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A SPECIAL PLACE: Kecskemét, Hungary — 2y debra sioan

This article was originally published in Ceramics

Technical magazine, issue No. 31, and is re-
printed with permission. For more on Ceramics
Techical see www.ceramicart.com.au.

he wide front door of the
International Ceramics Studio [the
Nemzetkézi Kerdmia Stidié| is set

into a wall that extends around the entire
facility. Upon entering, there is evidence
that this institution is dedicated to ceramics.
Guest artists, for decades, have left sculptures
in this courtyard and around all the other
five courtyards. The ICS is clearly a place
of sanctuary and purpose and has become a
cultural repository.

The attractions of a residency may include
access to unique materials, a specialized
instructor or focused working time. This
institution represents more than that. Janet
Mansfield calls it a ‘special place’. The ICS
has a long and complex history affected by
the tide of political change and the social
upheaval of Eastern Europe during the
last century. Perhaps this is why there is a

refreshing absence of bureaucracy and rules;

restrictions instead are guided by
practical limitations and courtesy.
There are no off hours, most interior
doors are unlocked and it is possible to
wander freely through the compound
at any time of the day or night. What
you make, how you work and when
you work is a private matter. Some artists have

been known to think and not work during

Specialty Courses & Workshops

at the Surrey Art Gallery

Pottery-Level 2

Learn to create more complex forms
like teapots, casseroles, and butter
dishes. Explore new finishing and
glazing techniques. Fee includes
one bag of clay, glazes, and firing.

8 sessions $135
Jan 25, 9:30am—Noon | 4230932
Jan 25, 7-9:30pm | 4230933

Instructor Eliza Au has an MFA from the
New York State College of Ceramics,
has practiced and studied across North
America, and has been artist in
residence at the Museum of
Contemporary Craft in Portland.

Surface Decorating Workshop

In this hands-on workshop you will
explore the clay surface and how it can
be manipulated, from soft clay through
bisque and glaze-ware. Learn to work
with resist materials, carving tools,
decorative stamps, coloured slips, and
glazes.

2 sessions $98
Mar 5, 10am—4:30pm | 4235019

Instructor Fredi Rahn has a BFA from Nova
Scotia College of Art & Design. Fredi creates
one-of-a-kind functional and decorative
pieces in her Vancouver-based studio, and
exhibits her work across the continent

surrey
art gallery | Canada Council Conseil des Arts
cD for the Arts du Canada
surrey| centre
13750 - 88 Avenue ih city oF BRITISH COLUMBIA
www.surrey.ca/arts SURREY A qe gOUNGl

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Above left: Debra Sloan and Golden Boy, a
work in progress at ICS. Above: Golden Boy
emerges. During the wood/salt firing it was
showered with much ash and not overly
reduced, so the sigallatas shone through. |
had thought they would be paler, though the
result is a beautiful surface. Intent overcome
by the firing? Lucky or unlucky?

their entire residencies at the ICS.

In 1975, Janos Probstner established the
International Ceramics Studio in the city of
Kecskemét, Hungary. Another 14 years would
pass before the Soviet regime would end.
Probstner had belonged to an informally-
organized group of young Hungarian artists
now called the ‘Nomadic Generation’. They
were seeking artistic and ideological freedom
from a dictatorship whose policies had been
stifling Hungarian artists and controlling the
work of those who had become renowned. In
the early 1970s, the members of this group
travelled throughout the country seeking to
identify and invigorate Hungarian crafts, arts
and music. During Probstner’s travels, a group
of political leaders from the county and city of
Kecskemét were killed in a plane crash. They
were unexpectedly replaced by townspeople
who were excited by the idea of bringing arts
and culture to their city. With the support of

Continued on Page 7,
Hungarian Vision

Potters Guild of BC Newsletter : December 2010

6