Blog Archives

20TH CENTURY CERAMICS

6/10/2024

20TH CENTURY CERAMICS
8 WEEK ONLINE ZOOM COURSE
JUNE 10 - JULY 29
MONDAYs 6:30PM - 7:45pm ET
$170 JRACRAFT MEMBERS | $210 NON-MEMBERS

This course follows the seismic developments in the field of studio ceramics in the 20th century. Adelaide Robineau created her first vessel in 1901 and brought American studio ceramics to the world stage just 10 years later by winning the Grand Prix at the Turin International Exposition. Over eight sessions, this course will chronologically trace the development of the field from Robineau’s early accomplishments through the establishment of the G.I. Bill, the 1957 Asilomar conference, the rise of counterculture, and the maturation of the craft market in the 1980s. The fundamental contributions of artists of color and LGBTQ+ artists will be highlighted every step of the way.

In addition to eight live Zoom classes, you will receive extensive resources for further readings and watching. Can’t make a class? No worries, classes will be recorded and made available for all class registrants.

MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR: GARTH JOHNSON

Writer, curator, and educator Garth Johnson is the Paul Phillips and Sharon Sullivan Curator of Ceramics at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York. Johnson is a self-described craft activist who explores craft’s influence and relevance in the 21st century. His recent exhibitions at the Everson include Renegades & Reformers: American Art Pottery, Earth Piece: Conceptual and Performative Works in Clay and Key Figures: Representational Ceramics 1932-1972.

REGISTRATION OPEN NOW!

Garth Johnson, photo from www.jasonjacques.com

CRAFTIVISM IN THE UNITED STATES

6/7/2024

CRAFTIVISM IN THE UNITED STATES
4 WEEK ONLINE ZOOM COURSE
JUNE 7 - JUNE 28
FRIDAYS 1PM-2PM ET
$95 JRACRAFT MEMBERS|$135 NON-MEMBERS

Learn about the history of craftivism, which first burst into the makersphere in the early 2000s. Students will explore the historical roots of craftivism as a DIY movement, craftivism’s status in material culture, the connections between craftivism and feminism, and how craftivism has spilled over into the field of socially engaged art. This course will cover numerous craftivist projects in a variety of mediums, including needlework as protest, the Hand Medal Project, Coral Reef Crochet, Michael Strand and the Misfit Cup Liberation Project, and Sarah Clugge and “craftivist dinners”, among others.

In addition to four live Zoom classes, you will receive extensive resources for further readings and watching. Can’t make a class? No worries, classes will be recorded and made available for all class registrants.

TOPICS INCLUDE

Defining craftivism, then and now
Craftivism as care
Craftivism in museums and galleries
Understanding craftivism as part of the most recent “wave” of feminism
Examples of contemporary craftivists and craftivist movements

MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR:
hINDA MANDELL | @crochetactivism

Hinda Mandell, Ph.D., is a professor at RIT who teaches stitching in the Liberal Arts classroom as a pedagogical approach for her classes that focus on media writing and visual culture. She has also led workshops at the Eliot School of Fine & Applied Arts in Boston, at the Women’s Rights National Historic Park, at the Rochester Museum & Science Center, and through the Rochester Public Library system. She is currently under contract for a book on the persuasive nature of handcraft in abortion politics in the U.S. (Rowman &Littlefield). Mandell is the editor of the books Crafting Democracy: Fiber Arts and Activism (RIT Press, 2019) and Crafting Dissent: Handicraft as Protest from the American Revolution to the Pussyhats (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019). She is co-editor of Nasty Women and Bad Hombres: Gender and Race in the 2016 US Presidential Election (University of Rochester Press, 2018); the author of Sex Scandals, Gender and Power in Contemporary American Politics (Praeger, 2017); and co-editor of Scandal in a Digital Age (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016).

REGISTRATION OPEN NOW!

