RITISH COLUMBIA a Special Sculpture September at the Shadbolt Se * Beth Cavener Stichter Ceramic Workshop $145.00, 3 sessions | Barcode 310314 | 18 years & up September 27-29 | F 12noon-4pm | Sa & Su, 10am-4pm Culture Days Artist Talk with Beth Cavener Stichter Celebrate Culture Days and join us for an artist’s talk and reception. This session is free but preregistration is required. Friday, September 27, 6-8pm | Barcode 315016 | 18 years & up Register: 604-291-6864 or online: burnaby.ca/webreg shadbolt centres shadboltcentre.com ey By Fredi Rahn September promises to be an exciting month at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts in Burnaby. Well-known American figurative sculptors, mother and daughter Nan Jacobsohn and Beth Cavener Stichter will each present a workshop on their unique approaches to sculpting the animal form in clay. Nan Jacobsohn’s weekend workshop on Sept. 21 and 22 (already full; see info on a free lecture option at the end of this article) provides an intimate setting for 12 students to work alongside this American master. Using a special armature, she demonstrates a unique way of approaching the structural challenge of a standing pose. In the hands of Beth Cavener Stichter, the use of animals to articulate the human condition is powerful, visceral, evocative and disturbing. She writes, “In order to try to coax people into empathizing with the work, I switched to using the animal form to express the human condition. These figures are human bodies that have been subtly morphed into other creatures. They have belly-buttons, collarbones, and surgical scars that I bear on my own body. Most of them have human genitalia. A good deal of the time, these details escape immediate notice. What really drives the work is the attempt to overcome my own assumption about the thoughts, motivations and feelings contained beneath the surface. There is an assumed moral and emotional innocence that we associate with the animal image which allows me to delve into territory which we normally find too uncomfortable to dwell on.” Beth’s demonstration, taking place over three days Sept. 27 to 29 in the studio theatre, promises to engage the audience with a physical performance. Working with over 500 lbs of clay, the artist uses her whole body to move the mass around; striking it with chunks of wood, digging into the surface with the palms of her hand and nails. ‘The second stage of Cavener Stichter’s process is what she refers to as preserving. She hollows the sculpture, piece by piece, turning the mass into an empty shell. “T gain a secret satisfaction from all this weight loss. I like to hum into these dark closed interiors, listening to and feeling the deep vibration of my voice distorted in answer. I think about closing myself in, slipping them on like skins. I imagine being enfolded within a wild hare, ears laid back, body tensed. ..waiting.” Writes Sharon Reay, programmer at the Shadbolt, “Beth has never been here to Vancouver before and it took three years of planning to bring this very busy lady to our fair city. She has done workshops in both Japan and Tuscany so far this year and we are likely her last one for a while — and are very fortunate to be hosting this event. Her appeal is not just for sculptors — anyone interested in the artistic process will benefit from attending this workshop.” Check out Beths website at: www.followtheblackrabbit.com and see details of her September workshop at www.shadboltcentre.com. Presented by the Shadbolt Centre as part of Culture Days celebration, Beth Cavener Stichter will also give a free public lecture about her work on Friday, Sept. 27, 6 to 8 p.m. Space is limited — so reserve yours by calling 604-291-6864 and quoting barcode #315016. Potters Guild of BC Newsletter - September 2013 5