GALLERY NEWS

In the Gallery of BC Ceramics this month is
“Design for Decor". Fifteen gallery artists
are exhibiting their larger, more sculptural,
more decorative work specifically designed
to compliment home and/or office decor,
This exhibition has been advertised in the
Interior Designers Institute newsletter - a
free marketing opportunity that we will
continue to utilise,

The Gallery renovations are now 99%
complete!! We have been working very
hard over the past two weeks to have
everything finished for the Designer's Show.
We now have track lighting throughout,
which makes the Gallery a lot brighter and
highlights the pieces more effectively. We
have also had an oak wood floor installed
in the exhibition area (courtesy of
Woodpecker Hardwood Floors) - this gives
the space much needed elegance. The
shelving systems have now all been
converted to slatwall, creating a
considerabley more flexible means of
display. The only thing left to do is
finishing the concrete floor with some kind
of sealer/varathane, which we hope to do at
the end of February.

The Gallery continues to add more book
and periodical titles to our inventory, and is
secing Very positive results in terms of sales.
A complete list of titles and prices is
included in this newsletter.

There are still spaces available for the
monthly exhibits (juried artists) and
features (nonjuried artists) in the summer
and fall. Please contact me if you are
interested in showing your work.

The Spring looks to be a very busy and
exciting time here on Granville Island with
the Artquake Festival and Made in Clay, in
addition to our regular exhibits. I hope to
“have lots of work on hand in anticipation of
the arrival of many shoppers to the Island.

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Wishing you well as you head back to your
studios after your mid-winter break.

Jane Matthews

GUILD NEWs

Now that Gallery of B.C. Ceramics
renovations are nearing completion, it is
appropriate to open a dialogue on Gallery
operations. The purpose of the renovations
is to improve the image of the Gallery of
B.C. Ceramics as the premier outlet for the
highest quality and most creative ceramics
by artists working in British Columbia.

And, the Gallery space does indeed present
this image based on the input we are
receiving from the general public, frequent
visitors and the ceramics community in

' general,

Our present and continuing task is to
ensure that the work we carry in the Gallery
is absolutely the highest quality ceramics
being produced by the ceramics
community. Our effort to achieve this goal
will be effected by a number of factors. On
one hand, we are confronted by direct
competition for ceramics works by
organizations that receive a significant
proportion of their operations funding
from cither the provincial or federal
governments. The subsidization of
competing operations by government allows
these competitors to entertain commission
structures that the Guild and the Gallery of
B. C. Ceramics cannot. This, in turn, has
other ramifications for Gallery of B.C.
Ceramics. As a result of not being in a
position to receive similar commissions
from the Gallery as are offered by
subsidized competitors, many Gallery of
B.C, Ceramics artists “shop their wares" to
these same competitors, often delivering
their better selling and better quality work
elsewhere. This has the effect of reducing
the overall quality of work on display in the
Gallery and negatively impacting the
Gallery image,

This is supported by our December sales