Wednesday, February 7, 2018.
Worcester Center for Crafts Wednesday AFTERNOON & EVENING classes are CANCELLED for February 7, 2018 due to inclement weather.
Please stay warm and stay safe!
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
Pasta Dinner with a Twist Offered by Worcester Center for Crafts | You Go Home with Your Plate!
 |
| Artist-in-Residence, Faith Connor, wheelthrowing a plate |
The premise of the Pasta Dinner is simple: come for good food and good company, see great photography in the Ron Rosenstock show (last day), and go home with a hand-crafted ceramic plate. Pre-paid reservations are requested. There is one continuous seating at 6:15pm. Reservations are $45 per person/plate; children under 12 are $10 per person (paper plate). Beer and wine will be available for purchase. Tickets are available online at www.tinyurl.com/WCCPASTA18, or by calling 508-753-8183 x 301, Mon, 9-2, Tues-Fri, 10-5.
Want to avoid the rush and get first dibs on plates? A special VIP ticket is available at $65 per person/plate which gives holders an early bird (5:30pm) admission to pick out plates, festive appetizers and a free libation-and, of course, the knowledge that they are helping to support the Craft Center's service to the craft community. Ciao Bella is catering the dinner. Vegetarian and gluten-free options will be available upon request.
Committee members working on the 2018 event include Birgit Straehle, Tina Zlody, Tracy Dill, Honee Hess, Tom O'Malley, Deb Shrier, and Candace Casey.
____________________________________________________
The process that is creating all of these plates is very photogenic and lends itself to video as well. Plates are being made on the potters' wheel ("thrown") and hand-built. For both, the clay first is wedged and made suitable for throwing or shaping. A thrown plate begins with a lump of clay centered on the potters' wheel which is then pulled into a plate shape. It is dried slightly and trimmed-at this point it is called greenware (see photo of greenware plates drying). Hand-built plates are shaped by hand, sometimes through pinching, sometimes by rolling out the clay much like rolling out a pie crust. Once shaped, it is dried and decorated. Both thrown plates and hand-built plates are put into an electric kiln and fired to bisque stage-hard but not impervious to water. It is at the bisque stage that glazes and slips are applied. The glazed plates are then placed in the kiln again, but this time at a higher temperature and the glaze fuses with the clay producing the final plate.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PHOTOGRAPH OR VIDEO THIS PROCESS, PLEASE CONTACT US.
___________________________________________________________
 |
| Plate display from Pasta Dinner 2017 |
Diners can expect the unexpected after dinner, including music circa Frank Sinatra, handmade desserts, and demonstrations in the Ceramics Studio showing how the evening's plates were made. A silent auction of fine art craft and delectables will also be held and will include a basket of wine, a soup tureen by Rosalie Olds, a cooking lesson by two extraordinary home chefs, Flying lessons, a clock crafted by Metals Department Manager Pam Farren, and a few surprises!
__________________________________________
About the Worcester Center for Crafts:
The Worcester Center for Crafts (WCC) is one of the oldest non-profit institutions for craft study in the United States. Founded in 1856 as the Worcester Employment Society to help immigrant women produce and sell hand-crafted wares to support their families, the Center evolved over the past 155 years into New England's leading center for craft education, exhibition and entrepreneurship. In 2004, the organization expanded and opened the New Street Glass Studio - an off-campus, 8,000 square foot, state-of-the-art, multi-studio glass facility. The WCC offers the only comprehensive glass studio program in New England available to the public. Through an affiliation begun in 2009, the WCC is home to the Worcester State University visual arts studios and partners in community outreach.
The Craft Center's mission is "to sustain craft as a vital part of our community" by providing high-quality craft education and training, by supporting craft artists in their professions, and through advocacy and public education initiatives including adult education classes and workshops, exhibitions showcasing the work of established and emerging artists, artist residencies, lectures, family events, studio rentals, Gallery Store, its Youth Craft + Creativity program and major events. The WCC is a member of the Worcester Cultural Coalition and receives funding from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
Thursday, February 1, 2018
Worcester Center for Crafts Holds an Artist Talk with Ron Rosenstock | February 10, 2018
February 10, 2018 at 1:00 pm. Ron will talk about his artistic journey and individual works on view in the show, RON ROSENSTOCK: Fifty Years of Camera Work. The exhibit is on view through March 3. Admission to the gallery is free as is the Artist Talk. Ron has been affiliated with the Craft Center since moving to Worcester and founding the Craft Center's photography program fifty years ago.
Critics have said that Rosenstock's reality is more real than it would be if you were standing next to him the moment he makes the exposure. His view of the world developed from his correspondence with Ansel Adams, his work in study groups from 1967 to 1973 with his teacher Minor White and his time as a private student of Paul Caponigro. He has exhibited his work in more than 100 shows worldwide and is featured in numerous permanent exhibitions including the Fogg Art Museum, the Worcester Art Museum, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the International Center of Photography.
Rosenstock's work has been variously described as "ethereal" and "richly detailed." He is a master of composition and capturing the soul of a scene. "I am not interested in the appearance of things," said Rosenstock, "but the transformational power of my lens to penetrate into the eternal moment."
For more information, call 508.753.8183, x 301. The Worcester Center for Crafts is an accessible facility and includes the Krikorian Gallery, the Gallery Store, two Metals studios, a large and comprehensive Ceramics Studio, and classroom space for photography. In a partnership with Worcester State University, the Center houses the art classrooms for the Visual Arts program as well.
_______________________________
About the Worcester Center for Crafts:
The Worcester Center for Crafts (WCC) is one of the oldest non-profit institutions for craft study in the United States. Founded in 1856 as the Worcester Employment Society to help immigrant women produce and sell hand-crafted wares to support their families, the Center evolved over the past 155 years into New England's leading center for craft education, exhibition and entrepreneurship. In 2004, the organization expanded and opened the New Street Glass Studio - an off-campus, 8,000 square foot, state-of-the-art, multi-studio glass facility. The WCC offers the only comprehensive glass studio program in New England available to the public. Through an affiliation begun in 2009, the WCC is home to the Worcester State University visual arts studios and partners in community outreach.
The Craft Center's mission is "to sustain craft as a vital part of our community" by providing high-quality craft education and training, by supporting craft artists in their professions, and through advocacy and public education initiatives including adult education classes and workshops, exhibitions showcasing the work of established and emerging artists, artist residencies, lectures, family events, studio rentals, Gallery Store, its Youth Craft + Creativity program and major events. The WCC is a member of the Worcester Cultural Coalition and receives funding from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)