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ALways talking pots...

WELCOME to the FAIRBAnk bi-annual newsletter

Dear Supporters, Collectors, Artists +  Friends,

That time of year has come: the lawn has begun to crunch when tread upon and the gladiolus are glorious in purples and burgundy. 

It is time to drain the pool and think about sweaters at the same time as last fire bans are barked. A newsletter is overdue!

 

A lot has happened since the last bi-annual:

ALways EXHIBITING

It was my true pleasure to collaborate with Amanda Bury and make a concurrent exhibition come to fruition at the 2022 NCECA Fertile Ground in Sacramento CA. When the theme was announced Amanda reached out, how could be not?  he agricultural industry touches the lives of all humans. Agriculture in California represents one of the largest farming economies in the US. Over a third of the country’s vegetables and two-thirds of the country’s fruits and nuts are grown in California. Agriculture has many aspects to be celebrated and hard truths we can’t ignore. Food production has historically been the driving force for enslaving peoples and remains a contemporary framework for human exploitation. Industrial agriculture is the biggest contributor to the climate crisis. The western colonial “settling” of land has led to the removal and genocide of indigenous peoples along with their cultures and practices. Processed foods have caused unprecedented health problems including diabetes and heart disease. Policies and other socioeconomic struggles have led to the prevalence of inner city food disparities.

The far reaching effects of Californian agricultural realities, trends, aspirations, and policies can not be denied. In spite of this capitalist global reality, food remains central to human connection, enriching our daily lives and sustaining familial and cultural ritual through consumption. We believe in the collective ability to reshape our food and farming systems. We look to the creative process as a way to construct new realities, to form bonds, communicate and plan. We know art can unearth the truth and illuminate the shadows. Artists connect deeply with people, inspiring societal change. Art records and preserves human history, tells stories and passes on traditions. Artists serve as messengers of hope and ambassadors for the natural world. We challenged these artists to make works for exhibit in response to connections with Northern California based agricultural organizations.

A Flower BLOOMS in the desert: Investigations into agricultural Microcosms

An NCECA Exhibition

Eight artists respond to agriculture and its far-reaching effects through connections with California-based organizations. They engage the creative process to construct new realities, form bonds, communicate, and plan.  Amanda Bury, Bridget Fairbank, Lindsay Rogers, Nathan Murray, Eliza Au, Carole Epp, Juan Barroso, Lauren Shapiro

See a glimpse into their lives, studios + works via @a.flower.blooms.nceca2022

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FRUKTPLOCAR

A Flower Blooms in the Desert

My acceptance to this challenge resulted in ceramic installations and audio recordings.

Inspired by crowd sourced fruit maps, I chose to spend the winter months in Canada mining the internet, while eating and pondering imported fruit. Stalking images of specific trees in Sacramento, I virtually walked the city, in every season, imagined the smells, the sounds and the people around a fruit tree. I constructed a portrait of fruiting trees: a puzzle, a guess. Then in Springtime, on a hot Cali day after 1,575 km of travel from snow, through mountains to fields and endless rows of olives we met.

                         SEE MORE HERE

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Climate Change + Feminist Surrealism

Future Curation

Collaborative projects make sense. In a world of zeros and ones I have to believe that many minds are better than one. If you make or research ceramics and are interested in the ideas of of futurist feminist surrealism or climate action please reach out. If you love some work that fits in the category or would like to be in a future project or exhibition or article please reach out. 

ALways talking

It's true! If you know me you know that I believe clay is a material that can be used to access any topic through space and time. I have the honour or mediating questions at NCECA + The Ceramics Congress Conference. 

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the ceramics congress

An Online Conference

A honour to chat with Sunkoo Yuh + Katie Unger during Q+A! I can do nothing but endorse The Cermics School. It is a truly international online conference designed with easy access and community building in mind.

 

Learn more about future conferences at www.ceramic.school

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Meeting the Moment: Fertile Disruptions

NCECA Pannel: Ruth Chambers (Regina), Julia Krueger (Lumsden, SK), Mireille Perron (Calgary) and Amy Gogarty (Vancouver) 

"The past several years have been marked by global pandemic, economic collapse and calls for racial, economic and social justice. Globally, citizens have organized around issues relating to justice, equality and the environment. Our panel looks at ceramists who have met the moment, critiquing issues and proposing positive change."

ALways Making

Clay is always more than just clay.

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FAIR-HAUS Workshop

Born out of a housing crisis, a pandemic and firm belief in touching clay, FAIR-HAUS is Community Ceramics Space in Nelson BC. and my personal cultural project.  We create, educate and community build through the Arts. 

 

It is with pleasure that we celebrate 1yr of touching clay and we are so excited for what it can be.

Follow along: www.fair-haus.org + @fairhaus.workshop

Join the mailing list, new opportunities launched soon!

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AYAL Heinrichs

You can’t mention FAIR-HAUS without mentioning Ayal: apprentice and tech. She if off to University of Regina to continue her BFA in ceramics. Thank you for all your help Ayal! Keep track of her: https://www.ayalceramics.com/

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@ayalceramics

ALways THINKING

Two projects on the go- waiting for Y.O.U.

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Ceramic Literacy Book Club

Get ready- another round of books are on the way! Next up: Craft edited by Tanya Harrod

Ceramists are rigorous passionate researchers but as always, more minds are better than one. If you need to make space in your studio practice to connect with written works, join up for a book a month at www.bpracticalpottery.com/book-online and you will automatically receive a zoom link (50 Participants Max) for a bookclub meeting. 

 

Next meeting Oct 30.

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The botanical historical

There is no denying the stark amount of botany represented in ceramic history. Every culture has pots in a museum with fruit or flower.

 

There is, however, a lack of both depth and breadth in the digestible writing available to the modern potter or sculptor.

 

So I am collecting. Follow @botanical.historical for your weekly does of all things fruit, flower + clay.

ALways Teaching

Look out for more workshops! 

M.I.S.S.A 

What an absolute joy to teach a weekend workshop at The Metchosin International Summer School of the Arts.

 

The biggest thank you to the students for making it a blast and keeping so cool in the heat + biggest kudos to Marna + the team for the 36th successful Summer! 

https://missa.ca/

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ALways A Pleasure 

Thank you for your ongoing support- what a time it has been since the last newsletter. 

My best,

Bridget 

bpracticalpottery.com

bpracticalpottery@gmail.com

@bpracticalpottery

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