Artists of the Month: December

During the fall semester at the ol' Crafty Centre, we have been exhibiting one 2-d and one 3-d artist in our entry space. For the month of December, we have been showing painter Kris French and ceramicist Benito Tyjeski. Below are a few photographs of their artwork among our winter-land decorated by our staff member Alexandra.

If you would like to exhibit your artwork at the Craft Centre, contact Kate Clark for 2-d artists and Benito Tyjeski for 3-d artists. We are looking for someone to show in February. Enjoy the photos!

Check out their websites: Kris French, Benito Tyjeski

Make a pinhole camera!

Here's an awesome source for making your very own classic matchbox pinhole camera:

http://www.matchboxpinhole.com/index.html

Quite possibly the most inexpensive camera you'll ever own.

blu muto !!! watch this!

hope you enjoy!!

<3 katie b.

Sierra Student Coalition

Just a week ago the Sierra Student Coalition had dropped by the Craft Centre to screen print and tye dye their student organization's t-shirts. The SSC strides to protect the environment and develop leaders that promote sensitivity to the Earth and its resources. Information of the organization and becoming involved can be found at the link below:

http://ssc.sierraclub.org/


More images can be found at the Studio Arts & Craft Centre's facebook.

Benito

Tara Donovan

This artwork is constructed completely out of buttons and glue!

Tara uses everyday household items to make these large scale sculptural pieces. For example the piece above is created out of thousands of paper plates and the piece below is created of thousands of paper cups. This paper cup installation hangs from the ceiling like a giant light fixture!

Upcoming events around Milwaukee

There are still a few upcoming workshops @ the SACC for the spring sememester including:

Eco-Street Art & Mud Stencils
Resin Jewelry
Melt & Pour Soap

Visit craftcentre.uwm.edu for more info and check back soon for our summer schedule with new classes, workshops, and free events.

Gallery Night & Day are coming up on April 16 & 17, don't miss it! For a list of galleries, click here.

Don't forget to stop by the Union Gallery to see the current group exhibition "Kate Brandt Pink" before the end of the week. Also stop by the Inova/Arts Center Gallery on campus between April 9th – 24th for the Peck School of the Arts Department of Visual Arts MA/MFA Thesis Exhibition II.

Graduating PSOA photography students will have their final projects hanging at BYO Studio from April 16-May 7. Stop by on gallery night or anytime Thursday-Sunday.

Know of anything coming up? Leave a comment and share it!

Eco-Street Art & Mud Stencils @ the SACC

UWM student and local artist Jesse Graves is bringing street art to the Craft Centre and the timing couldn't be better as it starts to warm up out there. Check out Jesse's website for more info on mud stencils at http://mudstencils.com. You'll find some of his work and the work of others.

"I began stenciling with mud to put environmentally conscious messages in public spaces. I use mud or earth because it is a fundamental life-giving substance, logical for my messages. Mud stencils are an evolving medium, intended for art and social justice, not corporate advertisement," Jesse states on his website.

The SACC is hosting a 2-day workshop on April 24-25 (Saturday & Sunday) from 12:30-2:30pm each day. In this 2-day workshop students will learn about the growing movement of street art that is created with the environment in mind! We will discuss and learn to use environmentally-friendly materials and reclaimed materials to create our own street art. Topics include guerrilla gardening, moss graffiti, anti-graffiti, and mud stencils!

Sign up today by calling 414.229.5535 or dropping by the Craft Centre. Only $15 per person (students, faculty, staff, community members welcome)! A true bargain. Visit craftcentre.uwm.edu for more info on this workshop and others.

Featured Ceramics Artist: Matthew Harris

If you are familiar with the Craft Centre's own Benito Tyjeski and his sculptural work, check out the artist Matthew Harris from Boulder, Colorado. His work is currently featured in the latest issue of Ceramics Monthly and can be seen on the contemporary ceramics website ArtAxis.org.

Some of his previous works include a series of statuary heads, similar to Benito's figural sculptures which also explore a variety of cultures. In the featured image, titled Bourgeois Tomb Guardian (13 x 20 x 8 inches, 2007), Harris creates a traditional head piece and gives it a modern touch by adding mixed media on some of the inner surfaces.

