Mentoring

I have been working as a mentor this semester in the MFA in Applied Craft and Design program and I am finding it to be a very rewarding experience.  It's the part of teaching I enjoy the most: talking to students about their projects, brainstorming, helping them clarify thinking, introducing them to new artists,  finding resources. The student I work with, Laura Alcorn, is amazing me every week with her diligence, creativity, and openness to exploration. And I forgot to mention she is making some kickass beautiful jewelry that is really miniature sculpture.

Here the description lifted straight from their website:

"Connecting design thinking to design doing, Oregon College of Art and Craft and Pacific Northwest College of Art have collaborated to create a unique MFA Program grounded in hands-on making, entrepreneurial strategies, and social and environmental engagement. Combining a mentor-based approach with an exceptional visiting artists program, students work one-on-one with nationally and internationally recognized designers, makers, and scholars in a self-directed curriculum that challenges them to bring to life the full strength of their ideas and skills.

Encouraging a cross-disciplinary studio environment in which the workshop is a lab to collaboratively explore design and making processes, the Program welcomes students from a wide range of creative backgrounds to make original work with an applied purpose. With a curriculum focused on the development of a strong artistic voice, the realization of work for a specific community or client, and entrepreneurism that connects making a living with making a difference, the MFA in Applied Craft and Design is the only graduate program of its kind."

SQFT

TJ Norris, intrepid artist, curator, blogger, has curated this window project of drawings by 75 NW artists (including yours truly). It started out in Portland at the Blackfish Gallery and has moved on to Boise. He's planning to travel it around to different window venues over the next year. Here's the review from Boise Statesman.

Sitka Art Invitational

I have five pieces in the Sitka Art Invitational this year. The Sitka Center for Art and Ecology fosters creative inquiry and education. The involvement, investigations, and creative work of artists and natural scientists help Sitka Center fulfill its mission to expand the relationships between art, nature and humanity through workshops, presentations and individual research projects.

Hundreds of volunteers, artists, donors, and art collectors have contributed to the growth and success of the Sitka Art Invitational, since its inception 16 years ago. This year, 132 artists are offering over 500 pieces of art! Collectors and art buyers are a key factor in the success of this fundraising event.

Located at the World Forestry Center, Portland, Oregon

Friday, November 13th, Miller Hall, 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Opening Night Party with the Artists

Saturday & Sunday, November 14-15, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Public Exhibit and Sale

The Sitka Art Invitational is an important source of support for Sitka Center's Workshop and Residency Programs. The Workshop Program provides opportunities for artists to teach and study in workshops from late spring through early fall; the Residency Program offers opportunities for artists to pursue individual research projects from late fall through early spring. If you're moved to contribute to these programs and are not able to attend the Art Invitational, please feel free to donate online.

feel good moment

I just signed in to my blog reader and there on one of my favorite blogs, Dear Ada, was my own work!

Contemporary Fiber Arts at PNCA

Along with artist Kim Lakin, I'll be teaching a class at PNCA this summer. It's part of their Summer of Making in the Continuing Ed program.

Summer of Making is a mixture of craft classes, social media, and the Contemporary Fiber Arts class Kim and I are teaching. Our class will be a survey about fiber as sculptural/art medium and contemporary artists who work with fabric or fiber. Other classes are:

• Bead and Button Jewelry, with Susan Beal
• Artful Blogging, with Sarah Schlosser-Moon
• By Hand: Needlework and Macrame, with Jess Beebe
• Podcasting for Everyone with Diane Gilleland
• Quilting Workshop with Denyse Schmidt

I met some of these women at a meeting the other day and they are a talented, well-connected bunch. If you are looking for some creative enrichment in your life, check out these classes in the PNCA online catalog.