GICB 2013 Newsletter No.2
Topic / Community / People / Entry open for / GICB News
Topic
Introducing Odysseus’s Close Friend, Mentor
Written by Misun Rheem / Guest Curator, GICB 2013
The story of Mentor in the Greek mythology happened a long time ago. It goes
back to the time of the Trojan War when King Odysseus of Ithaca called for his
close friend Mentor before leaving to fight. Mentor was summoned on a particular
mission as King Odysseus was anxious about the education of his son Telemachus.
He took the occasion to ask Mentor to take charge of Telemachus’s education.
King Odysseus was gone for longer than expected, and in the meantime Mentor
became a close friend and a teacher to Telemachus, training him to become a
great leader. At times he took on the role of a strict father and at others,
a guiding teacher. Despite the long duration of the war Mentor kept to his pace
and became Telemachus’s spiritual supporter. Finally the war had ended and king
Odysseus returned. He was surprised to see how his son had grown to be a fine
person and he praised his friend Mentor for the achievement. Since then, people
began to call wise and experienced experts as ‘Mentors’, and this was the term
given to those endeavoring to awaken hidden talents of others to fulfill their dreams.
According to the English dictionary, the definition for ‘mentor’ refers to a person who
offers constant advice through his or her expertise and experience. It refers to a
‘tutor’, advising ‘mentees’ with abundance of knowledge and wisdom on a one to one
basis in order to develop abilities and hidden talents through a process known as
‘mentoring’.
There was an article in the Korean newspaper at the end of 2012 stating that
Korea’s largest bookstore surveyed to discover that the most popular keywords for
a bestseller were ‘healing’ and ‘mentor’. These two words have become familiar in
the Korean society and they are used not only in leading national newspapers but
also in news broadcasting stations and even in entertainment shows. This simply
reflects on the increasing symptoms resulting from social and psychological instability
and conflict. Recently there has been frequent mention of the rise in suicide and
unemployment, while a decrease in birth rates and a great increase in the aging
population are prevalent. Additionally such phenomena simply prove that the slow
economical structure, the instable social psychology of the future is only heightening
anxiety. Moreover, today the role of Mentor substituting the father, King Odysseus,
has become something of an educational package for a new type of learning and
this is spreading rapidly within today’s society despite the fact that parents are
present right next to their children. Again as mentioned earlier, a mentor is
someone who is experienced, a senior taking on the role of teaching young people in
order to help them develop their abilities at the same time as enabling them to adapt
to society through counseling and advising. Even so the conception of the mentor is
strategically misused today. It has clearly become commercial, using it as part of a
business plan by introducing holiday tours and leisure programs in addition to
organizing mentoring and healing programs by study academies conducting
one-off extra-curricular classes, enabling students to set their minds to effectively sit
university entrance examinations.
Yet in saying so, learning methods similar to mentoring/coaching can be found in
the traditional Korean culture. Craft, art, music, dance, architecture, food and all other
fields requiring a long period of technical training and acquired experience,
were possible in the past through apprenticeship practiced by craftsmen.
Therefore learning and asking seniors was an evident practice. Furthermore tasks like
‘hyang-ak (village code)' and ‘du-rae (farmers’ cooperative group)’, which simply could
not be done individually, were resolved through collaborative cooperation.
Amicable friendship was established through playful games such as the Korean
traditional Gangkang-Suwollae (Korean hand-in-hand merry-go-round pastime pleasure),
while also realizing the importance of community by enjoying and laughing together.
In a period full of conflicts and crises such as the one today, it is important to collect
the wisdom of the past in order to prepare ourselves for the future by collaborative
co-living and developing, rather than competing against each other. Coincidentally,
in June 2012 when discussions on the 2013, 7th Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale
(GICB 2013) exhibitions, symposium and other venues took place, among the many facts
that were touched upon at the time, the main core conception evidently evolved around
‘healing’ and ‘mentoring’. Therefore, the workshop for the Gyeonggi International
Ceramic Biennale, being the highlight of this event, acquired the titles <Healing Camp>
and <Mentoring Camp>. They reflect on the high expectation of the new ‘learning’
method and interest on ‘healing’.