AFRICAN AMERICAN CRAFT HISTORY

6/5/2024

AFRICAN AMERICAN CRAFT HISTORY
8 WEEK ONLINE ZOOM CLASS
JUNE 5 - JULY 24
WEDNESDays 6:30PM-7:30PM ET
$170 JRACRAFT MEMBERS|$210 NON-MEMBERS

African American Craft History explores non-dominant, innovative American craft histories of the African Diaspora. Through a topical chronology (1619-present), we will learn about uninhibited skilled labor and craftsmanship under duress. Some art forms we will explore include beadwork, coiffure, metalsmithing, luthier work, woodwork, textile weaving, ceramic making, basket weaving, and indigo dyeing. Overall, we will investigate the patterns of African craft techniques in the US and identify the influence that the African Diaspora has on American Craft.

In addition to eight live zoom classes, you will receive extensive resources for further readings and watching if you are interested. Can't make a class? No worries, classes will be recorded and available for all class registrants.

TOPICS INCLUDE:

Pre-Colonial African American Craft Aesthetics
Nineteenth Century Black Craft Schools
Modernism & the Harlem Renaissance
Black Arts Movement
Black Feminist Art
Post Modernism & Contemporary Makers

MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR: CHENOA bAKER

Chenoa Baker (she/her) is an independent curator, wordsmith, cultural strategist, and descendant of self-emancipators. She teaches a curatorial practice course at Massachusetts College of Art and Design and previously was the Associate Curator at ShowUp. In addition, she’s consulted on several exhibitions, such as Gio Swaby: Fresh Up at the Peabody Essex Museum and Touching Roots: Black Ancestral Legacies in the Americas at MFA/Boston. Her editorial work has been awarded the Association Internationale des Critiques d’Art (AICA) Young Art Critics Prize in 2023, she’s an editor at Sixty Inches From Center, and her writing appears in Hyperallergic, Public Parking, Material Intelligence, and Studio Potter.

REGISTRATION OPEN NOW!

TWO CENTURIES OF QUILTS: NECESSITY TO FINE ART

6/4/2024

TWO CENTURIES OF QUILTS: NECESSITY TO FINE ART
8 WEEK ONLINE ZOOM CLASS
June 4 - July 30, NO Class on July 23
Final class on july 30
TUESDAY 7pm - 8:30pm ET
$170 JRACRAFT MEMBERS | $210 NON-MEMBERS

Discover the history of quilting in the U.S. in this eight week course studying the quilt’s evolution from a functional object of necessity to collectable fine art. This course will chronologically examine the history of quilting and introduce students to distinctive styles and practices that emerged as quilt making grew in popularity throughout the 20th century. Students will also discover quirky quilt stories, from the 1933 quilt kit loathed by competitors but loved by judges, to NASA Astronaut Karen Nyberg’s 2013 quilt block in space.

In addition to eight live Zoom classes, you will receive extensive resources for further readings and watching. Can’t make a class? No worries, classes will be recorded and made available for all class registrants.

tOPICS iNCLUDE

Roots of quilting & pivotal milestones in the history of quilting
Introduction to influential quilt makers in the 20th and 21st centuries
Quilt making practices in Native communities, including in boarding schools and in communal spaces
Impact of quilt exhibitions, from local and state fairs to museums and galleries
Contemporary quilting styles and the emergence of the art quilt
Quilts for healing, celebration & youth

MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR: teresa duryea wong

Teresa Duryea Wong is an author, lecturer, and quilt historian. She is the author of Sewing & Survival: Native American Quilts from 1880 – 2022, and five additional books covering Japanese quilts and textiles, American quilts and cotton, and quilts for social justice. She is a contributing writer for Quiltfolk. Teresa is a member of the International Quilt Museum advisory board and the Quilt Alliance board. She has been recognized as a scholar by the Visions Museum of Textile Art in San Diego and the Texas Quilt Museum. Her lectures are popular with American quilt guilds, and she is invited regularly to lecture at the annual Quiltcon and International Quilt Festival events. She is also a quiltmaker and antique quilt collector.

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Image courtesy of https://talesofastitcher.com

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20TH CENTURY CERAMICS

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CRAFTIVISM IN THE UNITED STATES

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AFRICAN AMERICAN CRAFT HISTORY

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TWO CENTURIES OF QUILTS: NECESSITY TO FINE ART

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