COLUMBIA

President’s Message

Every year I hope that we dont have to hold another “Too good
for the Shard Sale.” But no matter how hard we try, we still seem to
need those extra funds for some project or another. So this is just a
reminder that if you are testing new glazes or creating new forms
and they don’t quite work out the way you wanted, please consider
keeping them aside for the guild fundraiser that will take place later
in the fall. More details will appear in a later newsletter.

Don't forget September is membership month and the Black and

White 100 show in the Gallery. Your submission of one piece or a

Vincent Massey’s imposing pieces create
total impact.

Amy Gogarty cataloguing auction donations
for the Oven and Kiln fundraiser, while
Tamara Litke previews the slideshow created
by gallery volunteer Aparna Kapur.

Gallery News
By Sharon Cohen

It’s been a busy month at the gallery. I
had the honour of participating in my first
gallery retail jury. There was some wonderful
work submitted. The ongoing challenge is
finding enough space to accommodate the
work. When I interviewed for this position
as gallery manager, I bragged that my
background in merchandising had provided
me with the ability to fir ten square pegs
into one round hole. Though I'm good at
maximising the potential in every nook and
cranny, it IS difficult at times to feature all the
work without the space looking too crowded.
I'd love to be able to take all the work that
was submitted to the jury, but square footage
constraints make that impossible. It gives me
great pleasure to welcome the following newly
juried artists to the gallery:

Lisa Dawn Mitchell — Lisa creates stunning
belt buckles, and we felt that would work well
as a worthy adjunct to our jewellery section.
Impact will be added by the addition of some
entirely new accessories that we've never
carried before.

Gem Chang-Kue — The stunning black and
white raku pieces are already in the gallery,
and they're pure class — elegant, understated;
a very clean aesthetic. We have a black and
white section in one corner, and Gem's work
looks perfect alongside the Jackie Frioud and
Donna Partridge pieces.

Melissa Pavlovic — Melissa will be supply-
ing us with her wonderfully innovative jewel-
lery. Place your bets — how long will it take
before I succumb and buy that gorgeous
teapot pendant? (I think we're talking days
rather than weeks!) Melissa does bowls, vases
and other items too, and we may invite her to
submit those lines for jurying next year.

Kay Austen — Gallery staff and customers
are familiar with Kay as she’s been supplying

Potters Guild of BC Newsletter - June 2009

set must be black, white or a combination of both and have a retail
value of $100. This exhibit is open to all members who pay their
membership before September 9. In keeping with the “100” theme,
we are aiming for 100 participants.

‘This years AGM on May 31 included a tour of Rick Erickson’s
private contemporary art collection. More on this and on our new

board members in the near future.

—Jinny Whitehead

us with mugs for a while, and they've been
very well received. If her functional line proves
to be as popular as her mugs, we're in for some
good times!

Claire Madill — A new twist on an old
staple. Claire does wonderful things with
granny’s traditional old mason jars! Her slip-
cast porcelain work is immensely popular.
After buying for myself, ’m now busy buying
them up for my friends. They're fabulous.
Claire’s jewellery also does extremely well,
hopefully her wide following will stand us in
good stead.

Once again, welcome to all these talented
women. It’s wonderful to be able to represent
you here at the gallery.

In between receiving all the jury submissions,
wed been receiving all the donations for the
Oven and Kiln fundraiser for the North West
Ceramics Foundation. Debra Sloan, Ron
Vallis, Tamara Litke and all the other folks did
an amazing job, and I’m glad the gallery could
participate and help out with ticket sales and
donation collection.

Our Vincent Massey Families exhibition
went very well, May 2 to 25. It was so easy to
set it up. No matter what you do in terms of
lay-out, the work just says “WOW!” No major
challenges in creating impact; the pieces were
so imposing and spectacular, that they spoke
for themselves entirely. The opening was well
attended, with Vincent's devotees out in full
force. Anticipating a good crowd, I got myself
all dressed up in my vintage bright pink linen
jacket, and there’s Vincent in his shorts and
sandals! Who cares — we all had fun! (Except
my staff let me down, I made them promise to
eat all the leftover goodies from the opening
reception, and they didn't, so now those
calories will end up on MY waistline!)