For the GICB 2013 workshop, internationally renowned and established artists
participating in the International Prize of GICB 2013 (the main exhibition), will act
as mentors to young artists selected through an international screening process.
In the same way as King Odysseus left his son in ‘Mentor’s Camp’, the artists in the
main exhibition will take part in the <Mentoring Camp> to be a friend, a counselor and
a teacher to young artists.
In addition to this, the general public participating in the <Healing Camp> will also be
guided by experts and through the creating process that clay offers, they will learn to
release stress, develop positive thoughts and become motivated, while experiencing a
healing session.
Keep posted with our developments as GICB 2013 will offer this special gift called
‘THE PRESENT (NOW)’ for everyone to have a good time in a period where we have
become so accustomed to a society that is ill, one that needs constant ‘healing’.
Community
National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA)
Written by Hyeyoung Cho
/ Managing Director for International Exchange, GICB 2013
Come March time every year and all attention is given to the annual conference
organized by the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) in the
United States. This particular council operates through a membership program
connecting people related to ceramics. The members consist of ceramists, educators,
students, art-lovers, gallery owners, museum curators, ceramic suppliers and many
more eligible for becoming a member.
This year the conference took place in Houston, Texas, USA under the title of
“EARTH/ENERGY”. Evidently many ceramists and experts from the United States attended
along with a huge international crowd consisting of ceramists, educators and gallery
owners all taking part in a number of venues organized by the council - exhibitions,
lectures, seminars, forum and other venues.
The National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts was first founded in 1966
as a non-profit ceramic education foundation. The original year for its founding
was actually in 1961 and it was an affiliated organization to the American Ceramic
Society, and in 1966 it became an independent organization. The objective of
this council is to introduce innovative ideas solely for ceramics in order to establish
its own identity and also to follow the tendencies in this particular field. At the
beginning members consisted mainly of ceramists and educators. In 2001, attempts to
expand the membership categories were implemented to accommodate more ceramics
related experts. Currently there are approximately 4,000 members including those in the
United States and the world in general.
NCECA’s mission statement is as follows:
"The National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts is a dynamic organization
that fosters global education and appreciation for the ceramic arts.
NCECA’s programs, exhibitions, publications, opportunities and resources inspire
advancement of the field."
(Quote from the NCECA webpage, http://nceca.net/static/about.php)
The aim of NCECA is to promote people in the ceramics field by operating a ceramic
community. There are scholarship programs for young artists, residency programs and
other events for ceramists to build and develop their career. NCECA also has a close
networking system with other major ceramic organizations around the world and
therefore operates an outreach program for artists to expand their horizons
internationally. Since 2001, the NCECA office has been established in Erie, Colorado.
The NCECA staff - executive director, conference manager, office manager, projects
manager, webmaster and bookkeeper - operates from this base. The conference that
is organized every year is the largest and the most important event organized by NCECA.
It takes place in different locations around the United States. The venues comprise of
academic events such as symposium, seminars, forums and exhibitions, and also trade
stands. For the symposium the latest issues and trends in ceramics and art are discussed.
The exhibitions divide largely into 6 sections – invitational exhibition,
undergraduate-gradate competitions, promotional exhibition of new talents,
NCECA members’ exhibition and bi-annual international exhibition in the biennale format.
Furthermore, there are trade stands on show during the entire period that the
conference takes place.
NCECA is probably the most active ceramic organization in the world and its operation
has been effective in building a ceramic community. We hope that the annual conference
will also take place in other locations outside of the United States. If this happens then
maybe one day there will be a chance for the Korea Ceramic Foundation to organize
a joint conference to help promote contemporary Korean ceramics and also the world in
general.
