TABLE OF HONOUR

EXHIBITION

The exhibition of the work of fourteen
ceramic and glass artists. created cs-
pecially for Government House in Victo-
da will be held at the Canadian Craft
Museum, 1411 Cartwright St., Van-
couver from April 4th to May 26th. The
two prize winners have been announced
In the most recent Wester Living Maga-
zine, with impressive photographs of
Hiruch! Shigeno’s blue patterned, gold-
trimmed porcelain place settings
matched with Ted Jolda's Italian-styled
foblets. Congratulations te all the fi-
nalists, in the ceramic realm, Susanne
Ashmore, Suzy Biratein, Tenley Dahle,
Peter Flanagan, Freiderike Rahn. Rita
Rowbotham, Kinich! Shigeno and Lu
Wiathrich.

On which subject, we also congratulate
Suzy Birsteln who has recently won
third place In the “All Boxed Up" compe-
Utlen on show at the Gardiner Museum.
in Toronte.

A Japanese massage
which encourages
balance.

Astarte Sands 251-5409

REJECTION; A CASE STUDY

l would like to discuss rejection. Not the
maudlin sort we all receive from rela-
tives whe confuse the concepts of love
and control through our tender years
prior te the quietude of middle age, but
juat the ordinary, everyday rejection we
get from galleries;'shops and exhibi-
thorns.

[decided to take a gentle stab at interma-
Hortal fame and recogmition. |] don't know
why. It didn't arise from the weariness
that results from being ignored. lt wasn't
like Td been in prison for years and
craved a litte positive feedback. It felt
ike a reasonable challenge, and tt was
close by. It was a juried show being held
in Bellingham's Whatcom Museum for
northwest American and southwest

Canadian craflspeople.

You could send slides or take the in-
tended three objects. It was to be jurled
bya single individual from the American
East. [ had three pleces | liked so 1 shot
a roll of slide film of them. The film came
back blank. Was this a hint? [ took
another roll and it also came back blank.
Maybe some esoteric force was trying to
tell me net te go for this show?

Never mind. We loaded up the old sta-
tion wagon and headed south. Cana-
dian Customs gave us forms to prove
that any objects returning to Canada
had actually been made in Canada, and
were therefore duty free, - if they were
not accepted, given prize money and
sold to same rich clever Individual who
had just made a fortune in patriot mis-
alle stock.

We then went to American Customs.
Any one of the officers might have, on a
whim, shot to maim or disfigure: after
all, they were at War in the Persian Gulf
and could concelvably look askance at
the kind of foreign invasion into the arts
] represented, Fortunately, they were
decent and straightforward,

The pieces were delivered on a Friday.
juried Saturday, and on Sunday you
were informed as to rejection or accept-

ance. There was $1200 US in prize
money. | had tt apent before | phoned to
see how the pieces were recelved. My
mind acquiesced in humble glee at the
prospect of being internationally ac-
knowledged, recognized and possibly
Jauded. After more than 20 years with
clay, a litle international fame was not
unnatural!

Well. it was not to be. All three pleces
were rejected! Bloody hell. So the proc-
ess was reversed; all expectations qui-
etly erased from the mind, and all pa-
rades cancelled. |] made another trip to
Bellingham, picked up the pieces, bought
gas and an “| Suppert Desert Storm" T:
shirt from a pacifist friend, and returned
to the studio to work.

This experience, not unlike rejection
from the Potters’ Guild Gallery, could be
cause for bleak self-deprecation, de-
pression or self-mutilation. But a
healthier realization is that we're all in
the business of acceptance recognition
every day as people tune themselves
intoour work, What I must dois godown
to the Whatcom Museum, see the show,
and observe the competition. Indeed, we
are all competing, -but it's not a ruthiess
competition. [t's.one in which we inspire
one another to make better stuff.

in twoyears I'll enter the same show and
probably go through the same mental
process, and I'll keep il upuntil theyask
me to judge the show!

Bob Kingsmill

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

4s a reeult.iof a letter from Eric Hettema,
a note on availability of glaze testing
laboratories

The CAN TEST Labs at 200-1523 Weat
3rd Avenue, Vancouver, phone 734-
7276, may be able to help you.

Page 4

“April, 1991