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There's a New Ken Doll in Town (and He Has a Man Bun) (PureWow)

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Last January, we freaked out at the news that Barbie would finally introduce new body types and skin tones for the first time in 57 years.Now, in the spirit of gender equality, the company has debuted 15 new Ken dolls , featuring three body types (slim, broad and original), seven skin tones and nine hairstyles, including cornrows and, yes, a man bun .So nice to see that skinny-jeans-and-plaid-shirt-wearing barista we have a crush on finally reflected in our kids?

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Digital Archaeological Archive of Comparative Slavery

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Leonard Todd Chronicles the Life of the Slave Potter Dave

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CAROLINA CLAY is the compelling story of a slave, owned by the author's ancestors, who became one of the singular artists of the nineteenth century.

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We have stumbled into the 21st Century with the technologies of 'Star Wars' and the emotional maturity of cavemen. If we can't find more creative solutions to solving worldwide social and political problems than sending young men and women to shred and incinerate one another's flesh with weapons of ever increasing efficiency, we will not survive to celebrate the passage into the 22nd Century - the problems of human civilization are far too complex to be solved by means of explosive devices. And our country and too many of our world's nations are now in the hands of right wing thugs and fundamentalist tyrants who are fumbling the planet towards World War III.

I continue to make ceramic sculptures which reflect on the social and political dilemmas of our world. As André Malraux observed, "Art is a revolt against man's fate". Need I say more?

-Richard Notkin

During the past thirty-eight years, my ceramic sculptures and sculptural teapots have explored the complex environmental, political and economic impacts of contemporary human civilization upon the ecological and spiritual condition of our planet, and the quality of life of individual human beings. I present these concerns - about which I am passionate (some might say obsessive) - by visually manipulating and juxtaposing various objects, images and symbols to create narrative sculptural works which stimulate the viewer to examine their own innermost feelings. In the past few years, I have begun working with sculpture on a scale larger than my trademark miniature works, and exploring a wide range of clays and ceramic techniques that are new to me. I find myself in a transitional phase that is quite challenging and often difficult, but necessary to the evolution and growth of my art. I feel that to remain viable, an artist must remain forever inquisitive, eternally a student - technically, aesthetically, and conceptually.

My most recent large scale work, All Nations Have Their Moment of Foolishness, is a wall mural, approximately four feet high and five feet wide (46″ x 60 3/8″ to be precise). It consists of 344 separate unglazed earthenware tiles, each slightly smaller than three-inches-square. The tiles are fired in sawdust-filled saggars (refractory clay boxes with lids) to achieve a wide range of gray shades, from pure white to jet black. The positions of each tile in the saggars determine the shading of that particular tile, depending on the degree of oxidation or reduction (a lack of oxygen) each tile receives during the firing of the kiln. Oxidation results in lighter tones, while reduction results in darker, often charcoal-like surfaces. Tiles which face the outer, slightly porous wall of the saggar receive ample oxygen, and will fire almost a bright white. Conversely, tiles which are positioned near the center of the saggar receive very little oxygen, and will emerge nearly jet-black. Tiles which have one edge facing towards the saggar wall and the opposite edge extending into the saggar interior will have a gradation of values, sometimes from very light to very dark across their surface. The depth of the carved reliefs also affect the modulation of surface tone, as the tiles are fired face to face with sawdust compressed between them. The resulting shadings offer random mottled surface variations.

After firing the saggars in my natural gas downdraft kiln, the tiles are sorted according to their shading by 10% increments on the gray scale. A photographic image which is to be enlarged in ceramic tiles is overlaid with a transparency upon which is printed a grid in a staggered, brick-like pattern of tiny squares. Each square is numbered by column and row. A wooden backing of 3/4 inch particle board (which is less prone to warping than plywood), is cut into multiple sections - each of which will contain eight horizontal rows of tiles - and a framework with French cleats for hanging on the wall is glued and screwed to the reverse side. The front is prepared by drawing a matching grid in 1/2″ thick black lines in the scale of the fired tiles, and each square is numbered to correlate to the gridded photograph. To begin to assemble the final image in tiles, each square in the gridded photograph is evaluated for gray scale and shading modulations. A tile which most closely approximates a corresponding square in the photographic image is then chosen and attached to the particle board backing using a high quality clear silicone glue. As more tiles are added, the image of the photograph begins to appear, especially from a distance.

