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As each wood kiln is unique, so to are the folks who fire them. Get into the minds of New England Wood Firing Conference's presenters by experiencing talks and demonstrations that are sure to inspire. On June 27th, along with a gallery reception, conference attendees will experience enriching engagement among conference members.
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Kayla Noble
Kayla Noble is a second generation potter, born and raised in New York's Hudson Valley. She received her BFA in Ceramics from SUNY New Paltz in 2015 and complete a long term residency at Taos Clay (2015-16). She is the current Woodfire Artist in Residence at The Clay Studio of Missoula in Missoula, MT where she leads community anagama firings. Kayla enjoys exploring the potential of clay in atmospheric conditions and the possibility for conversations that can happen with an ember-bed. While not in the studio Kayla enjoys spending time outside with trees and admiring rocks. Hitomi Shibata Hitomi Shibata is a Japanese native, female ceramic artist in Seagrove, North Carolina, USA. She has Ceramic Art degrees (B.Ed & M.Ed in ceramic art) from Okayama University in Japan. She established a professional career in Shigaraki which is one of the oldest pottery villages in Japan. Received Rotary International scholarship and studied as a special student at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth (CVPA Ceramics) in 2002. Moved to NC, USA in 2005 with her husband, Takuro Shibata, and set up a pottery studio in Seagrove, the biggest pottery town in the USA. She makes functional pottery and sculptural ceramic work, researches and uses North Carolina wild clays, and fires wood kilns that she and Takuro built together. Published the first book, “Wild Clay” (Bloomsbury Publishing, UK) that she co-wrote in Oct 2022. Led workshops at: Peters Valley School of Craft, NJ (2017), The Art League, VA (2019), Penland School of Crafts, NC (2019 and 2023), The Bascom, NC (2021). Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, ME (2022), Northern Clay Center's American Pottery Festival, MN (2023), Longwood University, VA (2024), Sugar Maple Center for Creative Arts, NY (2024) and Anderson Ranch Arts Center (2024). Gave presentations at: NCECA (2016, 2021, 2022 and 2023), NC State University (2023) and Woodfire Conference in NC (2022). Accomplished Artist-in-residence programs at: Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, Shigaraki, Japan (1996-1997), Cub Creek Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, Appomattox, VA (2003), North Carolina Pottery Center, Seagrove, NC (2005-2007) and Carleton College, Northfield, MN (2023). Became a member of: the International Academy of Ceramics (IAC) in Geneva, Switzerland (since 2017), and Artaxis (since 2021). Had ceramic exhibitions and shows in Japan, USA, and Internationally. |
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Nozomu Shinohara
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Nozomu writes, "For me, I cannot escape the questions of what Shigaraki and Iga truly mean, or what it means to fire in an anagama kiln. However, if the clay leads us to the answer of “what can only be made in this land,” I envy the iron-rich, delicate clay of Kasama. I also dream of working again with the colorful wild clays of North Carolina, creating large dishes or the big jars I couldn’t make before. My hope and goal is to create works that bring out the best qualities of each region’s clay to its fullest potential." |
Hitomi Shibata
Kiichi Takeuchi
Kiichi Takeuchi has a BS and MS in Computer Science from Long Island University. After developing apps and software for 23 years, Kiichi decided to become a BFA student in order to pursue studying ceramic art in 2022. He is also in charge of maintaining and leading the study group of a 3-D printer at the Craft Center. Kiichi actively participates in Wood Firing and Kiln building at Trevor Youngberg's Anagama in Connecticut. His wood-fired whiskey cups are exhibited at the Del Ray Artisans National Ceramic Show in VA, and his presentation proposal about 3-D printer has been accepted for NCECA 2023. Kiichi and Trevor Youngberg will share thoughts on their shared path and current wood-firing investigations.
Kiichi Takeuchi has a BS and MS in Computer Science from Long Island University. After developing apps and software for 23 years, Kiichi decided to become a BFA student in order to pursue studying ceramic art in 2022. He is also in charge of maintaining and leading the study group of a 3-D printer at the Craft Center. Kiichi actively participates in Wood Firing and Kiln building at Trevor Youngberg's Anagama in Connecticut. His wood-fired whiskey cups are exhibited at the Del Ray Artisans National Ceramic Show in VA, and his presentation proposal about 3-D printer has been accepted for NCECA 2023. Kiichi and Trevor Youngberg will share thoughts on their shared path and current wood-firing investigations.