Fine Crafts Sale & Marketplace
Saturday, December 1
10:00 am - 4:00 pm

COCONINO CENTER FOR THE ARTS
2300 N. Fort Valley Road
Flagstaff, Arizona

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For more information about the Fine Crafts Sale and It's Elemental exhibition, please visit our website.

On Saturday, November 17, the community came out to see the 8th Annual Fine Crafts Exhibition, It's Elemental, at the Coconino Center for the Arts.  Over 400 people were in attendance during the night.  The Reception was followed by a sold-out, standing room-only, Grand Canyon Guitar Society concert in the CCA theater.

Here's a few images we captured from the evening.

The gallery was full of jovial folks all night long.  Raffle prizes, which included six different ornaments from the It's Ornamental fund raiser, were given out throughout the evening.

Our talented musical duo for the evening, Jack and Vivian Delaporte, provide a perfect musical backdrop for patrons of the reception.


Sharon Richards (far left), a member of the It's Elemental organizing committee, and others chat and enjoy the show.


Mike Frankel, President of the Artists Coalition of Flagstaff, and FCP Youth Programs Coordinator, Elizabeth Vogler, chat about the quality of work on display while a mildly interested skeleton listens in.


Did you miss out on the big party?  The exhibition remains open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11am - 5pm, through December 20, 2007.  Don't miss the Fine Crafts Sale on Saturday, December 1, from 10am - 4pm.  All photos are by Elizabeth Vogler.

Emy Lewis knew she wanted to pursue an art education, but did not have her mind set on one medium over another.  Having practiced painting and ceramics, while growing up in Exeter, New Hampshire, she looked for programs that offered many majors within a fine arts department, and found that opportunity at Northern Arizona University.  NAU offers many different degrees within the College of Art including ceramics, painting, printmaking, sculpture, jewelry and metalsmithing.  Without having had any previous experience, Emy applied to the metalsmithing program, excited to try something new.

Emy was very pleased with the program, which offers degrees that maintain a focus on craftsmanship in art.  This is different from other programs that rely heavily on developing technologies.  Her knowledge about the different techniques within metal work grew rapidly as support from her professors, faculty committee, and available tools and workspace were strong. 

Faculty member, Milly Haeuptle is a "constant source of inspiration" for Emy.  With a BFA in printmaking and sculpture from NAU, Milly had never worked in metal, but was offered a position teaching jewelry-making.  Emy praises her self-confidence and willingness to try new things, claiming, "she is so talented in everything she does."

To finish her degree, Emy must complete a Capstone class and put together her own gallery exhibit.  Each student in the fine arts program must develop and execute an exhibit with at least 10 pieces of their work.  While most students plan a show in the Beasley Gallery on campus, some seek gallery space downtown.  Emy hasn't planned her student show yet, although she has participated in other exhibits including an ASU Intercollegiate Metal Exhibit and in Foundations, the current student exhibit at the Coconino Center for the Arts. 

The pieces that Emy has in the Foundations Fine Crafts Exhibition were made with the "lost-wax casting" technique, one method that Emy uses in making jewelry.  Lost-wax casting is a difficult process where the shape must be carved out of a wax caste.  She also likes enameling, where the jeweler cuts copper shapes, then applies a fine powder paint before putting it in the kiln.  Emy also uses the methods of fabricating, where metal is formed by hammering, and acid-engraving. 

Emy chose two rings to submit into the Foundations show because the lost-wax technique shows more skill.  The ring designs represent a flower and a fish.  Emy likes working with organic shapes including flowing and soft lines taken from nature.  She expressed her delight in being included in the student show at the Center for the Arts. 

"It gives me a real boost of confidence to be shown alongside professional artists," she says.

Emy hopes to continue her education in jewelry-making by taking workshops in Northern California, where she and her boyfriend are moving after her degree is finished. She also wants to display some of her jewelry in downtown galleries but expresses the difficulty in getting a big enough body of work to promote around town.  She says that Flagstaff's large and talented art community can be very intimidating for an emerging artist, although her professors have encouraged her to get her art out into the community. 

Ultimately her goal is to have her own studio and make it on her own as an artist.   She worries that it is hard to find something that will set her apart from other artists.  By continuing to explore different techniques and themes, Emy hopes to define her work.  With all support and guidance she receives in the metalsmithing program at NAU, her future is bright. 


To find out more about Emy, contact her at Emy.Lewis@gmail.com or visit her at the Fine Arts Department at NAU.  Foundations is part of the current fine crafts exhibition, It's Elemental, open at the Coconino Center for the Arts through December 20, 2007.

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by Jillian Asplund

Flagstaff Cultural Partners is proud to present UNspoken, an exhibition showcasing the vision of three unique Arizona artists.  The show will run from January 18 through February 23, 2008.

Young artists with a fresh perspective - Daniel Arnold, Julie Comnick, and Karen McClanahan - present works centered on the themes of time, absence, and perspective. They represent three clearly diverse styles of contemporary work ranging from the meticulous textural and color-obsessed work of McClanahan, to the spirited expressive work of Arnold and the poignant narrative representations of Comnick.

Julie Comnick - The most striking element of Comnick's work is that the biggest statement she makes is not with what has been provided for the viewer, but rather what she deprives them of. As a constant theme running in her recent bodies of work, Comnick proves that judgments will be made on the unknown and the viewer will fill in the blanks with what is expected to be seen. Thematically, she explores the "stigma behind the extraordinary" and questions the role of the exotic in Western society. Comnick was recently awarded a 2007 Artist Project Grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts, a highly competitive grant program.

Karen McClanahan - McClanahan's paintings are entrancing. At first glimpse, they are simple, composed of few colors with modern line and appeal. But get closer, texturally, and you'll find interest in the delicate and calculated surface treatment. Take a step back again and you will see how her work plays off of itself. Where does one work end and the next begin? Frequently paired in what she lightheartedly refers to as mismatched diptychs, you will see how her greatest reference is her own body of work. The importance your own perspective will play into the viewing of her work.

Daniel Arnold - Arnold's paintings are raw and unfiltered. As a viewer, I feel like I've come upon some secret corner of his subconscious mind. Shapes float in abstract space and his use of color is experimental, but plays well into the lucid quality of his work. His intentions feel mixed; the energy is uneasy, but in a fantastic and alluring way. You will find yourself drawn in, inventing the next scene in the dream that has transpired in front of you.

 

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