While the natural gray tones of the arranged earthenware tiles create an illusion of a three dimensional face, focussed details are lacking in the evolving mural. Therefore, certain highlights must be added, such as the sharper lines around the suit jacket, the ears and jaw, between the lips, and delineating the nostrils and irises. These detailed areas are brushed on in multiple transparent layers of a dark watercolor stain. As the fired earthenware is quite porous, the stained surfaces are quite mat, and with careful application this highlighting of the details matches the appearance of the natural colors in the tiles.

All Nations Have Their Moment of Foolishness depicts the closely cropped face of George W. Bush. The image was chosen not to ridicule, but to capture some essence of the man. This particular image of Mr. Bush impressed me for its lack of expression or emotion, and the visually prominent dark irises. (I have tried to imagine, in
vain, what is occurring behind them.) As the viewer approaches the piece for a closer examination, the highly detailed, individual tiles dominate. Relief images impressed on the tiles include buildings and cities demolished by aerial bombardment, the rubble of bricks and charred beams with occasional skeletal remains, nuclear mushroom clouds, the infamous hooded prisoner in Abu Ghraib Prison, barbed wire, bombs falling, and additional images of war and destruction, including the iconic screaming horse from Picasso's painting, Guernica, which has become one of the great antiwar icons in the history of art. I have also included some of the more recognizable images from my past works which also pertain to our many human follies, such as the "cube skull" icon, dice, brain and heart tissue, wooden crates, ears, etc. As a final ironic twist, I have added a few tiles which depict the feet of Christ, a relief I carved based on a detailed view of Michelangelo's Pieta. This image is intended to reflect on the self-proclaimed "War President" as an equally self-proclaimed devout follower of the "Prince of Peace".

Thus, the piece operates on two different but interconnected levels: from afar, the composite photographic image which is a sum total of its 344 separate parts, and from a closer, more introspective viewpoint, in which the implications of the fragmented images on each tile are related back to the whole. The complexity of the piece and these opposing scales - first macro, then micro - imbue the work with a sense of diametric opposition and lead the viewer to intended conclusions.

I am asking questions in my art that I intend to be directed at everyone, not only those who are practitioners and followers of the contemporary arts scene - the choir, so to speak. It is my desire that my work be accessible to the average person, the non-art-world-insider. Many of these "everypersons" may disagree with my sentiments, but few will misinterpret my intended message. If the piece only provokes a spirited and meaningful dialogue, then it has accomplished more than our mainstream (read: collaborative and propagandistic) media seems capable of these days. Art's greatest value is to touch people in profound ways, in ways that can even, on occasion, change lives.

After nearly four decades of creating ceramic sculpture in the realm of social commentary, I have come to the following conclusion: to be effective, art that conveys social/political commentary should be, first and foremost, visually and aesthetically strong. If a work of art isn't well conceived and executed in all of its myriad components, both technical and conceptual, it fails aesthetically and will lack the power to hold an intelligent audience's attention, let alone challenge that audience to ponder significant questions.

But can art truly change the world? It already has. Imagine a world with absolutely no art at all, no form of creative expression whatsoever. I am referring not only to the works of visual artists, but also to musicians, dancers, playwrights, filmmakers, novelists, poets, etc. When we look back on human history, we marvel at its creative accomplishments, the arts and architecture of past cultures and civilizations. Throughout our history, great works of art have illuminated, in a collective and timeless sense, the innate creative spirit with which our species is endowed. Occasionally a work of art has a profound impact on much of the population of our planet. Consider the ironic sentiments clashing with brutal realities expressed in Francisco Goya's Disasters of War series of etchings, or Pablo Picasso's powerful protest painting, Guernica; these are examples of great artworks that for millions have epitomized man's inhumanity to man. Even pop culture can produce profoundly influential works of art, such as Bob Dylan's Blowin' in the Wind, which became the anthem of a generation of youth protesting an earlier unethical and misguided war. Ultimately, humankind's best creative achievements stand in stark contrast to our opposing, but equally innate, destructive tendencies.

