Mandalas of Clay Workshop
MANDALAS OF CLAY WORKSHOP
January 11 - 16, 2009.
Hummingbird House, Tucson
Morning or afternoon sessions (8-11 am or 2-5 pm)
View the Mandalas Class Schedule
Groups of 15.
What is this workshop all about?
Over four days, the techniques of ceramic art will be applied to the construction of mandalas in the shapes of saucers and pots in preparation for a more thorough study of Islamic ceramics and (for 20 people) clay-making workshops in Turkey. The hands-on activity will be preceded by illustrated talks about Turkish ceramics and symbolism in art, and demonstrations by two skilled artisans. Although the workshop is designed to provide orientation for the artists who will be going with us to Turkey in May, it is open to anyone especially interested in learning about symbolism in ceramic art.
Who are the workshop leaders/artisans?
GUEST ARTIST –
John Cheer, a full-time ceramic artist living in Allentown, Pennsylvania, was born in Communist China in 1966. His family immigrated to California in 1979, but not before John was making clay figurines in amazing detail. At age 8 he constructed an entire Chinese circus in miniature, including trick bicyclists and jugglers twirling plates. His American art teachers encouraged this remarkable talent and he decided to pursue his interests in clay sculpture. However, he had to finance his own education, and he did this by establishing an auto body mechanic and paint business. Eventually, he moved to the east coast to study with master ceramicists, and soon was selling his works at fine art shows and crafts fairs. His work has evolved elaborately, incorporating glass and copper wire. He still has a knack for creatively transforming life’s adversities and can fix anything that’s broken. See his work on his website: cheerclaystudio.com.
RESIDENT ARTIST –
Jane Hendrickson, Ph.D., is an artist and depth psychologist who taught clay arts in high schools in Seattle for 25 years before coming to Tucson and completing her doctoral work in myth and depth psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute and writing a clay arts curriculum for the emotional growth of adolescents (Mytho-Ceramics). She also has led workshops for women undergoing psychotherapy that involve making clay masks and body casts. In the last year, she has been working as an intern with Judith Cornell, Ph.D., an internationally recognized pioneer in using the mandala for healing. Jane’s current academic research in ceramics is the art and culture of Turkey. In this workshop she combines what she has learned in five trips to Turkey over the past three years with what she has learned about powerful universal designs such as the Mandala.
What will participants learn?
Although it is expected that most participants will have some familiarity with ceramic arts, we are prepared to take some members into each group who want to apprentice and are willing to take the work seriously. We will be firing the objects we make. Therefore the process is not only creative, but highly technical. Also, the concept of mandalas involves an open-minded look at sacred symbols around the world. Mandalas also are a powerful tool of Jungian psychology, and used to interpret the unconscious. It is this exposure to our deepest selves that is exciting. This is of great benefit to artists. Mandalas also have calming and relaxing effects that can reveal unity between human existence and the structure of the Cosmos. This allows barriers to fall between individuals of differing backgrounds.
How much will it cost?
The total cost is $225, or under $18 per hour of instruction, which includes all materials, rental of the studio, and firing, as well as the travel expenses of visiting artist John Cheer.
CONTACTS: Steffy Devonshire 297-0171 StephanieDevon@aol.com
Lucill Alkabir 275-1000 lucillalkabir@yahoo.com
THE ARTISTS’ TOUR (MAY 2009)
What will the tour group be doing in Turkey?
Twenty individuals will visit museums and architectural and archaeological landmarks, and engage with scholars and experts, with the common goal of learning the basic elements of Islamic design and clay-making. We will divide into two groups of 10 to work alongside Turkish artists at two very different sites. Both groups will have four days at the Iznik Center in Istanbul, famous for its preservation and perpetuation of the finest fired clay tile and pottery in all of Turkey; and both will go to small, more primitive, workshops in two famous pottery-making villages in Cappodoccia for another four days. At the end of the 15 days, the groups will come together to make a mural inset with tile pieces they and their Turkish colleagues have made, dedicating their work to the peaceful collaboration – the oneness -- of diverse cultures.
What is the connection of the Mandala to Turkish art and architecture?
The term Mandala translated from Sanskrit refers to a deliberately designed circle that expresses the essence of completion and also of containing. In many religious practices, mandalas are used to focus attention, to aid meditation, and even to induce a trance in which the worshipper experiences a mystical sense of “oneness,” or unity with the cosmos. We tend to associate mandalas mainly with Buddhism and Hinduism, but the idea is universal.
Familiarly, in Judaism, it is the Star if David; in Christianity, the halo, and the rose window; in Native American tradition, a medicine wheel.
In Islam, sacred art is dominated by geometric shapes and segments of circles. Most notably, the dome of the mosque is a circular opening that represents the arch of the heavens, a mandala that directs the worshipper's attention toward Allah at its center, its highest point.
Why is this concept important to this tour?
It is the idea of unity of the cosmos – or in more humanitarian terms, the oneness of peoples – that underlies the structure and purpose of this tour. On the surface it is a unique educational travel opportunity, workshops for ceramic artists observing the principles of a culture on the other side of the world. At a deeper level, it is the sharing of our common earth to make beautiful and meaningful objects for our own inspiration – meditations on oneness – and to inspire others. The people who choose this tour will have a strong desire to experience this oneness and make a contribution in art to support ongoing efforts to achieve universal peace.
When can I learn more about the tour?
The details are being worked out with the aid of our Turkish scholar-guide and a travel agent. If you are interested in further developments between now and November, when all final arrangements will have been decided, please call or request more information:
