Salsa Bowl Workshop

ROCKWELL MUSEUM OF WESTERN ART TO PRESENT "A (MORE THAN) SALSA BOWL WORKSHOP"

March 12, 2003

It's square. It's round. It's large. It's small. It's for salsa. It's for nuts. It's for soap.

Actually, it's a multi-use bowl, perhaps the most universal form of pottery. The public is invited to learn to make it at the Rockwell Museum of Western Art's upcoming "(More Than) Salsa Bowl Workshop," where it will be filled with the satisfaction of creating art by hand.

The two-part workshop will be presented by Master Ceramicist Linda Huey on Wednesday, March 26 and Wednesday, April 2, from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Rockwell Museum's Education Center, 111 Cedar Street, Corning. Adults and teens 15 and older are welcome. Younger students may participate as well, if accompanied by an adult. The workshop, which will focus on hand-building techniques, is designed for both people who have worked with clay previously and those who have not. The cost is $22.00 for museum members, and $27.00 for non-members. Reservations are required by March 21, and can be made by calling 607-974-2333 or emailing baldwind@rockwellmuseum.org.

Museum Education Director Gigi Alvare describes the workshop as an ideal opportunity for people to give pottery a try without making a large time commitment. "People who have never done anything like this before are sometimes hesitant to dedicate a lot of time to exploring a new medium. This workshop is a brief introduction that's easy, yet satisfying. And each person who attends will have a piece of functional pottery he or she has created by hand."

Workshop presenter Linda Huey has given pottery classes at the museum in the past, on bead making and historic techniques of creating pots. "This time, the class is about the touch of clay, seeing it respond to your fingertips," says Huey. "We'll be introducing lots of different ways to work with textures, shapes, and sizes. People can choose to respond as they want. And they'll end up with a bowl."

Huey, a resident of Alfred Station and Boston, is a studio artist and educator. She creates many kinds of objects in clay, from beads and jewelry to large works of sculpture. She has taught classes at the Ceramics Corridor in Alfred, at Harvard University's Ceramics Studio, and through her private studio in Boston. She is currently represented by The Clark Gallery in Lincoln, Massachusetts. Museum Education Director Alvare describes Huey as the museum's "Potter in Residence."

For those who are interested in seeing hand-built bowls created by professional artists, The Trading Post - the gift shop at the Rockwell Museum - has a selection available for sale. Throughout March, the Trading Post is giving discounts on selected items containing the color green.

The Rockwell Museum of Western Art houses "The Best of the West in the East!" - the largest collection of Western art in the Eastern United States. The Rockwell Museum was founded in 1976 with the generous donation of a large private collection of Western art and firearms and Carder Steuben glass from Bob and Hertha Rockwell. It first opened in the Baron Steuben Place, and in 1982 moved to the renovated historic Corning City Hall building. The Museum underwent a second renovation during 2000-2001 and reopened as the Rockwell Museum of Western Art in May 2001. The Museum is grateful for the financial support of its members, donors, and Corning Incorporated, and for public funding from the New York State Council on the Arts.

The Rockwell Museum of Western Art is open seven days a week. Visitors are welcome Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Further information is available by contacting the Museum at 607-937-5386.