CCI-newsletter-1984-44-March-April

MARCH/APRIL 1984

Crafts Council of Ireland Thomas Prior House Merrion Road Dublin 4

Telephone 680764 / 603070

THE GREAT CRAFT FAIR! 1984 is a year when the recession is really being felt by everyone and particularly by craftsmen. The Council believes that in this year craftsmen would need as many outlets for their work as possible and an 'end of season' major fair in Dublin could provide useful sales, hence the idea of The Great Craft Fair.

This will be a retail Fair, open to the public and, being held in September, will boost end of season sales to the general public and the remaining tourists. Trade buyers may wish to stock up for Christmas and may find the Fair will provide them with an opportunity to do this.

Stands wi II be available at a very reasonable price, subsidised by the Council. The policy of selection, which has been an important part of the success of the National Crafts Trade Fair, will be applied to The Great Craft Fair also. The importance of excellence cannot be over stressed. Poor quality in either design or the finished product not only reflects badly on the individual craftsman, it also reflects badly on the whole sector and could result in people dismissing all craftsmen as makers of inferior novelties, left over inheritors of the hippy generation, and not to be taken seriously.

A substantial budget has been set aside for publicity as obviously it is very important that as many people as possible be aware of its existance and come through the turnstiles. Among the attractions aimed at tempting the general public will be demonstrations, (so that they may see the items actually being made, and many crafts are good spectator sports) and exhibitions incorporated as part of the Fair. Three exhibition areas have been set aside for use by specialist craft organisations and these will be provided by the Council to approved exhibitions. The Burren textile exhibition which will show the work of participants

at the Textile in Miniature Workshop of last September, part of the European Crafts Conference, will be mounted in a special area at the rere of the Hall. All these will be selling exhibitions offering the best works of the craftsmen as an artist.

That the Fair will succeed in its aims of providing a much needed boost to craftsmen is the most important objective but not the only one. By having demonstrations and exhibitions and showing such a large and wide range of Irish hand made items of beauty and quality it is also intended as an exercise in public education and awareness. It will provide publicity as well as sales for individual craftsmen . By having as a condition of entry that all prices are shown inclusive of VAT whether or not the exhibitor is registered, retailers will not be undercut by the Fair and the general public will be encouraged to appreciate things at a realistic price.

The Fair will be held in the Main Hall of

Pat O'Brien, Executive Director, IDA, presenting the IDA Perpetual Craft Trophy to Cormac Cuffe.

the RDS in Dublin next September from 5th to 9th inclusive — five days including a Saturday and a Sunday. The opening hours will be 2.00 to 10.00 p.m.

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and 11.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Details and application forms will be available in May and will be sent to the Council's usual mailing list but anyone interested should contact us now and ensure that their name is on the list.

THE C R A F T SECTOR - A R E F L E C T I O N When I resigned from the Management Committee last November to take up other duties, Jill Breivik asked me to write down my thoughts and reflections on four and a half years of working with craftsmen.

crafts, etc. It should be broadly based but the Crafts Council should have the right to control Registration. If that right is not there, there will be considerable scope for abuse. Some very curious craftsmen indeed, will emerge.

In the first instance I must say that I found my involvement with Crafts an invaluable experience.

2. Promotion The promotion of crafts in the proper context is an unfilled gap in Ireland. Now is the time to tackle this issue. The Crafts Council is the proper body to do it.

I was lucky enough to be involved at a time when the crafts in Ireland were coming of age. A time when there were many good developments.

On the economic front matters could have been better. The sad fact is that since 1979 our personal purchasing power has been in a state of constant decline and craftsmen have been badly affected.

Many craftsmen feel at a low ebb and probably feel pretty hopeless.

Yet, in our poor trading environment there are those craftsmen who are thriving.

On a more general note there is room for optimism this year. The readers of economic entrails expect real economic growth of between 2% and 3%. In the latter half of the year there should be some increase in purchasing power for the first time in four years or so.

In addition there is the prospect of a reasonable tourism season, with a little bit of help from forthcoming events in Ballyporeen.

1984 should be the year that will see a reversal of the tide of depression.

There is now a wider public appreciation of crafts. As better times return it is up to craftsmen — and the Crafts Council — to ensure a proper place for crafts in Ireland.

The Crafts Council has submitted a policy document to the Department of Industry, Trade, Commerce and Tourism and hopefully, it is receiving serious attention.

3. Training There is a need for craft training programmes which properly recognise what is involved in producing a fully rounded craftsman. Administration should be in a context that is both simple and effective, and to which craftsmen can relate.

It is a time of change and it is important that craftsmen, through the Crafts Council, have a good measure of control over that change.

The past two years or so have seen a very welcome development with the growing proportion of competent and articulate craftsmen on the Crafts Council Management Committee. The Crafts Council is there to serve the needs of craftsmen. The continuing involvement of craftsmen in its activities is vital.

