39 episodes

Marianne Chénard, Carole Epp and Brendan Tang sit down with artists and makers of all ages from across Canada to shed light on the contemporary ceramic scene. You may have thought Canada was all polar bears and maple syrup, but we’re serving up a heaping dose of artists you should really know about. From the coast to the prairies, the big cities and small communities; we’re here to find out what makes the Canadian ceramic scene so vibrant, diverse, cutting edge and relevant. Join our hosts as they bring you enlightening interviews that will share how Canadian ceramics is internationally recognized for its unique contribution to the field.

The Kiln Sitters The Brickyard Network

    • Arts
    • 4.9 • 14 Ratings

Marianne Chénard, Carole Epp and Brendan Tang sit down with artists and makers of all ages from across Canada to shed light on the contemporary ceramic scene. You may have thought Canada was all polar bears and maple syrup, but we’re serving up a heaping dose of artists you should really know about. From the coast to the prairies, the big cities and small communities; we’re here to find out what makes the Canadian ceramic scene so vibrant, diverse, cutting edge and relevant. Join our hosts as they bring you enlightening interviews that will share how Canadian ceramics is internationally recognized for its unique contribution to the field.

    Live from the New Clay Conference

    Live from the New Clay Conference

    We are back from our hiatus to bring you a live recording that happened at the 2023 New Clay Conference in Ottawa, ON. Carole and Marianne talk with presenters Martina Lantin, Zoe Pinnell, Marina Lespérance Lopez, and our co-host Ben Carter (Tales of a Red Clay Rambler). We discuss the high-risk high-reward nature of ceramics, finding work/life balance as a parent, and the vibrant state of the Canadian ceramic community. A big thanks to Kaitlyn Brennan for organizing the conference and to the Richcraft Theatre tech crew for recording this evening.
     
    Today’s episode is brought to you by the following sponsors:
    Bray Clay www.archiebrayclay.com

    • 1 hr 9 min
    Rise and Grind with Natalie Waddell

    Rise and Grind with Natalie Waddell

    To wrap up season 2, Brendan Tang talks with Toronto based artist Natalie Waddell. They make functional work and describe themselves as a maker of things. In the interview they talk about working across mediums and developing their signature darted and folded forms. Today’s Kaolin Crushes are Elissa Barber, Goyer Bonneau, and Natania Nurenburg.
     
    Today’s episode is brought to you by:
     
    For the past 100 years, AMACO Brent has been creating ceramic supplies for our community ranging from underglazes to Electric kilns, ...and they have no plans of slowing down. www.amaco.com
     
    The Bray is actively committed to promoting, celebrating, and sustaining the ceramic arts through its residency program, education center, and gallery. www.archiebray.org

    • 52 min
    Cilia Sawadogo on her journey from animation to clay

    Cilia Sawadogo on her journey from animation to clay

    This week on the Kiln Sitters Marianne sits down with Cilia Sawadogo, a renowned animation and film artist who is taking on the medium of ceramics. Cilia shares her path to learning the complexity of clay through her collaborations with several ceramic artists and residencies. She also discusses her participation in the local ceramic community, as well as the influence of popular culture in her art making. Cilia is an Associate Professor in Film Animation at Concordia University. Today’s Kaolin Crushes are Rice Evans, Pansy Ass Ceramics, and Hannah Johnson.
     
    Today’s episode is brought to you by:
     
    For the past 100 years, AMACO Brent has been creating ceramic supplies for our community ranging from underglazes to Electric kilns, ...and they have no plans of slowing down. www.amaco.com
     
    The Bray is actively committed to promoting, celebrating, and sustaining the ceramic arts through its residency program, education center, and gallery. www.archiebray.org
     

    • 1 hr 2 min
    Chad Berg on creative growth on the prairies

    Chad Berg on creative growth on the prairies

    Our host Carole Epp didn’t travel far for today’s episode where she sits down with Chad Berg of Saskatoon Clayworks. The two chat about the health of the local ceramic community, its steady growth even during Covid, and the space that Chad has provided for makers to hone their craft. Saskatchewan has a long vibrant history of ceramics deserving of international recognition; from historical influence of the California Funk movement brought here by David Gilhooly, to modern makers such as Jeannie Mah, Sandra Ledingham, Anita Rocamora, Janet Ng, Martin Tagseth, and Clint Neufeld. In this episode we learn how Clayworks has expanded and grown to accommodate a growing community of new makers and ceramic enthusiasts in the province. Today’s kaolin crushes are Joelle Déry, Paula Cooley, and Vera Vicente.
     
    Today’s episode is brought to you by:
     
    For the past 100 years, AMACO Brent has been creating ceramic supplies for our community ranging from underglazes to Electric kilns, ...and they have no plans of slowing down. www.amaco.com
     
    The Bray is actively committed to promoting, celebrating, and sustaining the ceramic arts through its residency program, education center, and gallery. www.archiebray.org

    • 1 hr 3 min
    The Kiln Sitters answer your questions about education

    The Kiln Sitters answer your questions about education

    Today we open up The Kiln Sitters mail bag for a special episode on education. The gang talk about being an international student, studio options after leaving school, and strategies for paying for your education. A big thank you to the listeners who submitted their questions. If you have questions or comments shoot us an email us at kilnsitters@gmail.com.
     
    Today’s episode is brought to you by:
     
    For the past 100 years, AMACO Brent has been creating ceramic supplies for our community ranging from underglazes to Electric kilns, ...and they have no plans of slowing down. www.amaco.com
     
    The Bray is actively committed to promoting, celebrating, and sustaining the ceramic arts through its residency program, education center, and gallery. www.archiebray.org

    • 1 hr 1 min
    Heidi Mckenzie on her multi-media approach to making

    Heidi Mckenzie on her multi-media approach to making

    On this episode Brendan sits down with Heidi McKenzie, a Toronto-based mixed media artist. In their conversation they talk about Mckenzie’s ceramic practice, the inclusion of photography, augmented reality, and Modernism. They also talked about Mckenzie’s scholarly and EDI work in the ceramic community. McKenzie has an active exhibition schedule, including RECLAIMED: Indo-Caribbean HerStories now on display until August 27th, 2023 at the Gardiner Museum. Before this chat the group sits down and talks about how their own practices might have been influenced by school… for better or for worse…
     
    Today’s Kaolin Crushes are: Shary Boyle, Marie Serreau, and Jeannie Mah.
     
    Today’s episode is brought to you by:
     
    For the past 100 years, AMACO Brent has been creating ceramic supplies for our community ranging from underglazes to Electric kilns, ...and they have no plans of slowing down. www.amaco.com
     
    The Bray is actively committed to promoting, celebrating, and sustaining the ceramic arts through its residency program, education center, and gallery. www.archiebray.org

    • 59 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
14 Ratings

14 Ratings

Saviour :) ,

Love this podcast!

Such an amazing podcast. I am a ceramic artist working out of rural Alberta and I absolutely love that I can follow along and be part of the amazing and vibrant ceramic community even when I’m far away from the cities! I recommend this podcast to every artist and also everyone I know 🤗

Cc123""" ,

Well done.

It’s great to hear Canadian ceramist talk about Canadian work. The conversations are informal and informative, the hosts have a great chemistry and work well together. Just finished the second one and can’t wait for the next.

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