Michigan Ceramic Art Association event highlights established & emerging artists, lecturers, other ceramic arts not-for-profits and vendors
MichMud 2023 takes place June 16-17, 2023
January 10, 2023–TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — The Michigan Ceramic Art Association (MCAA) will welcome more than 200 ceramic artists from across the state to its bi-Annual conference, being held at Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City on June 16-17, 2023. MCAA has been promoting the ceramic arts in Michigan for 65 years, and ceramics is experiencing a post-pandemic surge in popularity.
MichMud 2023 will feature nationally known ceramic artist Bede Clarke, professor emeritus at the University of Missouri, as its keynote speaker. He will discuss and demonstrate his work on both days of the event. The diversity of his work includes electric and wood kilns, hand-built and wheel thrown forms, functional and sculptural pieces and figuratively decorated surfaces, and his lectures and demonstrations connect with a broad range of ceramic artists. Clarke has exhibited in dozens of international solo shows and his work is in private and museum collections around the world.
Additionally, MichMud 2023 will welcome a live virtual presentation by the winning potter of Season 5 of pottery reality TV show “The Great Pottery Throwdown,” AJ Simson. The show is produced by British broadcast television station Channel 4 and broadcast in the U.S. by HBO. In the series, amateur potters compete in pottery challenges in an elimination type tournament.
Simson makes their home and studio practice in Aberdeen, Scotland. They will be sharing experiences from the TV show and insights into their whimsical sculpted characters that won the hearts of the judges and the viewers.
Michigan Mud provides networking and community building for the full range of ceramic artists, and an opportunity for the community to view the exhibitions and purchase some of the artwork. Ceramic students also will have a chance to participate in a juried student show with scholarship prizes through recommendations from their teachers.
Additional artists invited to the event include:
Jeri Hollister, Ann Arbor Potters Guild, Ann Arbor
Heidi Fahrenbacher, Bella Joy Pottery, Plainwell
Beth Ogden, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti
Jessica Brandl, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo
Katie Bramlage, Hazel Park
Brian Kakas, Northern Michigan University, Marquette
Susan McHenry, Susan McHenry Ceramics, Kalamazoo
Kimberly LaVonne Luther, Detroit
Monica Wilson, Ann Arbor
Tickets will be available to the general public for the event and range from $140 to $300 with substantial discounts to students and K-12 educators. MCAA and Michigan Mud are volunteer-run non-profit organizations seeking to support and promote ceramic arts in Michigan. MCAA and Michigan Mud are actively seeking sponsors and scholarships to defer the cost of the event and to provide inclusive opportunities for ceramic artists in the state of Michigan.
For more information visit http://www.michclay.com/michigan-mud-2023-traverse-city/ or e-mail: michmud@michclay.com.