Capstone exhibition at Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts featuring the five apprenticeship pairs of 2022!
Mediums/techniques include: Machine-knit wearables, handwoven + naturally dyed textiles, ceramic slab construction reliquaries, surface + technical ceramic design, and atmospheric kiln firings.
Kiln Opening & Pottery Sale
Saturday, October 1, 10:00 a.m.
Watershed Main Campus at 19 Brick Hill Road, Newcastle, ME
Artists Tim Christensen, Janna DeWan, Zachary Fields, Ellie Barnet, and Aidan Fraser will unbrick the door to the Watershed wood kiln and sell pottery fresh off the shelves. Meet the artists, ask questions, and experience the excitement of a kiln reveal! Artists taking part in Watershed’s Fall Residency will also have work for sale. Get to know these ceramists from Maine and around the country and take home a new handmade treasure.
Windgate Studio Tour
Saturday, October 1 at 12:00 p.m.
Watershed’s Main Campus at 19 Brick Hill Road, Newcastle, ME
Tour our new 7,500 sq. ft. studio with Watershed Executive Director Fran Rudoff and Studio Manager Reeder Fahnestock. Learn about Watershed’s storied history and roots as a brick factory to appreciate our facility’s evolution from repurposed chicken barn to expansive state-of-the-art ceramics space.
Artist Talk: Siem van der Ven & Jennifer Connor
Saturday, October 1 at 1:00 p.m.
Watershed’s Barkan Gallery at 103 Cochran Road, Edgecomb, ME
Join ceramists Siem van der Ven and Jennifer Connor as they share how their creative practices and goals took shape as a mentor-apprentice pair during the seven-month Craft Apprentice Program (CAP). View their work on exhibit in the Barkan Gallery and learn more about the benefits, surprises, and rewards of participation in CAP.
Mentors & Apprentices Exhibition
Saturday, October 1 & Sunday, October 2 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Weekdays, October 3 to 24 from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and by appointment
Watershed’s Barkan Gallery at 103 Cochran Road, Edgecomb, ME
Join us to celebrate the culmination of the 2022 Craft Apprentice Program (CAP), featuring work by the participating mentors and apprentices. CAP, offered by Maine Crafts Association (MCA) and Maine Arts Commission, is a seven-month intensive in-studio learning opportunity for apprentices who demonstrate a commitment to furthering their craft practice, and mentors who meet standards of excellence and interest in sharing knowledge and experience. CAP celebrates the mentor/apprentice relationship as a way to generate creative entrepreneurship and envision a sustainable and resilient craft sector for Maine.
Exhibiting Artists: Tim Christensen & Lisa Shepperd, ceramics; Emily O’Neil & Grace Foxen, fiber arts; Siem van der Ven & Jennifer Connor, ceramics; Alice Seeger & Amanda Affleck, fiber arts; Tyler Gulden & Rachel Herzer, ceramics
Mentors + Apprentices: Work from Maine + New Hampshire's 2023 Craft Apprentice Program opens Friday, October 6, 5-7pm
The Maine Craft Association’s Craft Apprentice Program, developed and offered in partnership with the Maine Arts Commission & the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, provides mentor craft artists and apprentices the opportunity to learn, create and connect. The program is designed to advance and expand the apprentice's craft studio practice and professional experience.
Nine mentor artist + apprentice pairs were selected for the 2023 program cycle (six from Maine, three from New Hampshire) and have worked side by side for seven months. Apprenticeships focused on natural dyeing & hand weaving, book arts, wood instrument creation, printmaking, leather working, pottery foundational skills, Nerikomi ceramics, tile making & more!
New work created during the apprenticeship period will be on view in the 2023 Craft Apprentice Program capstone exhibition, on view at Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, October 6 - 30, 2023.
The opening reception is free and open to the public! Join us in celebrating the achievements of the nine 2023 apprenticeships on Friday, October 6, 5-7pm at Watershed’s Barkan Gallery (103 Cochran Road, Edgecomb). Can't make it to the opening reception? The gallery will be open Monday - Friday, 1:30pm - 4:30pm, or by appointment, for the duration of the exhibit!
Watch artists Tim Christensen, Aidan Fraser, Keanne Petri, Jon Ho and Ellie Porta-Barnet unbrick the Salubrious Brother wood kiln and discover what their work looks like inside. Learn about the process of wood firing and chat with artists one-on-one about their work. Pieces will be for sale once the kiln is unloaded. This event runs from 10:00am-12:00pm on Saturday, October 7.