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2024 FUSION CONFERENCE: SPRINGBOARD
June 1 - 2, 2024 - Conference Weekend
Old Town Hall
460 Botsford Street
Newmarket, Ontario
The FUSION Conference was presented in partnership with the Pine Tree Potters' Guild
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Conference Patron Welcome Reception on Thursday night in Toronto with Bill and Julia. More information to follow. This event will have limited space!
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BREAKTHROUGH PLUS Exhibition Opening Reception at the Old Town Hall in Newmarket on Friday, May 31. 6-9 pm
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Network all weekend and meet other ceramists from Ontario and beyond!
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Amazing raffle prizes all weekend long from Suppliers: Mayco, Tucker's, PSH, Bill van Gilder tools and more
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Vendor Tables
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Mug and Bowl Table: every conference attendee is invited to bring and contribute a mug or bowl to be sold during the conference
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50/50 Draw
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Post-conference Social and aperitifs on Saturday evening at the Old Town Hall
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Meet and Greet event for FUSION Member guilds
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Are you a member of an affiliated guild? You can join as an Affiliate Member and save on your membership. We also welcome artists from out of province to join FUSION.
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Conference Itinerary with restaurant options & parking map.
Click the image to enlarge and download.
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Thank you to Jenny Rushforth from Desjardins Insurance for sponsoring the student admission.
EXTRA CONFERENCE OPTIONS
Exclusive Welcome
Wine & Cheese
Thursday May 30th, 2024
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Meet Bill van Gilder and Julia Galloway at a private home in Toronto's Annex and begin
the conference in style! This is an additional reception for conference goers should they wish to attend and is not included in the conference fee.
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All prices are subject to HST. There are no refunds. Tickets are transferable.
Saturday Night Social
Saturday June 1st, 2024
5:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Join us in the atrium of the Old Town Hall for an aperitif after the conference to unwind,
meet friends and make dinner plans.
(Beverages on Saturday evening are not covered by the conference fee. )
Mayco Demonstration - FREE Sunday, June 2nd, 2024
12:15 pm - 1:00 pm
Old Town Hall - Green Room
SOLD OUT
Bring your lunch and join Mayco’s Todd Hickerson for a hands-on ceramic
glaze demonstration. Todd will be showing off Mayco’s newest Stoneware glazes
and Engobes, highlighting performance characteristics, tips for use and popular
glaze combinations in cone 6 and cone 10 firing temperatures.
THE EXHIBITION OPENS ON FRIDAY EVENING AT THE CONFERENCE AND WILL BE TRAVELLING THROUGHOUT ONTARIO TO THE ART GALLERY OF BURLINGTON AND THE CANADIAN CLAY & GLASS GALLERY.
Bill van Gilder
A professional potter for more than 50 years, Bill van Gilder began his clay work at age 15 as a studio apprentice to the late Byron Temple, Lambertville, NJ. He then apprenticed in Ireland and England, and received a degree from Harrow School of Art, London, UK. Bill then established and managed two large training centers in Southern Africa under the auspices of the World Bank. van Gilder has served on the faculty of The Art League, Alexandria, VA and founded the
Frederick Pottery School, Frederick, MD. He has hosted the DIY Network television series ‘Throwing Clay’ and has written a regular feature column in Clay Times magazine about making pottery. He currently leads workshops nationally and internationally on pottery forming, decorating, and firing techniques. van Gilder designed a line of professional pottery tools which are sold internationally. His clay work is exhibited and held in collections worldwide. In 1985, van Gilder established a studio, craft gallery and home atop South Mountain in central Maryland, which he continues to operate today.
Julia Galloway
Julia Galloway is an artist and a professor at the University of Montana, Missoula. Julia has exhibited across the United States, Canada, and Asia and her work is included in the collections of the Renwick Gallery - Washington DC, Long Beach Art Museum - CA, the Ceramics Research Center at the Arizona State Art Museum, American Museum of Ceramic Art - Pomona, CA, and Alfred Ceramics Art Museum, NY. Julia has served on the board of the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, and Director at Large on the National Council for the Education of Ceramic Arts (NCECA). Julia is a member of the ‘Green Task Force’ an influential group of artists that researches and educates environmentally thoughtful processes for Art making using ceramics. She was awarded a United States Artist Unrestricted Grant and named a Distinguished Scholar at the University of Montana. This year, Julia was named a lifetime ‘Fellow of the Council’ at NCECA, 2023 Artist of the Year by the Ceramics Arts Network and was awarded the 2023 Individual Artist Award for the Arts & Culture Award in Montana.
Julia Galloway
Throwing techniques may include:
- tall pitcher
- 5 handles
- two spouts
- 5 tumblers
Surface Decoration techniques
- inlay
- resist
- slip trail
- carving
-Cream and Sugar set – either stacking or side-by-side
-Salt and pepper set
-Teapot
Discussion about idea development including:
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How does an idea turn into work?
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How does making work develop your ideas?
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How does process and material support your ideas?
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What is relevant in crafts today?
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What is the Green Task Force and developing resources for more environmental decisions in one’s studio practice?
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What is the Field Guide for ceramics and how to keep making work?
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What opportunities exist at different times in your career?
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What is the relationship between creativity and commodity?
Bill van Gilder
Demonstrated techniques at the wheel may include:
- Efficient hand positions for throwing
- Simple tools and their use
- Lid arrangements and form
- Spout, rim and lip making and proportions
- Trimming and foot-finishing possibilities
- Faceting and fluting as decoration
- Handles and lugs; pulled and hand-built
- Making bottle forms; collaring techniques
- Making dinnerware; throwing and trimming
- Making squared and oval baking ware
- Wet, thick slip decoration
- And much more…
A sampling of forms to be demonstrated
- Open and lidded casseroles
- Pitcher and pouring pots
- Cups and mugs
- Bowl forms
- Dinnerware
- Bottle forms
Hand-building demonstrations may include;
- Slumped oval slab platter making
- Humped squared plate making
- Foot attachment possibilities; slab, sprigged & coiled
- Textured decoration; wet slip, pressed, and resisted textures
A discussion about glazes will take place during the workshop, including cone 6 oxidation, cone 8-9-10 gas, and salt/soda wood-firing.
A selection of Bill's hand tools (van Gilder ClayTools) and a sampling of current work will be available for purchase.
WHERE TO STAY IN NEWMARKET
BILLETING
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If you are interested in being billeted by a Pine Tree Potters member, please contact FUSION and we will do our best to find you a place for Friday and Saturday.
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CONFERENCE HOTELS IN NEWMARKET
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Use this link for discounted Hotel pricing for some of the hotels below
https://ReservationCounter.HotelPlanner.com/EventPage7636245
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The Post Mark Hotel
The closest hotel to the venue and still under renovation.
Scheduled to open in February 2024
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Best Western Voyageur Hotel (1.7 km from The Old Town Hall)
17565 Yonge Street, Newmarket
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Newmarket Hotel and Suites (3.2 km from The Old Town Hall)
100 Pony Drive, Newmarket
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Holiday Inn & Suites (9.1 km from The Old Town Hall)
205 Eric T Smith Way, Aurora
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