IN PREPARATION FOR 'SILVER'

This month the Contemporary Crafts Network will be celebrating its 25th Anniversary with a Silver exhibition at the Sam Scorer Gallery in the pretty and historic uphill area of Lincoln. We hope that lots of people will be calling in to see the range of beautiful work that is on show. What many people won't realise though, as they wander around the calm relaxing atmosphere of the gallery, is the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes when putting on an exhibition like this.

It all begins with the date - a given for this particular event as it had to be 25 years from the start of the CCN - but the plan had to be formulated years in advance for the correct gallery to be booked, ensuring we could use our favourite venue. The lighting, facilities and suitable space for displaying our work, along with the setting of the gallery and accessibility for the public, are all taken into account.

The theme of the exhibition is discussed and agreed upon and, being an artistic group, we often like to think creatively about alternative names for our exhibitions. This occasion, despite exploring other ideas, was one of the few times when the name was so relevant it practically presented itself so we stuck with it.

All shows have to be arranged around other events too, making sure no other exhibitions will clash and that the majority of our members can take part. Once this whole process is up and running there is also the matter of planning a rota so that each CCN member can be on hand in the gallery whilst the show is on, no mean feat considering the varied and busy lives of everyone involved.

Then all the vital creative work begins - key to a group exhibition where members use such a diverse range of materials and techniques. Some people like to take time with their creations, taking pleasure in seeing things evolve slowly and working meticulously as it develops. They are comforted by the knowledge that if something goes wrong they will have time to put it right or, if necessary, fully recreate. Others, however, instinctively leave it until much closer to the deadline, relying on spontaneity and skill to ensure that they can produce pieces of quality, working off the adrenalin rush of having a limited time to finish their work.

Lifestyle can play a part in this too as many members have other work that takes up their time or families to keep them busy so the creative process has to be fitted in around them. The materials used also dictate how long an item takes to be completed - some take a long time to be formed, fused, dried or polished whereas other materials can be manipulated much more quickly and finished off with a flourish at the last moment.

Whilst all this is going on there is, of course, the important task of planning the whole exhibition, of ‘showing’ our work to the outside world. Many of us beaver away quietly in workshops, in our own little worlds, creating things that originated as an idea in our heads and that no one else can understand until we create it into something tangible be that in glass, ceramics, metal or a myriad of other materials. 

An exhibition is a chance to allow people into our world, to show a little of what’s going on there. It could be said that there would be no point in making all this work if no one were to come and see it but it is so ingrained within artists to create we would probably do it anyway. However it’s always a joy when other people want to look at what we have been doing, are interested in the processes and appreciate the effort put into each piece. We like to see their reactions and hear their comments so that we may learn and develop our work further and the inner glow that comes from an occasional compliment can do wonders for morale, making us feel we are on the right path after all. 

 To that end we need to let people know about our exhibitions and members of the group are also responsible for publicity and social media, getting the word out to as many people and places as possible. This may involve designing and distributing a poster, writing press releases, notifications to ‘What’s On’ sites, compiling newsletters for the CCN data base, updating our web site, facebook page and twitter account. All of this goes on quietly and tirelessly in the background to keep people informed about what we do and where they can go to see our work when we put it out for ‘show’. This year, for the very first time, we have also had a video made of CCN members in their workshops and studios which will be shown during the Silver exhibition. This had to be planned well in advance and provides a unique glimpse into the world of the crafts person, revealing our processes, inspirations and personal creative journeys.

Making any group exhibition a success involves work from all its members and the CCN ‘Silver’ exhibition is no exception. We have all invested time and effort into making this particular event extra special as it is a celebration of what we do and of what this group has been about from its very beginning – creating unique, beautifully crafted work and showing it to the public. We really hope that for the two weeks our work is on display people will call in, take their time to look around and maybe speak to the artists about their work. They may not consciously realise the amount of effort involved in each step along the way; that the plinths have all been freshly painted, the display carefully planned out or the lights angled specifically to highlight the details of each piece. This is all as it should be, the focus is after all intended for the actual work on display, but the hope is that our visitors will then appreciate the skill and time involved in creating each unique item and also perhaps acknowledge the unseen journey involved in getting it there for them to see.

Silver runs from 23^rd July to 4^th August in the Sam Scorer Gallery, Drury Lane, Lincoln.

Private view and meet the artists - Saturday 27^th July between 2–4pm

The gallery is open between 10am – 5pm each day.

LAS Summer Show at the Usher Gallery

The Summer Show for the Lincolnshire Artists' Society is now on and when attending their exhibitions I always feel pleased and proud to have been accepted by a group that has such an interesting history.

