REPORIS

"SPEAKING IN CLAY" April llth & lith, i987

The Canada Council expressed their trust in this symposium in a
letter to us, stating that it would "make a Significant
contribution to the practice and theory of ceramics in Canada."
Despite a somewhat nervous beginning--the conference did come off
quite smoothly. We received many compliments, for participants
and registrants alike, and it seems to me now that such events
ean be very valuable with correct planning and administration.
The Canada Council is right. And so is the accountant: we
turned a small profit.

The initial work in preparing government forms, presenting our
proposal to them and qualifying the Guild as a reciplent of
government monies had been done. What remained to do was the
organization of what and how things were to come together. There
were a few changes in the original programme. Three people
initially contacted were unable to participate in the conference.
It was necessary to Find suitable people te fill the void. Bill
Rennie substituted for Patricia Bovey, and he gave us some
heartfelt insight into the troubles facing young artists starting
out im the “art world." Julie Brown, a Fine Arts graduate
student at UBC, presented her paper on "Picasso's Ceramics.” She
provided us with information on Picasso's feeling towards
ceramics that we were unaware of. Also Robin Hopper agreed to
be a speaker on Sunday. Without thelr cooperation, the format of
the conference would have been in trouble. I would like to thank
them all for rising to the challenge and presenting insightful
information.

The opening for the show, at The Gallery of B.C. Ceramics, "Five
Ceramic Artists,” took place on Friday, April lith. The opening
was Well attended, and it was evident that everyone was geared up
For a stimulating weekend. The evening provided the opportunity
for people to get together to discuss their projects and spend a
few social hours together. The show was well laid out, and
displayed the work to its greatest advantage.

If the Guild membership supports conference/show events in the
future, we should consider coordinating with Emily carr, amd
other galleries on the Island, in order to make it an all
inclusive event.

During the week prior to the conference, registrations started

to climb, and as the week went on, we ended with a total of 75
people. That made for an exciting two days. Saturday morning
began with David Zawaduk introducing of the keynote speakers to
the audience. Sally Michener lead off with her talk "Thrown off
Balance"; Matthew Kangas followed with his lecture on the
"Shattered Self"; follewad by Bill Rennie with "The Alternate
Gallery Space." The morning session moved quickly and relatively
smoothly.

The afternesn WAS Sét Up as a forum for panel discussien and
audience participation. That this was an excellent Way to
provide the audience the opportunity te participate. Rather than
sitting there trying to absorb everything that was stated, we had
the Opportunity to respond and ask questions. This is an
excellent way to provide a forum for our questions about ceramics
and thé issues facing us today as artists.