Is there a caveat? Yes, I am afraid so. It is good and proper that a benevolent State should support its crafts with coherent policies — policies that do not conflict with each other.

However there have been times when I became depressed at the tendency of some craftsmen to place too much reliance on State Agencies.

The State should provide a supportive environment for crafts. Craftsmen should operate in that environment, but should reply more on their own initiative.

Finally, in spite of everything it is a time of hope.

KILKENNY DESIGN WORKSHOPS In their end of year review for 1983 the Kilkenny Design Workshops report that, although the bulk of their design has been for bigger industry the Work­ shops did continue to work for traditional small-scale craft-based industries. In furniture design there was more emphasis on relating products to international fashion trends and Kilkenny designers did research into fire retardation factors which would permit the specification of cotton as an upholstery material.

About twenty assignments were under­ taken for craft-based ceramics and textile companies, the work being equally divided between technical assistance and design services.

Two qualified trainees from Kilkenny Design's precious metals department left to establish their own workshops, while the staff in the Kilkenny work­ shops undertook twenty-eight commissions for the design and manufacture of trophies from clients.

It is interesting to note also that among Kilkenny Design's design clients in 1983 there were seven well known craftsmen and among their new shop suppliers there were six craftsmen.

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JACOBS, YOUNG O WESTBURY LTD,

I was impressed at the interest shown by craftsmen who attended in good numbers the public meetings of last November, meetings which were an important aspect of the policy formulation exercise.

As I see it, the essential elements of an effective policy are: — 1. Register The Register is about a number of things — official recognition of crafts, identity, quality, a focus for public policy towards 2

Shane McAuley.

J.Y.W. HOUSE, BRIDGE ROAD, HAYWARDS HEATH, S U S S E X RH161TZ. Tel: Haywards Heath 412411

Telex: 87258

1833— 150 years anniversary—

1983

DRUM CARDER and spare belts for sale. Almost new. £80, plus p+p at cost. Also quantity of Jacob wool of mixed quality, 30p per lb., plus p+p. Write: LOUISE COUPER, TYRRELLSPASS, CO. WESTMEATH.

KILWORTH TERM STARTS The fourth group of participants at the Kilworth Craft Workshops began their nine months training on 2nd April.

Once again the Workshops have a full complement of eight students to avail of this unique opportunity to learn basic business skills including: designing a full range of viable products; marketing; book keeping; dealing with tax matters; etc.

The new participants are: Bernard Cavanagh, a potter from Dublin who has trained as an apprentice with Peter and Helena Brennan, Roger Walker, Michael Jackson, Adrienne Crowe and Seamus Martin.

Liz McCabe, a weaver who started life as a secretary then did an about turn and attended the Regional Technical College, Galway and the Chelsea School of Art. Sheila McCartin from Bambridge in Northern Ireland, is a graduate of the Ulster Polytechnic. A textile printer, she has had several exhibitions in London.

A weaving graduate from the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, Marie McClean has worked with the Weavers Shed, Angela Forte (ex Kilworth participant) and St. Michael's House.

Maxine Mearns from Courtmacsherry, Co. Cork, attended the National College of Art and Design and the College of Art and Design in Limerick. Maxine has been working in Butler House at Kilkenny Design Workshops, concentrating on acquiring mould making skills.

Marianne O'Connell from Co. Clare is a potter graduate from the College of Art and Design, Limerick. She has workedin France for three months.

Shirley Smyth, another textile printer is a graduate of the NCAD in Dublin and has worked for designer Pia Bang in the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre.

Patricia Whelan who was trained as a weaver in the NCAD and the School of Art, Cork, has her own premises where she has already produced some work.

More news of the participants' progress will be reported during their-time there.

Lily Van Oost from Black Valley, Co. Kerry exhibiting her handspun, handknitted casual garments at the Eighth National Crafts Trade Fair.

INTERIEUR '84

IRISH GLASS

The Ninth International Biennial of Interior Design Creativity will be held in Kortrijk in the autumn of 1984. Under the name INTERIEUR 84, this nine day event will be open from 20th up to and including 28th October, 1984, in the expanded Hallen Building in Kortrijk.

The Council has recently received copies of two illustrated publications on Irish Glass which may be of interest to readers.

Published by the Stationery Office, they were written by Catriona MacLeod.

For further information and an application form contact: INTERIEUR, Casinoplein 10, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium.

Tel: (056) 216603.

Telex. 85832.

She was Assistant Keeper in the Art and Industrial Division of the National Museum of Ireland.

The first is "Glass in the National Museum of Ireland by Thomas and Richard Pugh" and is concerned with the last of the flint glass houses: that is Potters Alley, Marlboro St., which finally closed in 1890. Priced at ÂŁ2.55 it has many illustrations.