Paper Mountains

Have you ever created something, only to find yourself trying to explain it afterward? For me, my best ideas come when I am most relaxed and usually result from boredom but seldom end there. When you let your doodles and scribbles spark your imagination, and search for realistic ways to explain them, the result is often unique and personal. That's what I like most about the things i make, they comfort and excite me by reflecting back the things I've learned, the people I've met and places I've seen. Last week, a folded piece of paper and a pencil were my available tools, and this week my camera and photoshop helped to view my sketch in a different way. Who knows what will finally satisfy your idea, so be open to new techniques and explore possibilities, even what seems impossible.

The Craft Center can help!

-Philip
SACC Clerk

P.S. I wish i could move like this cool cat

What are you waiting for?!?!

Okay, loyal readers. I know that you delight in the regular posts by SACC staff members and sometimes think to yourself "I sure wish I could work there"! Well, the good news is that you can!

The SACC employs regular staff members, i.e. Studio Assistants and managers, but we are always in search of enthusiastic instructors as well. Naturally, it takes some time and effort to craft a class or workshop, but it is truly rewarding to get paid to teach others about an art form, craft, or technique that you love!

So - when you have decided that you are ready to share your skill with others, your next step is to acquire the Instructor Application and Course Proposal Form. You can easily access this form via the SACC website under the 'Information' tab or you can retrieve a copy from one of our helpful Studio Assistants at the Studio Arts and Craft Centre. This application is designed to help you, a potential instructor, consider all of the details involved in preparing for your class or workshop including scheduling, curriculum plan, budget, and necessary tools and supplies. Our Program Manager, Kate Kopp, is available to work with you to formulate and promote a successful course.

We are waiting to hear from you... what are you waiting for?!

Hey everyone! Check it out check it out check it out check it out
So as Nyasha and Kim have mentioned in the posts below, the SACC Screen Printing class will be starting on March 29th and running through April 26th. It usually fills up pretty fast, so if I were you I'd sign up right away. And if I weren't you, I'd still sign up right away, because this class is way cool.
If you're interested in screen printing and looking for some inspiration, I'd definitely suggest checking out these two amazing artists:

First is Minneapolis based Aesthetic Apparatus. AA got started designing and printing band posters, and have since moved into packaging and product design for all kinds of well-known companies. You can see some excellent examples of their work here:
http://www.aestheticapparatus.com/

Second are The Little Friends of Print Making, who are from our very own Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Like Aesthetic Apparatus, the Little Friends do a lot of work printing concert posters for bands. You can take a gander at their prints here:
http://thelittlefriendsofprintmaking.com/oops/
I particularly admire the Little Friends because they have a really fantastic way of using the transparency of the screen printing ink. By taking advantage of how colors look when printed on top of each other, they can create a print that has up to nine separate colors happening while only using three colors of ink. This also cuts down on the number of screens they have to use in order to make a more complicated print, which is a good way to save time and resources.

There is also an interesting interview with them at the design blog Grain Edit, in which they discuss the process of designing one of their three-color prints. You can find that here, if you are so inclined: http://grainedit.com/2009/09/03/little-friends-of-printmaking-interview/

So by now I expect that you are just about falling out of your seat in a excitement-about-screen-printing induced fervor, so don't waste any more time and come sign up for the SACC Screen Printing class before it's too late!
The end the end the end the end the end

Yours truly,
Sam

PS you guys the new White Stripes live album/documentary is coming out this week I am so excited aahhhhhhh

Get In While the Gettin's Good

As reported in the post, Closet Classics Caffeine and Clothing will be closing soon. Currently large mark downs are happening and I'd recommend shooting over there while it is still open.

For more information about when and why Closet Classics is closing, feel free to hit up the Post article here: http://www.uwmpost.com/2010/02/08/another-east-side-staple-bites-the-dust/ .

I personally have found the prices to be completely reasonable, especially now during this ending sale.

As always, feel free to bring in any piece that you'd like to alter. We have functioning sewing machines within the studio and an entire fibers room at your disposal. Also if you catch me or any other staff member, we may be able to help figure out how to make whatever it is, fit just right.

If you're not into altering we also have a large selection of patterns for check out. Options range from period costumes to Vogue patterns. Come in and take a peek at the collection. =)

On a different note, I'd like to let you all know about our up-coming Screen Printing class. It runs from March 29 to April 26. Definitely not a class to miss; screen printing gives you the freedom to mark anything you've made. Use images that inspire you and wear them around or alter your bag to suit unique tastes. Take advantage of this awesome class and learn a skill you'll use for life.

