Port Moody Arts Centre (PoMoArts) has a unique opportunity for emerging ceramic artists. A recent graduate from a clay programme is given a small studio in the clay department with use of materials and kilns for a full year, with a month-long solo show at the end of that time. In return the artist-in-residence is asked to supervise some clay drop-in times, share their techniques and interests and has the opportunity to offer some classes.
https://pomoarts.ca/scholarships-residencies
Applications for this position are being accepted right now for September. The link describes current CAIR Max Yang.
TriCity Potters group always invites the current Ceramics artist-in-residence to speak at one of our monthly meetings. Max Yang is just now completing his busy year at PoMoArts and is making the final pieces for his show, opening on June 15th.
Once again TCP member Emily Cheung created a fine poster for us and a good-sized group of keen potters attended the meeting last Wednesday.
Local resident Max Ton Shen Yang completed a Fine Art Certificate at Langara College in Vancouver before transferring to Nova Scotia College of Art & Design University for his BFA in Ceramics. Although he learned wheel-throwing he quickly realized that he was much more interested in sculpture, specifically using plaster moulds.
Since returning to the Lower Mainland and moving into his studio at PoMoArts for the last year Max also took on a position as technician at St. George’s School in Vancouver. How marvellous it must be to be young enough and have the energy to manage all that!
Max came to our meeting very well-prepared, not only to show slides illustrating his career so far, but with several of his amusing plaster moulds to demonstrate his process. He started by pouring liquid slip into all the moulds so that the clay could stiffen as he talked to us.
As we watched the slides Max told us about his life as a Chinese immigrant son of a single parent here in Coquitlam. An award-winning sculpture he made at NSCAD showed a white ceramic chain encircling a balancing table with just two chairs, to symbolize that situation. The extraordinary chain was made with mould-made cone 6 clay, once-fired. As usual photos taken from slides are poor so I didn’t record that image. But something made me take pics of the sculpture below.. a Playboy rabbit smashed into the face of this man? The glazed sculpture revealed that he had orange hair!
After we’d seen Max’s slides he returned to the plaster moulds, gave explanations of how they’re made and why, and then carefully took each one apart. He showed how they are made of several parts to allow for undercuts in the original form. Some of the pieces that were poured and revealed on this evening will form part of his final show here at the Arts Centre.
Now our latest Ceramics artist-in-residence must finish all the work he intends to show in his upcoming show. The poster is above, so make a note to attend the opening on Thursday June 15th.
Max tells us that he will be continuing in his position as ceramics technician at St. George’s School for the time being. I’ll be watching the career of this enthusiastic, talented young clay artist and wish him good luck. Thank you Max for an informative, amusing and well-organised presentation to TriCity Potters.