The second is "Irish Volunteer Glass" relating to pieces of glass commissioned by the Irish Volunteers in the period 1778-1793.

STUDENTS RUN C R A F T SHOP A group of students from the National College of Art and Design set up shop in the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre during the month of March.

The College was approached by the Townhouse authorities with an offer to use an empty shop unit for one month and decided to take up the challenge and provide their students with some useful practical experience.

The first experience gained by the students was that of working to a strict deadline as their full range of products had to be ready and on show by opening day which gave them only six weeks to make their preparation. Twenty ceramic, ten glass and ten metal work students from the Craft Design Depart足 ment, under the supervision of their tutors, actually took part in the exercise, provided the goods and manned the shop. The items offered for sale were all hand made one off pieces or small series productions.

Neil Read of the NCAD explained that the students were expected to benefit in several ways. The first, that of working to a time-table, has already been mentioned but in addition to that the students also gained some experience of pricing their work, selling it and also of administering a shop. As some of the students may want to set up their own workshops when they leave college, this experience would prove invaluable. Even for those planning further education or who will work for established craftsmen, the experience proved to be very useful.

The students also had a unique oppor足 tunity to observe the reaction of the general public to their various designs thus bringing them closer to what might be described as the real world. Although Neil thought this would be good experience for the students, he did point out that it was, nevertheless, very important that they be able to work freely and experiment without the contraints of having to please anyone other than themselves, this freedom to express themselves being an important aspect of their time in College.

Although no definite plans have been made to carry out another such projct, it was felt that as an exercise it had been successful and was worth repeating.

IRISH POTTER TO EXHIBIT AT V A L L A U R I S

"DOMUS" INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

Cormac Boydell of Allihies in Cork has written to tell us that following the selection of his work for Art Object 83 in Paris last December, he has been invited to exhibit at the 1984 Internationa Ceramic Art Biennale at Vallauris (the home town of Picasso's ceramics) in the south of France.

Domus magazine announces a competition for the design of three objects, which may be treated both as industrial series products or as craft objects in any material. Competitors may freely choose any objects so long as they come within the limits of the following brief: "objects to be carried in the hand, objects to be carried in the pocket, objects to be worn on the head". The intention of the competition is to look deeply into the subject of the physical and direct relation between persons and objects.

The exhibition will run from July to mid-September. Congratulations Cormac.

L I L L I A S MITCHELL L E C T U R E On Monday, March 5th, Lillias Mitchell gave an illustrated lecture "The History of Tweed" to thirty Japanese art students in the Lecture Theatre of the National Gallery.

One of Miss Mitchell's former students at the National College of Art and Design was a Japanese girl Satoshi Okamura.

During her lecture Miss Mitchell was able to show three of Satoshi's had spun hanks: one white; one natural sheep's grey and one dark brown. The audience was pleased to see Irish wool so well hand spun by a student from their own country.

WORKSHOP UNITS A V A I L A B L E Craft production units available at IDA Craft Centre, Donegal.

Interested parties please contact: Mr. Michael Feeney, Regional Manager, Portland House, Port Road, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal.

Tel: (047) 21155.

Also Shandon Craft Centre, Cork, will be completed and ready for occupation in April 1984.

Enquiries should be directed to: Mr. Declan Carroll, IDA Cork Office, Norwich Union Building, 89/90 South Mall, Cork.

Tel: (021) 968555.

The competition is open to all. Designs must be unpublished and expressly prepared for this competition.

Participants may be individuals or groups.

Every participant may submit one object only for each of the three typologies specified.

Participants must submit: a) an illustration of each design, on a hard surface measuring 50 x 70 cm. b) one or more technical drawings folded to measure 21 x 29 cm. and sufficient to give a complete definition of the object. Drawings may be executed in any technique. c) a brief description of the object's theoretic, formal and functional characteristics and productive criteria.

Entries should be sent by registered mail to: Concorso "Oggetti per Domus", Milano.

Entries must be received by 1200 hrs, 31st July 1984. Full name and address of the participant must be on the back of each entry.

The three first prize winners will be awarded ex aequo five million Italian lire each (in gold), and the three second prize winners ex aequo three million Italian lire (in gold coins).

For further information contact Crafts Council of Ireland.

WORLD TRIENNIAL EXHIBITION SMALL CERAMICS/ZAGREB ULUPUH of Zagreb, Yugoslavia under the patronage of the City Assembly of Zagreb has organised the World Triennial Exhibition of Small Ceramics/Zagreb to present ceramic works of art from all parts of the world. Small size has been chosen in the hope that, in this way, artists will not be discouraged from participating by considerations of transport costs and technical difficulties.