Information on the 48th NCECA 2014
Refer to webpage: www.nceca.net
Place: Delta Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Duration: March 19~22, 2014
Title/Subject: Material World
Exhibition Title: “Flow: The 2014 NCECA Invitational“
People
Introducing Artists:
Mentors for the “Mentoring Camp” Short-Term Residency Venue
Written by Jeong-Shin Kim / Assistant Curator, GICB 2013
The modern times that we are living in today, seem to have developed an extremely
competitive society where we, as individuals, are exposed to social issues that only
deepen the sense of loss within ourselves. Furthermore living in this period of fast
changes, our current conditions do not enable us to think about life introspection nor
spiritual healing. Although society has advanced considerably with the introduction of
the internet and developments in the IT industry, and through them we have been
able to obtain a diverse range of culture and information, yet at the same time we have
become exposed to social issues that we initially ignored to overlook. For example,
although the SNS system allows communication to be easier and faster, in reality
there is only one person in existence, communicating with the world. Therefore the
standard of communication has become limited to one person. So in order to live
effectively and wisely in such a social condition, the 2013, 7th Gyeonggi International
Ceramic Biennale has organized an “International Ceramic Workshop” with the title
“Mentoring Camp”.
This venue is organized to set a new paradigm by inviting distinguished artists from
around the world in addition to new artists, while also inviting local regional artists
for an open exchange and creative experimentation to actively implement collaborative
working methods.
The “Mentoring Camp” is in three parts:
Mentoring Camp I - “Short-term Residency and Forum Workshop”
Mentoring Camp II - “Korean Aesthetics and Spirit embedded in Clay”
Mentoring Camp III - Communicating with the Local Icheon Pottery Studios.
In total there are 4 venues and they involve the participation of artists from the
main exhibition, International Prize of GICB 2013, in addition to international committee
members, past Grand Prize Award winners, distinguished Korean artists and Icheon
potters. The GICB 2013 would like to take this opportunity to introduce two artists
participating in the “Mentoring Camp”.
Aikyu HAHN (Korean Ceramist, born in 1953)
Korean female clay artist Aikyu Hahn enjoys challenging herself with the notion of
“motion in stillness” and instead of emphasizing simplified aesthetics, she expresses
this notion through her abstraction of human figures. By this it does not mean she is
presenting immoveable poses but rather she is expressing different concentrated
emotions experienced through her lifetime in the belief that motherly love is the
warmest kind of love originating from human instincts.
Therefore in her terracotta clay work, it is possible to sense a genuine voice, that of a
female and a mother. The bodily movements signify sacrifice and labor which she
herself has contributed to the community known as ‘family’. In it there is a kind of
‘fantasia’ that generates belief and courage. She has refined diversities in life with her
endless emotional transitions and expectations and she has depicted them through
warm and soft organic lines, in addition to using stable shapes.
For the GICB 2013 International Ceramic Workshop, Aikyu Hahn will focus on
establishing a community and seeking for personal identity, simultaneously as
studying the relationship between these two subjects. The experience of working
together with an artist who is industrious, dedicated, structured and genuine will
definitely awaken young artists, to reflect on their own selves.
Aikyu HAHN, a Korean ceramist, graduated from the Seoul National University,
Department of Applied Arts in 1977, and received MFA in Ceramics at the same university
in 1980. She also studied at the University of Arts, Angoulème, France in 1983.
She held many solo exhibitions including <In Ruins> at ARTSIDE Gallery,
Beijing (2010); <Incounter> at POSCO Art Museum, Seoul (2009);
<People Bearing Flowers> at Gana Art Center, Seoul (2008).
She also joined the <Clay, the Material Imagination> at Kim Chong Yung Museum,
Seoul (2007), and “Pre-International Incheon Women Artists’ Biennale”
at Incheon Culture & Arts Center (2007). Han Aikyu is presently the director
in charge of design at Gonggan Ceramic Company.
Kukuli Velarde (Peruvian Ceramist/US Citizen, born in 1962)
A Peruvian artist with an American citizenship, Kukuli Verlarde strives to confront many
different subjects through her clay work. Her focus is mainly on the history of Peru,
the notion of migration, colonization, religion, feminine issues and more. Her main
interests evolve around the above subjects and issues, which becomes the basis to
her clay. She states that, “clay is an expressive vehicle for projecting the modern society”,
and she works to create her “own culture”, often as someone who is a part of the
complex international cultural flow, and at others as an artist, concerned about her own
time, social background and regional identity. Especially because Kukuli Verlarde has
created her own perspective when it comes to her own experience, as she lives in a
different place to her country of birth and consequently she has established a
community that is entirely her own and it is true to state that she co-exists with all
those differences. For the artist Peru is the artistic resource and inspiration, and she
creates her work while striving to combine the Peruvian qualities with today’s modern
society.
