Industrial Complex 9.09 [current consumption]

Mon, 5 Oct 2009 09:15:10 -0400

Over the last several years I have created a series of works for the Annual VSU Faculty Exhibition. I made a piece for the 2007 Faculty Exhibition, titled “The Industrial Complex.” Featured in the 2008 Faculty Exhibition was a piece titled “Alternative Industrial Complex #003.” For the 2009 exhibit, I constructed a piece that continues the theme of the original 2007 sculpture, inspired by Dwight Eisenhower’s farewell address and confronts some current issues in our economy and politics.

This installation is constructed from a variety of materials, found objects, metal pipes, recycled “Empire” firebrick from our old soda kiln - digital transfers, spray painted stencils - and includes a Kahla porcelain
cup/saucer made in Germany, poplar plywood imported from China and a hand truck made in the USA.

The cup has the word “CONSUME” printed on it with a variety of definitions listed below in 6 point type, forcing the viewer to get very close to the piece. inside the cup are 300 barcodes individually cut, they are the barcode “portrait” the artist.

On the upper portion of the plywood is a stamp from the country of origin, reading “Made in China.” The hand truck is positioned behind the piece, it is a tool that my students and I often use in the studio. It is old rusted, and has taken much abuse in it’s 9 years of service. The US flag and “Made in the USA” sticker are nearly worn off of the fender that protects one of the wheels.

This piece is an exercise in design, concept/content, type, narrative and occupation of space. The “box” could be perceived as a crate, however functions as the pedestal in the gallery. The 2 arrows indicating direction are often found on packaging, on this piece repeat the 2 metal stacks on the top, while directing your eye up to the main focus of the piece, which is the cup. The bricks have the word Empire” stamped on them, I often use words and text that have multiple definitions, or placed in a new context for subtle insight.
Lastly, the price of this series of work, always 1,099 - Referencing the beloved and infamous tax form.

Ultimately, I want the piece to function on a variety of levels to a wide audience. I do not want to “punch the viewer in the face,” rather pull the viewer in with good design, interesting aesthetic, questions and answers. Hopefully they/you will think about the piece even after you’ve left the gallery.

In 2008, I wrote, “Maybe next year I’ll make something more upbeat, when gas is under 4 bucks a gallon.” Well, it’s under, but not by much...and now my insurance keeps going up. There’s always next year.

The 2009 VSU Art Faculty exhibition: September 21-October 9, 2009
>> e-mail your comments: mschmidt@valdosta.edu
>> To view the entire “The Industrial Complex” 3 piece series: Click Here >>

New Work at Mudfire and Perspectives 2009

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:26:29 -0400

New Work -
After a full summer of teaching and learning how to golf, I found myself back in the studio after the fourth of July. I was preparing for 2 shows that are now up, one of which opened this past weekend (Mug*Shots). The pieces above can be found at 2 separate shows. The 3 green and yellow vases are in the Southworks building at the Perspectives 2009 Exhibition in Watkinsville, GA. They are soda fired porcelain, cone 10, the base is made of cast Structo-Lite.
The “shot glasses” are slip cast porcelain, cast from an insulated paper cup that I obtained from a hotel in St. Augustine, Florida. The funnel is cast as well. They were bisque fired to cone 6, then several layers of 2 lithium based low fire glazes applied and multi-fired to cone 04 in an electric kiln. The base is an aluminum letter “I” from an old marquee sign that I found in Savannah, GA at a junk shop. I would have bought more, I took everything they had, which wasn’t much. The letters were painted many times over the years, they are worn and crusty, I really admire the look. I think the piece turned out well. I wanted to send a piece that was non functional and challenged the common shot glass.

Mug*Shots at Mudfire - Decatur, GA
Hundreds of one-of-a-kind mugs and wee cups will grace the gallery from August 8 through Septemer 26. This is an exceptional show featuring work from over 60 artists from across the country! Click Here >>

Perpsectives 2009 - Watkinsville, GA
Perspectives: Georgia Pottery Invitational 2009 begins with an opening Gala Reception Friday, August 28th from 6 to 9 PM. Free refreshments will be served. Attendees will be able view all work in both of the galleries during the reception. The much awaited Preview Sale will begin at 7 PM during the Gala in the Rocket Hall Gym and close at 9 PM. There will be a $5 admission charge for the Preview Sale. Click Here >>

Our House is For Sale!

