Upcoming Clay Events in Yakima & Washington

I have some exciting local and state clay news to share. There are several clay related events coming up in the next months in Washington State and right here in Yakima.


Washington Events

This year the NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts) will be hosting its annual national conference in Bellevue (Seattle), WA. Several art venues in Central Washington are also gearing up related exhibitions for the event.

Let me tell you how excited I was to see this workshop advertised in Seattle just before the conference: Two Day Raku Workshop with Robert Piepenburg, Gail Piepenburg and David Roberts (click the link but you need to scroll down to the event). Unfortunately the workshop is March 26 and 27, the first days of the Spring quarter. So sad. So I'm hoping people I know will go in my stead and tell me all about it.


Yakima Events

In February Larson Gallery on the Yakima Valley Community College campus hosts "From the Ground Up," an exhibition of ceramic art by regional artists working in organic and synthetic clay media. The exhibition will feature functinoal and sculptural ceramic made using a variety of techniques and firing processes.

"From the Ground Up" opens Saturday, February 11, 2012 from 3pm -5:30pm in Larson Gallery on YVCC's campus (corner of Nob Hill Boulevard and 16th Ave in Yakima.

This exhibition has a number of adjunct events including a slide lecture and panel discussion by 6 of the exhibiting artists. The slide lecture and panel discussion will be held Saturday, March 10 at 1pm in Larson Gallery. I will be showing slides and discussing my work. I will be joined by Renee Adams, Carolyn Nelson, Gregory Pierce, and Stephen Robison.

Later that afternoon, YVCC clay is partnering with Larson Gallery for a live demonstration by two of the exhibiting artists. Eunsil Kim will be demonstrating her throwing techniques and Mike Hiler (one of my perpetual independent study students) will be demonstrating his unique hand-building methods. Both demonstrations will take place in Palmer Hall (the round building) room 107.

Plans are underway for a raku firing hosted by clay classes at YVCC. The raku firing is normal part of YVCC's clay program, but in honor of the special clay-centered events this season, we will be inviting members of the public to observe this exciting firing process.
Update: The Raku Firing took place March 3:


Larson Gallery is also planning a bus tour to see the Push Play, the NCECA Invitational Exhibition at the Bellevue Arts Museum and other clay exhibitions associated with the NCECA conference. The bus tour will leave Yakima for Seattle/Bellevue on Saturday morning, March 31 and will return that night. Contact Larson Gallery at (509) 574-4875 or e-mail gallery@yvcc.edu for more information and to reserve tickets.


Central Washington Events

Gallery One in Ellensburg will host several clay exhibitions in their gallery in March and April. An artists' reception will kick off the exhibitions March 2 from 5-7pm. The exhibition in the main gallery will be the Airstream Ceramic Exhibit. Kittitas County Ceramic Artists will be featured on the Mezzanine and the CWU Ceramic Students Show will be in the Eveleth Green Gallery.

Heritage University will host a visiting artist lecture by clay artist, Wanxin Zhang on March 20, 2012. The Slide lecture will be held from 1:30pm to 2:30pm in Smith Family Hall in the Arts & Sciences Center on Heritage University's campus in Toppenish.