates a growth in class numbers and studio members renting space.

The expansion marks an exciting time in Red Star's history on Walnut Ave.  The new Residents will be in house.  We have great classes coming up to close out the fall, including new offerings for Session 6 and an intensive three-week Session 7 that promises to shake things up.  We have a fun hands-on activity planned that correlates with the Richard Notkin exhibit/workshop.  We will also have an exciting collaborative project with the Kemper in December that will help us all visualize our community in a different way.

A view from the Gallery

A view of the new Artists in Residence shelving area

Extra room!

More wiggle room for classes and studio members!

Bowie Croisant and Stephanie Kantor at the opening of their Artist in Residence Exhibition

Needless to say, great changes are happening as we grow.  Part of that growth is seeing Stephanie and Bowie have a fantastic exhibition at the tail end of their residencies here at Red Star.  As the first two residents to transition to Walnut Ave, Stephanie and Bowie helped to bring the studio into a new paradigm.  We couldn't be more proud of them and their growth and all they've given to Red Star during their time with us.

-Tommy

On Sunday, September 18th, Red Star will celebrate with the Kauffman Performing Arts Center by having an open house for the special event.

Not to overshadow the PAC, but we will have some big news of our own.  Our new Artists in Residence will be here too.  Stop by and get a chance to meet the new faces of Red Star.

Cassidy Creek, a recent graduate from KU

Keira Norton, a graduate of Indiana University joins us from Bloomington, IN

Jo Kamm, a recent graduate of Alfred University in New York

Jessica Brandl, a graduate from The Ohio State University and local to KC

Ryan Fletcher, a current AIR, will be staying on as a resident after he returns from the International Ceramics Symposium in Poland this fall.

 

So clear your calendars and come chat it up with the new residents.  Find out what their work is about, how they got to Red Star and what classes that may be teaching in the future.

 

In a gesture to give folks more opportunities to get their hands dirty, Red Star Studio announced Sunday that they have expanding their studio hours.  The studio will now be open earlier on weekdays and Saturdays and open on Sundays.  Check out the new schedule here: http://redstarstudios.org/studios-hours.html

This started on Sunday.  Two present studio members came to join in, giving the room a great vibrancy filled with laughter and Sunday afternoon World Radio.  We had a great time.

If you've been checking Facebook, you'll see that our own Ryan Fletcher was awarded an Inspiration Grant from the Arts KC Fund and had an interview published in Ceramics Monthly.  At the end of this week, Ryan is heading to Poland for a month to take part in the International Ceramics Symposium.

Stephanie Kantor had a nice blurb published in KC Magazine with an image of one of her Moroccan-inspired paintings.  More of her paintings will be on display with her explorer-inspired ceramic work at her Artist in Residence's exhibition titled "Trails and Tribulations."  While getting ready for her show, she also did a demo at Brackers Ceramics Supply in Lawrence, KS.

Resident Bowie Croisant recently made a trip to Red Lodge, Montana where he will have an exhibition at Red Lodge Clay Center.  At the same time he is having his Artist in Residence's exhibition here at Red Star.

Bowie and Stephanie are showing in the Red Star Gallery through the months of September and October.  Their show opens this First Friday, from 6p to 9p.  Come in and check it out.  The work is wonderful!  We're very proud!

Needless to say, Red Star has been hopping lately with new change and hard work.  Hopefully you can make it out this Friday.  We'll be looking for ya!

I've had the privilege of meeting a couple of you since moving to town. Let me say that it is a pleasure to be at Red Star and a pleasure to start working with you all. I'd like to say how grateful I am to the Artists-In-Residence (Stephanie, Ryan, and Bowie) for keeping the studio in wonderful working order while the Studio Manager position was being filled. I'd also like to thank those studio members who have helped to facilitate. I think that we Art folks know what it's like to connect and keep a community going; to keep that forward momentum.

I just have a thought here that I'd like to post. In my ramblings around the country doing residencies and working in various studios, I've come in contact with a lot of trains. When I was at St. Pete Clay in Florida, the studio was housed in an old Seaboard railroad station. Odyssey Studios in Asheville, NC inhabits a former Nabisco distribution depot backed up to unused rails. However, those seem to pail in comparison to the busy tracks just outside of where Red Star is presently located in the Belger Art Center here on Walnut. It seems I can't embrace the silence long enough before another train comes rolling by. But don't worry, you won't find complaints here. I suppose there's a reason why those county singers like to sing about trains. There's a bit of comfort knowing that something is moving; progress is being made.

The progress for Red Star is coming along as well. With the addition of the new Studio Manager (myself) and the new Gallery Manager, Michael Baxley, Red Star Studios is continuing on it's path. When we move Red Star Studios to it's new location on Tracy Ave, I can take comfort in knowing that I'll still be near trains. Down the bluff from the Belger Warehouse building, trains will be passing by, their rails stretching out before them. At Red Star, I hope to continue the same legacy of connecting to the community, making great art, and bringing people along for the ride.