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:57:13 -0400

Our house is for sale! Check out Nancy’s website for more info: www.nancycollingwood.com

After 7 years, Nance and I are selling our place. We love the area, the neighbors are great, it is a convenient location close to VSU, so why move? Well, we have spent a great deal of time renovating this house and it is time to move to a larger place, with more land and a studio. We found a place in Valdosta so we are waiting on the sale of our house to move. If you know anyone that is looking for a great house, please send them to Nancy's website or tell them to call her cell phone. Below is some info, but you really do need to see it in person. It has been a great home for us.

This is a Must See! Looks Even Better Inside!
Brookwood North Historic District. Walk to VSU or SGMC. Beautiful 1940's home with a contemporary flair, perfect for entertaining. Love to cook? Great working kitchen opens to both dining room and sitting area or breakfast area. Stainless steel appliances remain - washer/dryer negotiable.
Hardwood, marble (in kitchen), ceramic tile (baths), carpet and Congoleum flooring.
Split plan - Extra large bedrooms. Huge master suite with walk-in closet, master bath w/vanity area & plenty of storage. Large private yard, partially fenced, with flagstone patio & landscape/security lighting. Established fruit trees, including a gorgeous Meyers lemon tree, in this beautiful landscape. 7’x14’+ workshop w/half bath in the 2 car garage. Additional storage and patio behind garage. Includes termite bond and Home Buyers Warranty at closing.
**Many updates include plumbing, water heater, new attic insulation and more.

Nancy Collingwood cell > 229.630.7812
web > www.nancycollingwood.com
email > nance55@earthlink.net

Macon Fired Works Ceramics Exhibition

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 10:49:26 -0400

Fired Works: A Regional Exhibit and Sale
Lots and lots of pots...You can find my work there and Don Penny’s as well. Central City Park is a neat place and the building is pretty cool too. Location of Central City Park Hall - Macon, GA, Click Here >>

April 18th through April 26th, 2009 -
Daily Hours are 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Daily Tickets are $5, and you'll be able to use your stub to return throughout the week.

Preview Party is Friday, April 17th, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets are $25, and include appetizers, fresh grilled burgers, dessert, wine and beer, and live entertainment. You also have the first opportunity to browse and shop the show.

More info at:
http://www.firedworks2009.blogspot.com
http://www.maconarts.org/events/fired-works.html

Exhibition at the Hudgens Center for the Arts.

Thu, 2 Apr 2009 12:07:53 -0400

Traditions and Diversions: Georgia Clay Now at the Hudgens Art Center in Gwinnett County, GA. Curated by Mark Knott and Vernon Smith, this exhibition will showcase some of Georgia’s finest clay artists, including works by Ron Meyers, SunKoo Yuh,Ted Saupe, AJ Argentina and Michael T. Schmidt.

April 2nd through June 13th, 2009 -
Opening Reception: Thursday, April 2nd 6-8pm

Location:
6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Bldg. 300 Duluth, GA 30097 (770) 623 - 6002

More info at:
http://www.artsgwinnett.org/rea_special_events.cfm

James & Susan got married!

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 18:34:01 -0400

Saturday March 14th, my friends James Laplant and Susan Barron were married. What makes this such a unique wedding is that I was the one to marry them...now some call me “the Rev.” After much discussion and deliberation they decided not to go with a traditional minister or Justice of the Peace. James and Susan asked if I would consider getting ordained and be the one to perform the ceremony, so I did.
I was ordained in February through the Universal Life Church in Modesto, California. I now hold an honorary Doctorate of Divinity as well...If you are wondering why me? I have known them both for some time now, some even give me credit for introducing them at the Sportsman Bar and Grill 5+ years ago. I think I said something inappropriate and followed it up with, “You guys should go out!” I remember Susan was offended and disgusted, I think James thought it was a good idea...the rest is history.

Anyway, the ceremony was great. I was very nervous at first, but in the end it was great fun, and I took it very seriously. 120+ people were there. It was a beautiful day at the Crescent in Valdosta. The weather, the azaleas, the setting was picture perfect. Wes Sewell, long time friend and photographer captured some great images, along with his skilled crew. Marty Williams read a great poem, and Tom LaPlant read from a family bible, very sentimental and fitting for the occasion.

The reception was at the women’s building near the VSU admissions office and Drexel Park. Great music, dancing, food...it was truly a fun night.

And...If you re thinking about getting married in the future, I’m always available, I’ll even throw in a cup.

That’s right, check out this olive oil.

Mon, 2 Feb 2009 18:33:43 -0500

Whoa...I found this in the front of the most recent Creative Quarterly Periodical, a small printed blurb up front with a URL and a thumbnail image...I would like to have this. It really doesn’t even matter how much it costs. What a beautiful object, genius.