Best wishes and hope the week goes well!
Nyasha

Nathan Sawaya: LEGO AMBITIOUS

Many people think just because something is a painting or a bronze sculpture it is a piece of art, however, traditional materials like clay, metal and canvass are not what defines an object as art. Nathan Sawaya, based in New York, creates this large scale, amazing pieces of art with LEGOS. I saw one figurative LEGO art piece and was astonished. Once I checked out his website, I was overwhelmed with awe! I highly recommend you check out his website!!

http://brickartist.com/
and here is a really good blog too with nice sized images! LINK

Benito

Quick and Easy Lunch Bag

Hey guys! Finally got my blog up--- it's a quick video on how to make a handy lunch bag!

It's quick, easy and cute! Come in and give it a try!

S C R E E N P R I N T I N G! Zing Pow!!

Hello! I'm Kim Sullivan and I'm the taking over the Marketing Manager position at the Studio Arts and Crafts Centre. I'm a Graphic Design major graduating next December. I've been working at SACC for a little over a year and I think it's one of the best facilities on campus for both art majors and non art majors.
We have an awesome Screenprinting class that is starting Monday March 29th. Screenprinting is so much fun to learn and it's a great medium for anyone. You can print on tee-shirts, bags, paper, wood...well just about anything.
I've been working on a little marketing campaign for the Craft Centre for the past month of so called the Doo-Dad project. The craft centre employees have been busy collecting random objects from the studio space and as a result I've been designing and printing these little informative cards that will get tied on to all these pieces in order to be scattered through the campus. You can use screenprinting as a form of marketing for any organization or club you are involved in, just come in and ask us. Here is a little snippet of what the Doo-Dad cards will look like....

Here are some other fun things that have been Screenprinted...

design courtesy of Chris Gulczynski

screenprinted on stained wood

If you are interested contact the Studio Arts and Crafts Centre
and sign up for the Screenprinting class starting March 29th, 2010!

Greetings!

Hello everyone,

My name is Kate Kopp, and I'm currently training as the new Program Manager here at the Studio Arts and Craft Center. I'm a Junior receiving my undergrad in Painting/Drawing, a minor in Psychology with hopes of receiving my masters in Art Therapy. I also enjoy working with Ceramics, Photography and Metals.

I'm so excited for this opportunity and can't wait to meet all the students and community members who use this space. Please stop by and introduce yourselves! I would love to hear any suggestions you may have. Also please let me know if your interested in instructing or the possibilities of future employment.

I'm extremely passionate about the community that forms when artists work as a collective. Just think of how dull are work would be if we didn't have other artists to communicate with. Therefore, I'm leaving you with a website I look to for inspiration. This site speaks to a wide range of artists and will hopefully help you with any future road blocks.

www.ffffound.com

Metals!

Hi everybody,

My name is Emily, and I'm the Jewelry & Metalsmithing Lead Assistant here at the Studio Arts and Craft Centre. I would just like to take this opportunity to update all of you on the metals happenings at the SACC and UWM in general.

First of all, there are only two spots left in the Introduction to Jewelry and Metals class that I am teaching this semester. So if you are interested, you'd better hurry and sign up! The other jewelry classes here such as Copper Enameling, Easy Etching, Bronze Casting, and Resin Jewelry and Magnets all have plenty of room, but I'm sure they'll fill up quickly as well.

I would also like to mention one of the visual art guest lecturers who will be visiting UWM this semester for the Artists Now! Lecture series. Lisa Gralnick will be lecturing on her current project, The Gold Standard, in which she explores the societal values placed on precious material. Gralnick's lecture is scheduled for March 31st at 7:00 in the Arts Center Lecture Hall, 2400 E. Kenwood Blvd. This is definitely something to be excited about if you are interested in jewelry and metalsmithing!

Photography

Hello avid SACC blog readers,

I am the lead assistant for the photography lab and will be giving you tid-bits of information about photography this semester.

