The Potters Guild of B.C.
NEWSLETTER

is published 10 times a year. Submissions are
welcome, and should be in the Guild office by the
last Friday of the month. Material may be edited
for publication.

Managing Editor: Jan Kidnie,

Editorial Committee: Bob Kingsmill, Laurel
McGregor, Hiro Urakami, Nathan Rafla, Anne
Flectham.

Mailing: Rosemary Amon, Jobst Frohberg, Savita
Kshatrija, Linda Garson,

Typeset: Wordpower Printed: Printing House

Advertising rates: $75.00 full page; $40.00 half
page: $25.00 quarter page: business card $15.00;
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The Potters Gulld of B.C. membership is $20.00-
individuals, $30.00-groups, January to January.
See application form elsewhere in this issue.

Board of Directors: Tam Inving—President,
DArcy Margesson—Vice President, Kathryn
Youngs—Treasurer, June MacDonald—Secre-
tary, Heather Chapman, Bob Kingsmill, Carol
Klasen, Elwin Lowe, Nathan Rafla, Elsa Schamis,
Laura Taylor,

QUESTION FOR OUR MEMBERSHIP

Should we consider renaming our organization, since
a new decade is upon us? The question has arisen
within the Guild, and below, Jim Thornsbury presents
his thoughts on the subject. D'Arcy Margesson will
respond in our May issue, and you are urged to send
this editor your opinion,-on paper, please, before the
end of April.

WHAT'S IN THE NAME?

A rose by any other name...... but you sure sound
stupid calling it a carrot, regardless of your intended

meaning

In responding to the question of the “name” or “title”
of the organization that comprises a group of people
whose common denominator is the use of a material
(clay), in an attempt to manifest objects which are
presented in the realm of visual content (art), is it
important what name you use? Itis, if'you wish to talk
to anyone, - the public, the government, the artist
community, or even those who may buy your work,

I believe it’s time that the ceramic artists of B.C,
remove their noses from their navels, become respon-

sible for the actions and words they use, and at least
attempt to enter the 1990s,

The name, “Potters’ Guild of B.C,” does not at present
reflect the composition of the organization. A“Guild"?
Webster defines tt “as an association of men with
kindred pursuits; a mediacval association of mer-
chants or craftsmen”. Need I say more? The term
“Potter” is a reference to a person who makes pots;
again Webster: “a shop or factory where earthen
vessels are made". You can use this term then if you
Intend to be exclusionary. At least 70% of the work in
the Granville Island Gallery would have to be removed
and a larger percentage of members would not qualify
as metmbers. lin no way am making a value judge-
ment to degrade pots (some of my best friends make
great ones). | suggest, however, that the terms “pot”
or “pottery” is best used to describe a subject matter,
and has little or no meaning beyond that point. Yes
there are ceramic artists who are involved with the
subject matter “pot”: others who chose figurative,
non-associative, environmental, ete..... Are we sug-
gesting that some subject matter is appropriate to art
and others are not? I should have thought that this
idea was dispelled by the “Potato Eaters”, if not by

Andy Warhol.

For many years I have repeatedly heard the complaint
by the ceramic community that “we are not taken
seriously". I suggest that much value is placed on how
you present yourself, -assuming that you have a
Value, then the words you use to express (present)
yourself will play a large role in how you are perceived,
If we wish to communicate to our audience, he taken
seriously about what we are, and what we believe,
then we have no cholece other than clarity. I suggest
that the mame “Potters’ Guild of B.C.” in no way
Teflects the state of the organization, or the media,
other than geographically. To call a Sally Michener
work a pot only, to refer to Wayne Ngan’s use of color
as decoration, to define yourself as one who makes
stoneware or raku, reveals sloppy thinking, igno-
ranee, lack of direction, a factory worker, self-indul-
fence to a cancerous degree, or all of the above. Like
it or not, the symbols (words) one uses are what we
are, and they create our reality. You choose. I have.

James Thomsbury

Elsa Schamis reports that with Theota
Dancer's retirement from the Board of Direc-
tors of the Guild, Donna Nabata has agreed
to fill her place for the remainder of her term.