Contemporary art critics might dismiss All Nations Have Their Moment of Foolishness as a blatant and obvious piece. It most certainly is, by choice and by design - I didn't want to "beat around the bush", so to speak. Responding to those who would favor a more esoteric dialogue - such as debating the proper place and style in the post-postmodern era for 21st Century ceramic arts - frankly, I don't give a damn. My concerns lie elsewhere. At a time when our very survival as a species is in jeopardy from myriad and quite real threats, that dialogue seems to me to be an exercise in the proverbial rearranging of deck chairs on the Titanic. Instead, I strive to work in the spirit best expressed by George Orwell: "Speaking the truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act." I admit that "truth" is a very subjective notion, but if an artist can't express that which he or she is most passionate about - his or her innermost convictions and beliefs - then what is the point, and what the hell can an artist express? I work from the deepest source of inspiration for an artist - my passions. Anything else would be a waste of the finite moments that comprise my life. Time is the only thing that we truly possess while we are on this planet, and for an artist, time is also a tool, another material with which to work. An artist's greatest gift and privilege is to spend his or her time making art.
Ultimately, my current works are about lessons heard, but not heeded, during the 20th Century, and how these ignored lessons will affect this new century and the human species ability (or inability) to survive the next 100 years. My work is a visual plea for sanity. It's really quite simple.

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We have stumbled into the 21st Century with the technologies of 'Star Wars' and the emotional maturity of cavemen.

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Artist's Statement

My work is intended to be a biographical narrative that tells the many stories of my life. The objects I create speak of personal subjects - my experiences with obesity, racism, and class division. I use the associations with ceramic material and forms of pottery, such as elite fine china and porcelain, to discuss these issues with humor and irony. My strongest concepts are influenced from the juxtaposition of cultural elements in the form of mass media and current events. Using historical ideology within pottery as a vehicle to introduce a modern theme is of great importance because it allows me to add more dimensions to my artwork.

Clay is where I begin because it helps me to think in a way no other process can achieve. Whether it is throwing a pot or making an impression into wet clay, I get an instant satisfaction when making that constantly keeps me engaged and this relationship sparks new ways to convey my intention. When what I make reaches its completion I get to capture its life by firing it and I revisit this relationship when I glaze and china paint.

Sometimes my concepts take the form of a drawing, performance and any form of expression that suits what I want to convey. Ceramics in particular has a history of creating objects that are exclusive to high society. I use this relationship society has with ceramic objects and create work that has both the elegance of ceramics made for the rich in contrast with imagery that represents where I am from.

I don't know what my work will look like in a year because it will be different. It is important to me for my work to constantly change because I want my work to be a direct reflection of myself. There are always elements of my past that follow me. When I throw a pot, pulling the wall reminds me of writing a tag on a wall. When I perform a spoken piece, I am reminded of my father preaching in church. I want the things I do today to be in my work tomorrow. I put my life on display because it is what I know best. I see injustice in the world and art has given me a way to speak in a way words can not.

Selected Exhibitions

2013
Juvenile In Justice, Ice Box, Philadelphia, PA

Marge Brown Kalodner Graduate Exhibition, Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA

Small Favors VIII, Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA

Imperfect Ten, Zoller Gallery, State College, PA

Secret Salon, SPYN Gallery, Kansas City, MO

2012
Digital Debut, Red Star Studios, Kansas City, MO

Expo. 82-2012, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO

Mutual Space, Crossroads, Kansas City, MO

XOXO Salon Show, Spray Booth Gallery, Kansas City, MO

Watershed Cup Show, Fuel, Seattle, WA

2011
Strata, Kanasas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO

Home A Juried Exhibition, The Writers Place, Kansas City, Mo

American Now and Here, Cocoon Gallery, Kansas City. Kansas City, MO

NCECA National Juried Student Exhibition, Centre Gallery, Tampa, FL

Visual Territories, Harry Krug Gallery, Pittsburg, KS
Juror: Sherry Leedy

Rare Earth, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO

2007
Take the Streets with You, Betty Rhymer Gallery, Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL

Artist's Bibliography

2013
"Students Unite for a Cause," Centre Daily Times, April 2013

2012
"Undergraduate Showcase," Ceramics Monthly, September 2012

Ross, Richard " Roberto Lugo: from north Philly to the art world," Juvenile-in-Justice.com October 8, 2012

