Workshop Logistics Article for CM

14 January 2020

Read ALL about it! My novel* article for Ceramics Monthly highlighting actual contract standards for workshops with a spotlight on honorarium rates and inconsistencies by citing real numbers is HERE. I hope it will empower workshop presenters and become a resource for both ceramic artists and workshop venues (new & experienced) as well as inspire much needed conversation towards change and equity. Workshop participants will find it informative too and can help advocate for presenters. Please read, re-read, and share far & wide, especially with artists and institutions who could benefit from this information and/or don’t understand contract norms and fair honorariums.

Where to read: Article PDF,
Copyright, The American Ceramic Society. Reprinted with permission.
CM Feb 2020 issue pp. 40-44, or CeramicsArtNetwork.org.

I spent big chunks of time working on this from May thru November in 2019 and could not have done it alone. Thank you to CM editor Jessica Knapp for inviting me to write about workshop logistics based on a personal FB rant, and for allowing me to veer off topic to pinpoint glaring issues in our field. Thank you to the CM team for agreeing to give me twice the word count when I realized it was quite necessary as well as being patient with my obstinate vision. Big thank yous to my clay friends, peers, and colleagues who candidly and thoughtfully answered my call for feedback and offered enthusiastic support for both me and what I aimed to write. And not at all lastly, thank you to my husband Trevor for reminding me to punch the thesis, enduring the ups and downs of this project, and being my constant cheerleader.

There is still so much more to say on this topic. Hopefully change will begin, others will take the baton, and the conversation will continue. Thank YOU for taking the time to read and share the article.

In 2008, I wrote Thoughts from the Road: Learning to Teach Workshops for The Studio Potter journal, which you can access here.

*Word choice courtesy a NYT article about women being less likely to praise their own work or emphasize its importance compared to men who are more likely to use the terms “unique,” “novel,” & “excellent.” So again, this article is an excellent MUST-READ!

Standing to Throw & CM Spotlight

22 May 2015

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Thanks to Ceramics Monthly for posing a question to me for the Spotlight page of the summer issue on the Working Potter. It was interesting to reflect on the last 12 years (and in only 300 words!), which is when I declared myself a full-time studio potter. Cover potter Steve Rolf was a grad when I was an undergrad at Alfred (’93-95), and super helpful and supportive of my beginnings, making this extra special on thinking back and change. Thank you, CM!
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Thank you to my hubby for taking this much requested but never till now fulfilled shot for CM, which gives me another opportunity to discuss what’s pictured. I’ve been standing to throw for TWENTY years. I began in ’95 when I threw pots at Greenfield Village for a year, and then with a backrest like this designed after John Glick‘s in ’96 when I worked with him for a year. Standing saved my back. I can’t recommend enough for my fellow potters to check out these two articles John wrote for the Studio Potter journal: “To Sciatica and Back” (1987) and “Down the Spinal Canal” (2001). Everything from his backrest design I adopted to a ‘checklist for longevity’ is addressed in the former article. Both have excellent and thoughtful reflections on adapting to change for body health and are must reads! Thank you, John!

PS: Below is an image of me at my worktable stamping pots. Note how I stack several bats on my banding wheel (my parting gift from my assistantship/residency with John!) so that I’m working about chest high, not hunched over.

Big Honors! CM & NCECA

5 August 2012

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I’m thrilled to share that my work was chosen for Ceramics Monthly‘s September 2012 cover! CM is the most popular clay magazine in the biz with a total market reach of over 140,000. It is a huge honor that is in conjunction with a thoughtful, four-page article titled “Kristen Kieffer: The Impact of Daily Elegance” written by Kansas State University graduate student Lauren Karle. Big, huge thank yous to Lauren for contacting me, the lovely writing, and hard work through the process. Thank you, Lauren and CM!

The second big honor announcement is that I will be one of four demonstrators at NCECA‘s (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts) conference for 2013 in Houston, TX, March 20 – 23! What a thrill to be asked to demonstrate at the largest annual gathering of clay folk in the world, where upwards of 4,000 makers, teachers, and collectors meet to see great work, listen to provocative lectures and panels, and watch awesome demos. If you’re heading to Houston, come see me on stage Thursday morn, 9-noon and Friday afternoon, 1-4, and give me a cheer of support! Thank you, NCECA!