For the GICB 2013, there are artists who have dual nationalities therefore they are
often not residing in the country of their birth place. Through the workshop Kukuli
Verlarde will address such issues, about differentiating cultures and finding one’s own
identity despite cultural gaps, differences and so on. The Korea Ceramic Foundation is
certainly proud to be working with a special artist in the likes of Kukuli Verlarde.
Kukuli Velarde, a Peruvian artist with American citizenship, received her BFA
(Magna Cum Laude.) from Hunter College, the City University of New York in 1992.
She was given the “Transformation Award” from Leeway Foundation, Philadelphia
in 2011, the “USA (United States Artists) Knight Fellow”, Santa Monica in 2009,
and nominated for grants of Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, New York in 2009.
Kukuli has held solo shows at Galeria German Kruger Espantoso, Peru in 2012,
at Barry Friedman Ltd., New York in 2010, and at Garth Clark Gallery, New York in 2007,
titled <Plunder Me, Baby>.
Entry Open For
International Ceramic Workshop
“Mentoring Camp” Short-Term Residency
Open Call for Mentee Application Register Online
Entries open from February 28 through to April 30, 2013
If you are an artist working in clay now is the chance for you to find the right answers
to your problems, creative blocks and conceptualizing your ideas!!! The 2013, 7th
Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale is pleased to organize the “Mentoring Camp”
venue. It is a chance to bond with distinguished artists who were perhaps once, like you.
For this venue there will be group discussions and clay making sessions. One mentor
will have few mentees and this will be a group learning and discussing event.
Furthermore, it is a great opportunity for young and relatively new artists to build an
effective international network. The “Short-Term Residency” is the first part of the entire
“Mentoring Camp” venue and the mentors have been selected from the artists
participating in the main exhibition, International Prize of GICB 2013.
We hope many artists around the world will take an interest and apply to this
invaluable and memorable venue!!! For more details login to our webpage
(www.kocef.org)
GICB News
Overview on the Second Open International Competition
“Talks by Artists”
The outcome was a huge success!
The venue “Talks by Artists” received countless applications and only by the end
of March, GICB 2013 was able to select the final speakers. Since this is a lecture venue
the context of the talks were taken into serious consideration.
The final selection of speakers comprised of 20 nationalities including Korea,
the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, Central America, Africa and so on.
There are more details on this on our webpage (www.kocef.org)
Thank you for your interest and participation!!!
Reporting the Latest News:
GICB 2013 has gone Online! Meet us through SNS pages!
What is the 2013, 7th Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale (GICB 2013) up to . . . .
Our first and prime interest is in satisfying the needs of all those working
in the ceramics field. Our main motto is to “share and co-exist”.
We have newly launched our FACEBOOK page, a BLOG and we now
also have a TWITTER site.
These are for you - the artist, the educator, scholars, art dealers, galleries and finally
but not the least, the public. We have a NEWSLETTER addressing different topics,
people in the field, description on the venues, application methods for open entries and
many more exciting information! Stay posted!!!
GICB 2013 BLOG Address: http://www.gicb2013.blogspot.kr/
GICB 2013 FACEBOOK Connection: http://www.facebook.com/GICB2013
GICB 2013 Program
The 7th Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale
Dates : 2013. 9. 28 ～11. 17(51 days)
Place : Icheon CeraMix Creative Center
Main Title : Community - with me, with you, with us
Capacity : Approximately 40 different countries, 100 participants, 120 artworks
Venues : 8 including exhibitions, academic programs, workshops
Hosted by : Gyeonggi Province
Organized by : Korea Ceramic Foundatio
Exhibitions
- Main Exhibition: ‘GICB 2013 International Invitational Competition’
- Special Exhibition: 'HOT Rookie’
Academic Programs
- International Symposium: 'Co-existence'
- Talks by Artists
- Discourse and Criticism
Workshops
- International Ceramic Workshop: ‘Mentoring Camp’
- Clay Workshop: ‘Healing Camp’
- Workshop Events: ‘Food Party
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