Conditions of Entry

Each participant can send in only one work whose size should not exceed 15 cm in any direction and whose weight, together with the packaging, should not exceed 1 kg.

The following enclosures should be sent with the completed entry form: * black and white photograph of the work; * summary of the artist's biographical data; * selling price.

Craftsmen wishing to participate in this exhibition are asked to complete the entry form and pay the fee of 20$US or equivalent in any other convertible currency.

The deadline for registration of 15th May, 1984.

The deadline for the receipt of work is 15th June, 1984.

The Logo Quilt is a variation of the block known as "Irish Puzzle". It was chosen and worked on by the members of the Patchwork Artists Guild of Ireland.

The pieceing and the Celtic knot patterns of the quilting were designed by Elizabeth Monahan. Helen Hardesty did the quilting. Evelyn Montague chose colours to imply an Irish flavour. It is full cotton and measures 58" x 58".

Jury

An international jury of art experts and ceramic specialists will award prizes, medals and diplomas. The jury's decision will be final.

Awards * Grand Prix of the Triennial Exhibition (purchase prize) 100,000 Dinars. * 5 purchase prizes 40,000 Dinars each. * 5-10 medals. * Honorary degrees.

Return of Entries The organisers will cover the costs of returning the entries to their makers. In addition, each exhibitor will receive a copy of the exhibition catalogue and poster, and a free permanent admission ticket.

Publicity

Awards will be publicised in professional journals in many parts of the world, as well as on radio and television.

CRAFT POTTERS SOCIETY ANNUAL.EXHIBITION The Craft Potters Society of Ireland Annual Exhibition of Members' work will open at the premises of P. J. Carroll and Co., Grand Parade, Dublin 6, on Wednesday, 2nd May, 1984 and close on Friday, 11th May. The Exhibition is being sponsored by the Directors of Carrolls.

The Society has appointed Mr. Ronnie Carleton as Organising Secretary. All enquiries should be addressed to him at 628 South Circular Road, Kilmainham, Dublin 8. Tel: (01) 782027.

QUOTE From the British Art and Antiques Year Book 1984: "The argument about what is art and what is craft is only relevant in terms of where people expect to find things . . .

I believe we are viewing the marketing of crafts from the wrong end."

Karen Elder, late director, British Crafts Centre.

NEW PRODUCT SEMINAR

POTTERY COURSES

RTE'S BEST SELLERS

In conjunction with the Institute for Industrial Research and Standards, and with a Crafts Council input, the IDA organised on 11th April a one day seminar on the general theme of the link between product development and the market needs.

Peter and Helena Brennan of Glenageary Lodge Gallery announce their forthcoming courses:

The hands and Patterns documentaries about Irish craftsmen made by David Shaw-Smith have become RTE's best selling documentary series, with recent sales to TV Espanola, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman.

The basic reason for the seminar arose from the depressing fact that craft/gift sales on the domestic market have recently been at a very low level. While the general depression in the retail trade has had its affect, it may not be necessarily all of the answer. There are few products of the craft sector which are necessities. Much of what is offered is either in the gift area of presents or the area covered by disposable income. The latter situation in times of financial strain is the first to suffer.

The turnaround of this situation may depend on the development of new products or the greater attention to design for the market place to keep up with changing consumer needs and ensuring that the product of the craft sector is purchased rather than the industrially made equivalent, which may often be cheaper and which -is certainly more promoted.

One essential benefit seen for crafts people by the IDA in setting up the seminar was contact with people in product and market development fields, but also a clearer perspective on trends in domestic and export markets which, with other factors, may be helpful in identification of new product ideas.

While much of the content of the seminar was in a broader context than only the craft sector, and the attendance included many in the giftware field, it had relevance to those crafts people present.

Contributors to the seminar included Mr. Kingsley Aikens of CTT and principle speaker Mr. Brian Rothery of I IRS.

Irish Spinners Ltd. Kiltimagh, Co. Mayo Pure new wool bainin and coloured hand knitting yarns.

Telephone (094) 81156

Adult courses re-starting 28th April, 1 9 8 4 - fee IR£25.00.

Adult beginners and advanced restarting last week in April - I R£35 and I R£45.

Course in glaze materials, glazing and firing by Frances Desmond — IR£25.

The series has been taken by three hundred of the world's television networks including Finland, ITV and Japan.

In addition there will be creative summer camps for children and teenagers: drawing and painting, sculpture and ceramics.

(1) 2 week course in June IR£60.

(2) 2 week course in August . . . IR£60.

Refresher courses for teachers and potters will also be held during the summer.

For further information contact Peter or Helena Brennan telephone (01) 800030.

Some of the pendants made by Cormac Cuffe which helped to win for him the IDA Perpetual Craft Trophy for his work at the Eighth National Crafts Trade Fair.