The group began as the Lincolnshire Drawing Club in 1906 with the emphasis primarily on drawings and watercolours from the Grand Tour and from locations around Britain. The original members were predominantly female members of the clergy, titled ladies or gentlemen of leisure whose work was 'of good standards' and who had a constant desire to improve it. Artists were attracted to the L.A.S. encouraged by the professionalism of a group that welcomed the talented amateur but set very high standards for exhibitions.

Fast forward over a hundred years and the basic ideals for the group have not changed.Whereas they now accept a much wider variety of work to include contemporary 3D and sculptural pieces (luckily for me!) the emphasis is still on quality. The members now span a much broader range of society (not so many titled ladies) and much of their work is already amazingly professional, yet they are encouraging to talented amateurs and continue in their endeavours to improve.

I was amused to learn that the Annual Exhibition originally took place in the loose boxes of the stables at Monks Manor in Lincoln - the home of it's founder Miss Elsie Ruston and her art collecting industrialist father Joseph. Thankfully we no longer have to cope with large four-legged animals and bales of straw when we display our work for the Summer Show as it is now held in the rather more prestigious rooms of the Usher Gallery in Lincoln.

I have been pleased to have my work selected for L.A.S. exhibitions in the past and being a Lincoln local (or 'Yellerbelly' as we say around here) it was a very proud moment when I saw my work in the Usher for the first time. I submitted my work yet again this year in the hope that it would be deemed of  'good enough standard' to be included in the 2013 Summer Show, and it gave me great pride and a sense of the rich tapestry of the group when I found that both my pieces had been accepted and my glass work will be on display alongside the other most accomplished pieces from the group.

Hidden Treasures (detail) Adele Billinghay

The Show runs from 6th July until 1st September with the preview starting at 2pm on Saturday 6th July.
More details about the group can be seen on their site. It's well worth a read.

1000 Years of Traditional Crafts

This weekend 22nd and 23rd June I will be taking part in 1000 Years of Traditional Crafts at Lincoln Castle. This will be the third year I have been there and it has always been a great event to be part of not only because of the lovely setting in the Castle, but also due to the numbers of visitors who are genuinely interested in the work that we do.

The ground will be filled with crafts people demonstrating skills that originated many years ago such as blacksmithing, willow weaving, glass work and silversmithing. Some of these crafts use the very same techniques that they always have - as my grandad would say 'if ain't broke why fix it' - whilst others have been brought bang up to date to enable the creation of some unique and highly skilled pieces that will be on show.

Although I am unable to take my trusty kiln with me to these events (a bit too heavy!) I will be on hand in the large marquee on the lawn to explain in more detail about the work that I make using recycled glass. I will be revealing my processes from beginning to end and have a large range of pieces that can be purchased from my stall. Some of my pieces have been made specially for this venue and include my designs of local landmarks. I often get asked about how I put the detail in the glass and have on more than one occasion been asked by children if there are real butterflies inside! This is great as it gives me the opportunity to show why I love what I do and introduce people to the art of kiln formed glass.

There will also be a children's marquee with a a range of activities for them to try and the opportunity for adults to have a go at one of the short courses that will be taking part in the Heritage Skills Centre.
As if that weren't enough to entertain everyone the European Stone Festival will be taking place over the same weekend at the Cathedral with stone masons from across the continent showing off their skills. My only regret is that as I will be on my stall I won't be able to see everything else that is going on!

This promises to be another great event, both educational and fun, and the friendly staff at the Castle are always helpful and informative in their efforts to improve it year on year. Even if the weather isn't good most of the stalls are under cover in the marquees so everyone can take their time looking around. Of course if the sunshine does make an appearance it will make it even better so here's hoping!

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CCN Celebrate Their 25th Anniversary!

All that glitters is not gold - the CCN celebrate their 

Silver Anniversary  

The Contemporary Crafts Network will be celebrating 25 years of beautifully crafted work in the ‘Silver’ exhibition at the Sam ScorerGallery, Drury Lane, Lincoln from 23rd July to 4th August.

The CCN, originally called Lincolnshire and Humberside Contemporary Crafts, formed in 1988 with an aim to create a self supporting exhibiting group. Over time their numbers grew and they achieved notable success exhibiting in galleries across the East Midlands and Europe so changed their name to reflect their expanding catchment area. The members now encompass a wide range of ages from talented new graduates to skilled and experienced crafts people, all specialists in their chosen fields which include an extensive variety of materials such as glass, silver, ceramics, metals, paper, felt and textiles.

Adele Billinghay - Moonlit Meadow

The group is always inspired by new themes and members are encouraged to use many different methods and techniques in their own individual interpretations. The ‘Silver’ exhibition promises a sparkling collection of unique and finely crafted items and the group has been working hard to produce items in celebration of this special event.

One of the founder members Peter Moss, a well known Ceramicist and Arts and Creative Industries Consultant, will officially open the exhibition for the Private View on Saturday 27^th July between 2 - 4 pm. Entrance to the gallery is free - all welcome.