Some info - “Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Millennial Olive Trees - the Region of Maestrat. Spanish designers CuldeSac designed the packaging for a new olive oil brand, El Mil del Poaig. The half-litre bottle, containing oil made from thousand year-old olive trees, is made of traditional Valencia ceramic and comes packed inside a wooden crate.”

The Bottle: Developed in traditional Valencian ceramics combining bisque with glazed porcelain.

Dig this:
http://www.elmildelpoaig.com
http://www.dezeen.com/2008/12/11/el-mil-del-poaig-by-culdesac/#more-22005
http://www.culdesac.es/blog.php

Cool Tub, great design

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:01:47 -0500

I came across these tubs on a recent search for a new bathroom faucet fixture...sweet stuff, and the web-links below lead to some stunning designs, check them out. Makes you want to take a bath...

Designer Michael Schmidt (no relation to me) was born at Heilbronn, Germany, in 1961, graduated in engineering from the University of Stuttgart in 1989. Subsequently, he attended the Faculty of Design for Property Investments at the Stuttgart Academy of Art. He then worked as a designer in the design and advanced conception office at Mercedes Benz. He left there in 1992 to set up the design studio "DesignWorX" with a partner. In 1995 he opened his own design studio "code.2.design".
Code.2.design is the official innovation partner of the Fraunhofer Institute.
Collaboration with Falper includes the Scoop bathtub and basin and the new serie Shape.

http://www.mocoloco.com/archives/002503.php
http://www.falper.it
http://code2design.de

The FIRM, Visiting Artists at VSU.

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 14:56:45 -0500

Valdosta State University is hosting 4 ceramic artists for a 2 day workshop, lectures (at VSU) &
an exhibition opening at the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts in Valdosta, GA.
http://www.turnercenter.org

The Artists - (The Firm):
Shane Christensen (UT) Brian Jensen (UT)
Stephen Heywood (FL) Michael T Schmidt (GA)

When:
Workshop - Monday & Tuesday, November 17 & 18th, 2008 - 9am-4pm, Lecture TBA

Where:
Valdosta State University - Fine Arts Building - Room 136 (Ceramics studio)

Exhibition Opening at the Turner Center
Monday, November 17th, 5-7pm

For Who and How Much:
Open to the Public. Students, Faculty and Community. Free, Free, Free...

For images and to learn more about “The Firm:”
http://www.michaeltschmidt.com/ceramics/thefirm.html

Parking on Campus: Visitors passes will be available in rm 136 of the Fine Arts Building.

* This event is sponsored by VSU Art Department & Ceramics.
* For information call 249.4913 or e-mail: mschmidt@valdosta.edu

Alternative Industrial Complex #003

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:19:51 -0400

Last year I made a piece for the 2007 Faculty Exhibition, titled “The Industrial Complex.” Since then I have continued to make a variety of work including a recent piece for the 2008 Faculty Exhibition titled Alternative Industrial Complex #003.

This piece is a continuation of concepts that are consistent & fluid in my work. Visually inspired by grain silos and exhaust vent systems, conceptually inspired by politics, the History channel, NPR and a series of books - this piece speaks about the growing concern and need for alternative sources of energy. Corn and ethanol have been debated for some time now, the benefits, economic viability, environmental consequences, etc, makes this “complex” crop a real sore subject. Books have been written about it, politicians lobby for it and against it, farmers praise and curse it. It has been engineered to do so much, we don’t realize just how important a piece of corn truly is. That said, this piece is not pro corn for use as ethanol, it’s about fuel, consumption, addiction...hopefully it is visually interesting as well.

The bags of feed corn on the floor have a wonderfully designed logo and package. “Producer’s Pride,” it says, “Quality, Value, Nutrition.” I could not have designed it any better myself. This coupled with a post war, idealized and glorified image of a farm landscape and a series of tags with barcodes and batch numbers made this a pivotal part of the piece. I found it at a local feed store, originally I was looking to fill the silo with corn, but when I saw these bags I had to have them, I think the piece is much stronger with them included.

Pure Oil is printed on the tumbler, filled with alcohol, by the way. An entire silo filled with corn, bags waiting to refill it, the cup only half full, illustrating just how inefficient the corn to ethanol fuel process really is. Do the research, you’ll see. Read a great book by Michael Pollen titled “The Omnivore’s Dilemma.” It’s about the Industrial Revolution and the roll it has played in farming, food production and how we eat. I use the Pure Oil logo often in my work, I like the design, and play on the word as well.

Lastly, the frame (made of welded and fabricated steel) and the concrete column are rough, weathered, rusted, so is the cup - a relic, an antique. A contemporary idea already past. Maybe next year I’ll make something more upbeat, when gas is under 4 bucks a gallon.

