I just returned from a speaking engagement at the Yuma Symposium in Arizona, where I presented a slide lecture and demo on my InTouch project. When I first submitted a proposal to speak at the event it was early 2020 and my show had opened 2 weeks earlier; ‘global pandemic’ was not something anyone was talking about yet. Despite the early closure of my exhibition and all the other immense changes we all went through between now and then, I’m pleased to say my presentation remains upbeat. Looking back at all that went into creating multiple, huge, touchable sculptures - with the hands-on help of community members— and looking ahead at the possibilities opening up as a result, I can’t help but focus on all the good stuff. And if it wasn’t already obvious, I like writing (and talking) about the things that excite me.

And that’s doubly true when I also get to be reinvigorated by other artists and all that they get excited about. The Yuma Symposium does that for me. In case somehow you haven’t heard of it, the Yuma Symposium is a three-day gathering by and for artists featuring demonstrations, lectures and slide presentations given by both internationally recognized and emerging artists who “have demonstrated unusual talent.” The founders and a good portion of the attendees have been at this for 43 years; instructors bring their students, some of whom go on to be teachers and/or practicing artists who come back to present on THEIR work. It’s a zany, welcoming, incredibly creative rotating cast of kindred spirits. I’ve gone six times now, and presented twice (with twelve years in between, particularly easy for me to track since my youngest son was just 5 months old when I dragged my whole family along so I could present; now he’s 12!)

In any case, it’s not something I can manage to get to every year, but every time I do it leaves me feeling full of new ideas, admiration for other artists, and eager to get back to the studio and play. It’s torturous that some of the talks are scheduled at the same time as another, so you have to choose between them. I was VERY happy with the ones I got to see, which is not to say that the ones I missed would not also have had the same effect. But here are the other speakers, with a little info on the presentations I attended:

From left to right: Motoko Furuhashi, Tybre Newcomer, Linda Ethier, Linda Christensen, me, Michael Nashef, Roz Ritter, Miguel Gómez-Ibáñez, and Claire Warden.

First up: Motoko Furuhashi, who blew me away with her clever and elegant approach to interacting with the environment around her, from ‘patching’ cracked asphalt with beautiful interventions, to ‘collecting date’ on a space by laying down packing tape along a route to pick up the detritus of life there, and then incorporating it into jewelry. You should take some time and explore the projects on her website, http://motokofuruhashi.com/

Next I saw a talk and demo by Tybre Newcomer, who is ostensibly a ceramic sculptor but is in fact one of those artists who has all sorts of highly developed skills in all sorts of media, and he’s clearly a gifted instructor (he teaches at Spokane Falls Community College). While his talk was partly about building his forms, it was also very much about taking good (better) care of one’s body as a sculptor— the tools and approaches that make a lot of sense— especially after a youth spent assuming his body could take whatever he threw at it. I think a lot of us in his audience found that message to be resonant. Things I learned: a hydraulic cart is a sound investment, and it’s worth looking at the long-ingrained processes particular to your medium to reassess if there are smarter ways to work. Plus it’s fun to watch clay be extruded- pressed into a long, thick, even ‘snake’ for coiling into the walls of his tall sculptures. See his work at https://tybrenewcomer.com/home.html

Michael Nashef is a sculptor, jeweler and designer whose enthusiasm and curiosity are clearly driving forces in his life and in his making. He came up through very traditional jewelry avenues before finding his voice, and his work is evidence of his rigorous engagement with materials and processes, combining hands-on ways to incorporate concrete into delicate, elegant jewelry (yes, jewelry) and 3D printing technology to physically and conceptually support his forms. And I was delighted to find that he’s the inventor of these fantastic saw blade and drill bit organizers I had seen for sale at Penland School of Crafts. See his work here: https://www.nashefdesigns.com/

Roz Ritter is a fiber artist with whom I’ve exhibited in the past; she ‘draws’ with textile, telling stories through the stitched line. Her work is delicate and strong at the same time- her concepts resonate and their execution is elegant. I found her work about aging (embroidering the lines on an oversized image of her own face) particularly moving— as an 80-year-old artist who only came to this over the past 40 or so years, she’s an inspiration. See her work here: http://www.rozritter.com/

The final speaker I saw was furniture maker Miguel Gómez-Ibáñez, who started out as an architect and, in his 40’s, discovered the joys of making things with his hands. I have to say I love the themes that kept coming up about figuring oneself out in one’s fourth decade— it feels so true. Anyway, Miguel’s talk highlighted North Bennet Street School in Boston, where he was introduced to woodworking and a true, supportive community of makers where generations are taught, among other things, the crafts of bookbinding, piano technology, violin making and repair, preservation carpentry, and more. If any of that sounds intriguing to you, check it out. Miguel’s incredible studio furniture can be seen here: https://www.craftinamerica.org/artist/miguel-gomez-ibanez

Sadly, I was yet again unable to be in two places as once, so I was not in the audience for the remaining three presenters. I heard excellent review of their talks, and here is some more information about each:

Linda Ethier is a glass artist whose work I saw in person at the accompanying exhibition. It was breathtaking: delicate arrangements of leaves, bird bones, and eggs- rendered in translucent glass. See more of her work here: http://www.lindaethier.com/index.html

Photographer Claire A. Warden presented her Mimeses body of work which I was also delighted to see in person. The large-scale (24 x 20ish?) photos were somehow created using, among other things, objects, saliva and photo paper. I really wish I had been at her talk to learn more about it. https://www.claireawarden.com/

And last but not least, painter Linda Christensen presented her loose and colorful figure-laced scenes, talking about the role of emotion and paying attention - being a keen observer - of everyday life. See her work at https://www.lindachristensen.net/