Schulman, Blair " Breaking Bread: BREAD! KC as a Model for Community-sourced Arts Funding," Art Practical, March 10, 2012

2011
Schulman, Blair "Ceramic Bowls for Food and for Raising Funds for Those in Need"

Jackowitz, Jenna "Soup is Good," The Ptich, October 2011, p. 18

Schulman, Blair "Portfolio: Roberto Lugo," Kansas City Magazine, August 2011, p.48

Mull, Maggie "Bread KC Gives Both Kinds of Dough at ANH"

Awards and Honors

2013
NCECA Graduate Fellowship, Houston, TX

2012
Penn State Assistantship, State College, PA

Merit Award, Home: A Juried Exhibition, Kansas City, MO

2011
Ken Ferguson Scholarship, Ceramics Department,

Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO

2010
Hispanic Scholarship Fund Recipient, Hispanic Scholarship Fund. Kansas City, MO

2009
Competitive Merit Scholarship Recipient, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO

2008
Excellence in Drawing, Seminole State College, Sanford, FL

2007
Scholarship Recipient, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL

2006
Merit Award, Seminole State College. Sanford, FL

2005
Volunteer of the Year, JP Morgan Chase, Lake Mary, FL

1999
Creative Writing Award, Mastbaum A.V.T.S, Philadelphia, PA

Collections

2008
Ken Ferguson Teaching Collection, Ceramics Department Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO

The Belger Collection, Kansas City, MO

2007
Department of Fine Arts, Seminole State College, Sanford, FL

Grants

2013
Institute for the Arts and Humanities Grant Recipient, State College, PA

2011
Recipient, Bread! KC Grant, Kansas City, MO

Winner of competitive grant to fund residency with a production potter in Alabama

Recipient, McKeown Grant Award, Ceramics Department, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO

Winner of competitive grant to design and purchase digital decals to inform studio practice

Residencies

2013
Artist in residence, International Ceramics Studio, Kecskemet, Hungary

IAH resident artist, Penn State University, State College, PA

2012
Artist in residence, International Ceramics Studio, Kecskemet, Hungary

2011
Tom Jones Residency, Clay City, Foley, AL

Lectures and Talks

2013
Presenter, "Wheel to the Wall," NCECA conference, Houston, TX

2012
Presenter, "Activism Through Ceramics," NCECA conference, Seattle, WA

Education

2012 - present
Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA
MFA Candidate

2008 - 2012
Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO
BFA, Concentration in Ceramics

2007
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Concentration in Interdisciplinary Arts

Recent Artist Member Mentions on InLiquid

Roberto Lugo 's All About the Benjamins Century Vase has been acquired by the Philadelphia Museum of Art for their permanent Contemporary Crafts and Decorative Arts collection.

bahdeebahdu 1522 N American Street, Philadelphia September 17 - November 4 Second Thursday, October 9, 6-9pm + Artist Talk with ... See Full Post

May 8 - 11 Select Fair New York City 135 W. 18th Street, NYC InLiquid presents the work of five ... See Full Post

Curated by Julien Robson & Rachel Zimmerman @ Crane Arts: Icebox Project Space, Grey Area, The Hall Organized by Philadelphia ... See Full Post

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My work is intended to be a biographical narrative that tells the many stories of my life. The objects I create speak of personal subjects - my experiences with obesity, racism, and class division. I use the associations with ceramic material and forms of pottery, such as elite fine china and porcelain, to discuss these issues with humor and irony.

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Security Is Mostly A Superstition by Julia Chiang - Design Milk

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Brooklyn-based artist Julia Chiang's most recent exhibition, Security Is Mostly A Superstition, opened this month at Half Gallery in NYC. Known for her rec