The VSU Art Faculty exhibition: September 22 - October 10, 2008.
>> e-mail your comments: mschmidt@valdosta.edu

Face Jugs, a student assignment

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:45:00 -0400

Original Post Fall 2007 - Here is a piece that I would never have made if not for an assignment/demonstration in my ceramics 1 class - Face Jugs. Built using a variety of soft stoneware slabs, 1 wrapped around a piece of pvc pipe as an armature. The entire piece is constructed from slabs, coils and a press molded spout from an old gas can. After the 1 hour demo I was planning to destroy what I had started, however, a student said that I should finish the piece and complete the assignment myself. So I spent another 2 hours over then next day - this is what I ended up with. No sketches, no research, just spontaneity. While this piece will certainly not win an award in the next Whitney Biennial, I enjoyed making the piece, as most of my work is tight and refined. It was actually fun to let loose and make something “silly.” The pictures of the piece are leather hard to finished. It is sprayed with porcelain slip and 2 Soda flashing slips, fired to Cone 10, in the Cross-draft Soda Kiln.

Some History - North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia have a long tradition of making ceramic bottles and jugs with faces on them, face jugs or “ugly jugs.” Often times these images/forms reference religious imagery (specifically “devilish” imagery to ward off evil spirits), and are fired in low tech salt or wood kilns or are sometimes pit fired.

The tradition of pottery with faces dates back to Egyptian times and appears in many other cultures throughout the ages. Research has shown that both white and black potters created these vessels - not just the slave potters. The vessels sold well because there was a need to store moonshine in a container that didn't look like every other jug in the house pantry. Children were strongly warned against touching that jug or "the boogie man would get ya!" Consequently the jugs were made as mean looking and ugly as possible, and generally the faces were crudely fashioned. After the Civil War, pottery production in South Carolina declined. Itinerant potters, who hired out their skills, moved on following the westward expansion of our country and the tradition of "ugly jug" making continued in North Carolina and Georgia with some generations of potter families who farmed and threw pots to make a living...

ART 3061 Ceramics 1 - Assignment 3 Summary: Face Jugs
Create 2 handbuilt forms. Scale: minimum 10” - 24” tall
- These forms will incorporate a narrow neck, a strap handle and bottle-like main body.
- Emphasis should be placed on image, and content...DRAWINGS!!! RESEARCH!!!
- Use a digital camera to document your facial expressions, source material.
- Use any and all techniques: slab, coil, pinch,...or a combination of these techniques.
- Combine Stoneware& Porcelain for varied effects.
- Remember, these must be signed and have a finished foot.

Links:
http://gallery.mac.com/schmidty55#100047
http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/nmah/facevess.htm
http://www.claytonbailey.com/jugheads.htm
http://barnwellweb.com/pawprintpottery/face_jugs.htm
http://www.blackpotter.com

VSU Faculty Exhibiton

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:26:58 -0400

This year the VSU Art Faculty Exhibition looks back into the history of the art department and includes a variety of faculty who have contributed so much to the growth and success of the program over the years. The picture above was taken in 1978.
From left to right: Joe Pember, Bruce Wallace, Don Penny, Irene Dodd, Lee Bennett, Claud Singer, Russell McRae, Bill Martin and Ruth Kahler. 1978 Art Department

Inspired by the Past - VSU Art Faculty Exhibition
September 22-October 10, 2008   Opening Reception: Monday, September 22 7-8:30PM  Sponsorship by, MORRIS Orthodontics

The Dot and the Line and Steve Schofield

Mon, 1 Sep 2008 15:51:46 -0400

This is a great animation by Chuck Jones from the 60’s...narrated by Robert Morley. I shared this with my students. This 10 minute animation has a fantastic concept, witty writing and is a great example of simple illustration/animation which really gets the point across. It is clever, funny and entertaining.
Click here to watch the video on YouTube >

My firend Mike Davey in the English Department at VSU sent me this a link to Steve Schofield’s site the other day. I think the images are fantastic, perhaps you will enjoy as well...I couldn’t resist putting the Star Trek photo together with the Dot and the Line still above, both visually and conceptually.

Steve Schofield, from the statement-
My practice is concerned with exploring the fascination that the British public has with American popular culture and the sub-cultural world of fandom. In the images, I have shown people in their own homes and environments wearing costumes that they would be dressed in to attend events with other like-minded individuals. It seeks to offer a glimpse into seemingly ordinary lives of my subjects and allows the private to become public. The work hints at the depth of people's fantasies and the methods they employ to adopt this culture as part of their own lifestyle as a means of escapism. Web - Steve Schofield >