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I'm a little teapot
(by Jamie Scott - May 06, 2008)
Once again it’s tea time at Craft Alliance.
In its biennial teapot exhibition, Craft Alliance showcases the artistic side of teapots and proves that the teapots’ creative value is just as significant as their traditional use. This year marks the 11th exhibition, Infusion 10 x 10, which opened with a reception on May 2. The exhibit remains open through June 30.Craft Alliance Exhibit Coordinator Stephanie Kirkland said the teapot exhibition is one of Craft Alliance’s most popular shows because, while not everyone can clearly see what’s being portrayed in a painting or a sculpture, many people see the artistic value of teapots.
“Because it’s something we’re so familiar with, it’s also something that people really gravitate to,” she said. “It’s something that they can really associate with.”
While past years’ exhibits have boasted teapots made from a variety of materials, this year’s entries are all made with clay. This year’s exhibit also takes its name from a new requirement: All teapots in the exhibit must fit into a 10-by-10-inch box. Kirkland said this requirement reveals something about the exhibit’s juror, Fong Choo.
“Fong Choo is one of the biggest masters of the tiny teapot,” Kirkland said. “He was chosen as the juror with this in mind.”
Choo is a studio potter and an adjunct professor at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Ky. He has received international recognition for his miniature teapots, which are reminiscent of the Yixing style of pottery dating to the 14th century.
Aside from the dimension requirement, Choo said the only thing he looked for when choosing pieces for the exhibit was solid work.
“I did not set out to get a balanced body of work or any technique, type of firing, styles or theme,” he said. “I just simply chose good strong work — visually pleasing and coherent. I selected the works presented here based on four criteria: strong form, great craftsmanship, skill in handling the medium and attention to detail.”Kirkland said teapot art is a classic form that has been popular for many centuries, and Choo’s selections for this year’s exhibit represent the wide variety of art forms.
“Fong has managed, for this show, to get a selection of teapots that range from the traditional to the whimsical,” Kirkland said.
Teapots for the exhibit were chosen from more than 60 artists. Kirkland said the teapots in the exhibit convey each maker’s interpretation. She said it is a challenge for each artist to recreate the basic pieces of a teapot — handle, lid and spout — into a different work of art.
As a complement to the exhibit, a separate showing of teapots created by high-school students is on display. The 25 teapots on display in the High School Teapot Invitational were chosen after Craft Alliance solicited area high schools for their students’ best work. Kirkland said this complementary exhibit has taken place for several years, and she wants to continue working with schools so it can grow. She said participating in the exhibit allows students to get a step up in the art world.
“Each year we get another school to jump on board, but we hope to pick up more momentum,” Kirkland said. “It’s great for the students. They get to come participate with artists in the gallery.”
Craft Alliance is also hoping to engage the community via two workshops during the exhibit’s run. The first workshop was taught by Choo on May 3 and covered the basics of tiny-teapot making. Artist Todd Burns, whose work is on display in Infusion 10 x 10, will teach the second workshop on teapot making on May 31. “Because we’re an educational center, we like to invite the artists who are working in a professional level to teach our students and community,” Kirkland said. “It allows us to open up to the community.”
The teapots on display are for sale throughout the exhibition, with funds benefiting both Craft Alliance and the individual artists. For more information about Infusion 10 x 10, the High School Teapot Invitational or the teapot workshops, visit Craft Alliance’s website at www.craftalliance.org.
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