Instead of spending this past Friday’s ceramics class in the dusty studio (that is near and dear to my heart), Matt Povse, our ceramics professor, generously arranged for us to take a trip into the city of Philadelphia and attend The 39th Annual Philadelphia Museum of Art Contemporary Craft Show. At the convention, 195 artisans were selected from an outrageous pool of one thousand applicants to exhibit their works in booths set up in rows throughout the venue. I was floored by the sheer number of vendors present when I stepped into the room, but also by the variety of media on display, and especially the quality of the work available for purchase. It was the perfect representation of all I aspire to become a part of – a community of the most elite craftsmen (and women) coming together to celebrate their passion and share with others their innovative techniques and personal styles.
You can check out the official list of all the artists present at the show with this link, but I’ll mention a few of my favorites here:
Bennett Bean
Paula Shalan
Erica Iman
Keep in mind these are just some of my favorites. I had to exercise a lot of restraint to keep my list to a minimum, and what more, these are just the ceramic artists I loved. There were a whole host of other artists who worked in glass, wearable fibers, decorative fibers, metals, jewelry, wood, paper, mixed media, and so many more that utterly enthralled me. It would absolutely be worthwhile to browse these categories, even for a just a few minutes. I dare you to resist the inspiring juices that will flood your creative mind as a result (well… not really. That’d be counter-intuitive). And maybe, in five years or so, I’ll see you there from behind the booth.
*All images, with the exception of the cover photo, credited to The Philadelphia Museum of Art Contemporary Craft Show website.