Tommy Frank
Studio Manager

Current Artist-in-Residence Bowie Croisant has been featured in the March/April PotteryMaking Illustrated. In Fascinating Constructions, Bowie walks you through his process of creating a mold and using that mold to make a variety of forms.

I'll see what I can do about getting some images scanned in to add to the post.

Don't forget that Bowie has a Workshop on Crack-Molds on 4/10, that you can enroll in right from the site, and will also be Co-Lecturing at NCECA this year.

Ryan Fletcher and Stephanie Kantor will also have an NCECA presence this year, but I'll save that for another post.

Tonight's class has been canceled because of weather conditions. However, our Studio shall be open tonight for all members who want to escape nasty conditions for some lovely clay time.

If you missed the Deborah Schwartzkopf workshop, you missed a good one...

She starts some forms by throwing on the wheel.  Other parts are formed by placing slabs over bisqued molds.  Sometimes she uses paper patterns.  I have seen many workshops but have never seen anyone more skilled at "eyeballing it" when cutting pieces from slabs.   Here are the pots she made this weekend...

I personally am "gravy boat inspired" right now  See it right there in the middle? Resident Artist, Stephanie Kantor, said that this was the most helpful workshop she has ever attended!

And Look...see that darkly clad mysterious figure behind Stephanie?  That is...

Ryan Fletcher, our new resident artist!  (Gotta love that face)

Ryan joins Bowie, Stephanie, and I...helping make Red Star the place where ceramic artists want to be...

We meet on Monday's, and lots of times in between, to keep the studio running smoothly and plan activities for your enjoyment.

Keep an eye out for the Red Star Monday e-mail newsy letters...they aren't really called that...I just like that word "newsy". Now that the weather is looking more towards spring, Red Star has lots of things planned that are opportunities for you to get in the studio to work or to hang out with your clay buddies just for fun.

Wednesday morning class?  uh...blizzard!

We will make up the class at the same time during the week after this session.

Thursday night class?  Your teacher has contacted you...she will let you know for sure.  You already have a make up class for the first snowy week so hopefully the roads will get clear for your class this week.

 

Red Star helped out the Sunrise Rotary in Lee's Summit a bit by giving them bowls for their Empty Bowl fundraiser.  Our studio members donated a box of bowls and our intern, Sam Schmidt, made more and glazed them up.  Resident artist, Bowie Croisant, fired our little gas kiln, Julie.  I packed up the bowls for our donation:

Studio members!  Did you catch that?  Julie had a good firing this week!  Time to start glazing!

There might be a couple of snow days coming up.  Members...before you zip to the studio in your utility vehicles, better call Stephanie or I to see if we are stuck at home!  (I plan on baking cookies and making snow angels.)

As promised, here is the biography and a few images from one of our members, Jessica Thompson-Lee.  She recently won the title "Member With The Most Names".  Maria came in a close second.  Seriously though,  Jessica's work is outstanding.  We haven't seen anything quite like it in our studio before she came to work with us.  She is a master of attention to detail...

 

JESSICA THOMPSON-LEE, born in 1985, grew up in Overland Park, Kansas in an artistic household brought on by both by her father and mother. Having always been interested in art, she decided to study this at the University of Kansas. While studying abroad in Florence, Italy, she took her first ceramics class ever and immediately fell in love with clay. She graduated with a BFA in both ceramics and art history.

Her art reflects her infatuation with organic forms, allowing her to explore nature through her ceramic work. She is influenced highly by caves, rock formations, and underwater organisms. When she begins a new sculpture, she tends to start out with a mound of solid clay, and then begins a carving process, awaiting the shapes and gestures to emerge. Through her work she is exploring the beauty of the textures and forms that permeate the earth and is creating a relationship between humans and nature.

Currently, she is living in Kansas City, both working on ceramics and getting her masters in art education at the University of Missouri Kansas City. She hopes to one day teach the art of ceramics to our youth.

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to the cruise ship, "Studio Manager".  I will be taking you on...well, actually I won't be taking you anywhere literally, of course.  It's just that it is very cold outside, snow is in the forecast, and when I sat down here to write my first Studio Manager post, my mind wandered a bit.

What I will be doing is keeping you up on the "in's" and "out's" of Red Star Studios.  As in "Who has been in the studio?" and "When is that kiln coming out?"  I am also going to feature many of the studio and class members from time to time and maybe throw in some demo photos as well.

Coming soon...Class Session #1.  I'll be picking up supplies next week so get your name on the roster and I'll pick up a bag of clay for you.  And that is literally speaking.

Until next time... cold, snowy, brrrrrr!  A great time to be in the studio!

If the European snows will cooperate, Red Star artist Bowie Croisant should be back in Kansas City in time for Christmas with his family.

There is always a lot going on in the Studios at Red Star. This is the best place to go to follow us day-to-day.