Cultural Confluence Woodfire Symposium

10/02/2018

Lively conversations are sure to happen with Josh Copus as our MC for the symposium.
Josh Copus was raised in a close-knit community of farmers and artisans in Floyd County, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of southwestern Virginia. The local traditions of crafts and agriculture, blended with the new ideas and outlook of the alternative community to form the basis of Josh’s life philosophy and instill an appreciation for art and nature that strongly influences his current work in ceramics.

Since graduating from UNCA in the spring of 2007, Josh has continued his involvement in the Clay Space Co-op, a cooperative studio that he founded in the River Arts District of Asheville during 2003. In addition to his work at the Clay Space, Josh has begun establishing his own pottery on his land in Marshall, NC. Using funds provided by the Windgate Fellowship, he designed and built a 27ft long woodfired climbing chamber kiln in the summer of 2007. Since then, Josh has added two more large wood-burning kilns and is currently working on the construction of a studio adjacent to the kiln site.

When he is not building and making things, Josh spends most of his time on his land growing crops, swimming in rivers, operating a shovel, and constantly searching for interesting materials to build and make things with.

09/17/2018

Who’s gonna snag the last spot in this pre-conference firing ?
with
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Look at that chimney! Thanks to and crew, we are more than ready for the firing ahead of next month! There is only 1 (maybe 2??) spot left to join in this firing. Call or email to grab that spot!

09/10/2018

Announcing Opening and Closing Lectures -

08/29/2018

Hideo Mabuchi’s lecture is one not to miss symposium.
“Materiality, material agency and materials science”

Wood-fired ceramics are compelling objects in many frames of reference. In this lecture I will discuss notions of materiality (as an aesthetic consideration), material agency (as in contemporary social science) and materials science, which jointly provide rich context for critical analysis of the process and products of wood firing.
Hideo Mabuchi teaches and conducts research as a Professor of Applied Physics at Stanford University. His ceramic work focuses on wood fired sculptural vessels, mainly thrown and altered. Recently he has been working to develop new educational approaches that integrate ceramics with scientific and humanistic studies to bring craft back into the core of contemporary undergraduate education. @ Helena, Montana

08/27/2018

Ben Carter will be making a live recording for his podcast Tales of a Red Clay Rambler the opening night of the symposium. The live recording will be of the “New Traditions” panel discussion including artist Lindsay Oesterritter, USA , Robin Dupont, Canada, , Zac Chalmers, Australia, , Tristan Cambaud-Heraud, France, Shikamaru Takesh*ta, Japan .t , and Linda Lid, Norway.
Ben Carter is a studio potter, workshop leader, and social media enthusiast based in Santa Cruz, CA. He received his BFA in ceramics/painting from Appalachian State University and his MFA in ceramics from the University of Florida. His professional experience includes being an artist-in-residence at the Odyssey Center for Ceramic Art in Asheville, NC, as well as Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass, CO, the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, MT, and the Ceramic Research Center Guldagergaard in Skelskor, Denmark. From 2010-2012 he served as the Education Director of the Pottery Workshop in Shanghai, China. He has lectured and presented workshops at universities and craft centers in the United States, Canada, China, Australia, and New Zealand. He has exhibited internationally in numerous invitational and juried shows, and was named 2016 Ceramic Artist of the Year by Ceramics Monthly and Pottery Making Illustrated.

In addition to his studio work he is the creator/host of the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler blog and podcast, where he interviews artists about their craft, creativity, and lifestyle. He is also the author of articles featured in such publications as Ceramics Monthly and Studio Potter as well as a full-length book, Mastering the Potter’s Wheel, published by Voyageur Press in 2016. @ Helena, Montana

08/23/2018

will be a presenter at the symposium in Helena, MT on Oct. 18-20. Follow to see more of her beautiful work.
Nancy Fuller is Taiwanese by birth but was raised in Scotland. She gained a BA (Hons) in Fine Art Printmaking in 1994 and went on to attain a MA in the History of Art and Archaeology of Asia. A language scholarship took her back to Taiwan in 2000 where she discovered her love of wood-fired ceramics. She studied pottery at various studios there before undertaking a year long training with anagama master Suzuki Shigeji in Shigaraki, Japan, supported by the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation. On her return to Scotland in 2007, she designed and built her own anagama in rural Aberdeenshire. During her training she was also a resident artist at the Shigaraki Cultural Ceramic Park. Funding from the Scottish Arts Council enabled her to study with Karatsu master, Nakazato Takashi, at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center, US, and to participate in the International Workshop of Ceramic Art in Tokoname, Japan. She has exhibited both nationally and abroad. @ Helena, Montana

08/22/2018

The amazing Josh DeWeese will be giving the opening /welcome address to kick of the Cultural Confluence Woodfire Symposium on Oct 18. For more info and to register visit www.culturalconfluencewoodfiresymposium.com @ Helena, Montana

08/15/2018

The Clay Studio of Missoula will host a pre-conference anagama firing Oct 5-14, with kiln unloading oct 21, 2018. Special guests Jody Johnstone and Scott Ross will lead the firing along with assistance from current and past woodfire residents Scott McClellan, Casey Zablocki, and Chris Drobnock. To register visit The Clay Studio of Missoula website,
https://www.theclaystudioofmissoula.org/woodfire

08/15/2018

Cultural Confluence pre-conference anagama firing at the Clay Studio of Missoula -

The Clay Studio of Missoula will host a pre-conference anagama firing Oct 5-14, with kiln unloading oct 21, 2018. Special guests Jody Johnstone and Scott Ross will lead the firing along with assistance from current and past woodfire residents Scott McClellan, Casey Zablocki, and Chris Drob...

05/18/2018

Registration is live! There’s a link to our website in our profile, www.culturalconfluencewoodfiresymposium.com.

Here’s the working schedule, we’ll keep the updates coming as the lecture and panel discussions are finalized.

Thursday, oct18, 2018 evening programming, keynote address - Josh DeWeese, Tales of a Red Clay Rambler live podcast recording with four presenting artists

Friday, Oct 19, 9am - 5 pm lectures and panel discussions with an hour lunch break

Saturday, Oct 20, 9am - 5 pm lectures and panel discussions with an hour lunch break, closing address - Bernadette Mansfield, evening dinner and dance

03/28/2018

This is the latest in a series of international events generously supported by James Kasper (USA) intending to celebrate the confluence of multiple woodfire traditions. Organized by Tara Wilson and held in Helena, MT the symposium will build upon these previous events with a goal of continuing a dialogue encompassing all aspects of contemporary wood fire practices. The mountainous setting and rich ceramic community of Helena will provide a creative arena for presenters and attendees alike to openly exchange ideas, build relationships, celebrate and further the evolution of wood fired ceramics.