I would like to start off by recommending a video for everyone to watch. This video is done by Alex Roman of http://www.thirdseventh.com/. The video name is "The Third and The Seventh." From his description I take the name as the sequence of art forms. He uses Architecture the Third and video the seventh form of art in a historical context. I hope you enjoy the video there is beautifully shot architecture, exciting camera work, old school cameras, tributes to Robert and Shanna Parke Harrison (Architects brother) and most important Milwaukee's own architectural wonder MAM.
Check it out and enjoy.

The Third & The Seventh from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

I would also like to recommend taking a walk over to the architecture building and looking at the photography show up in the gallery--Inflected Modernism: The Architecture Photography of Balthazar Korab. He was a prominent architectural photographer in the 60-70's. Working with Eero Saarinen,Frank Lloyd Wright and other modern Architects a like. You can see stunning images of the Milwaukee War Memorial and Falling water. It only runs for another week so rush over there and check out the beautiful B&W Prints.

Finally I would like to extend the welcome to be a part of my photography classes this semester. I will be teaching an Intro Black & White Photography Class every Thursday starting Feb. 18th that will go until March 18th. You will learn the basics of your film camera, sharpen your composition skills, and start developing from black and white negatives. You must provide your own camera. The other supplies are available for purchase at SACC. I will also be teaching a refresher course for those who have ventured into a darkroom before but have been gone for some time. I will introduce you to our photography space and remind you of the darkroom details that might have slipped away.

Well stop in to the craft center and ask for, me, Corey Gaffer if there is a photography question on your mind. I will try to answer them all.

I almost forgot--if you would like to join Focus, the photography club at UWM, come to the Craft Centre on Mondays at 6:30. We network, create, and show student work.

cggphotography.blogspot.com

Open Clay!

The kilns at the SACC are now working and ready to fire your work. The cost of clay is $15 for students and $20 for community members. This fee includes the cost of glaze and firings. Saturday, February 6 we will have Open Clay from 1pm to 4pm. During the Open Clay session, our resident ceramic specialist will be on hand to give you tips to make the most of what we have to offer. Plus there will be free clay for MEMBERS of the SACC. Come and Create!!!

The Studio Opens for Spring on January 25!

Welcome back for the spring semester! The UWM Studio Arts and Craft Centre (SACC) is squeaky clean and ready for another round. Stop by and grab a schedule full of classes, workshops, free events, and more. If you’re not familiar with the SACC, it’s located on the UWM Union ground floor in room EG30 and open 7 days a week.

The SACC opens on January 25th and the staff would be happy to give you a tour around the space and sign you up for your membership! If you had a membership last semester, drop by to renew it for the spring. Registration for classes and workshops also begins January 25th, so reserve a spot early.

Just to give you a taste of what we’re all about, the SACC is an open studio space with specialized areas in jewelry and metalsmithing, fibers, photography, and ceramics, but there is plenty of space for drawing, painting, printmaking, and whatever else your heart desires. We have plenty of tools for check out and many supplies for sale. Stop in to work on a project, mount your work, buy supplies for classes, or just be crafty for awhile. If you’re looking to build skills in any of our areas, our classes and workshops are a great place to start.

Our new website will be up and running soon, so check back Monday for an update.

See you soon!

Gallery Night & Day!

This weekend is Gallery Night & Day in Milwaukee, so make sure you check it out! There is plenty of wonderful art to be seen.

Meet Benito Tyjeski!!

21 years old
Ceramics and Art Education major
Operations Manager @ the SACC for 1½ years

Favorites:
Band: anything with a latin beat and African drums
Hang-out spot: Brewed on Brady (the black bean wrap!)
Artist/work: Luis Jimenez “Man on Fire” – what a way to communicate to many cultures!
Class/teacher: Mrs. Kulich – my elementary school art teacher!

What do you do in your spare time? Road races, read & write at the coffee shop, go dancing, paint, projects
Why are you a ceramics & art ed. major? I have a certain love and respect for all mediums, however, I go crazy in ceramics! And I want to be an art teacher to not only work with students, but to bring together communities through art.
Useful tips: Always remember why you are doing what are and have fun!
The plan once you graduate? Get lost in India and Africa, grad school/teaching
What do you like about the SACC? It’s a resource center for artists! Where else can you meet other artists/crafts people, find out about galleries, promote your artwork, and attend or teach a workshop? Wow!

Check out Benito’s artwork at tyjeskib.weebly.com!

Other resources:
National Geographic (the best resource to discover the world)