If art is about self, the widely accepted corollary is that making art is about self-expression. And it is- but that is not necessarily all it is. It may only be a passing feature of our times that validating the sense of who-you-are is held up as the major source of the need to make art. What gets lost in that interpretation is an older sense that art is something you do out in the world, or something you do about the world, or even something you do for the world. The need to make art may not stem solely from the need to express who you are, but from a need to complete a relationship with something outside yourself. As a maker of art you are custodian of issues larger than self.

-from Art and Fear by David Bayles & Ted Orland, Capra Press, Santa Barbara CA (thanks Catherine Wygant)

NEXT OPA MEETING: November 13 at Multnomah Art Center, 7688 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland

5pm: Showcase Expansion Study Group Meeting

6:15pm: Showcase Meeting. If you are planning to apply for Showcase 99, it is highly recommended that you attend this meeting. Since Showcase is a cooperative show, it is important for all participants to be informed about how the show is run. Attending all of the meetings helps to convey that information.

7pm: OPA Business Meeting. Call Mary Walyer to put items on the agenda. Bring items for the swap table, empty bowl donations, written announcements to pin on the room divider, etc.

--4 color photos with names of your work and a logo for the top of your page, or 5 photos and no logo

--A PC formatted disk with any information you want on your site, or a printed document that he can scan (large printing)

--The name you want on your web page, as in www.oregonpotters.org/your name.hmt

--Your name on the OPA member page will be a link to your page. I can put a short sentence there to explain your work. Tell me what that should be.

The bylaws have been presented to the OPA board and the final changes have been made. The plan is to include the bylaws in the next newsletter. Thank you to Deborah Shapiro and the committee for all of the work done on this project in the last two years.

Board member Sandy Brown needs written job descriptions for all OPA committee chair and board jobs. She is in the process of pulling this together. It will be used before the elections in an effort to let potential board members know what is expected of each board member. This does not include Showcase jobs, since there is already a book of those job descriptions.

Fifteen members of OPA met in Eugene in late August. I was impressed by how isolated they feel they have been. They are planning to meet again this month and are interested in workshops and maybe starting an Empty Bowls project under the umbrella of OPA. Thank you to Dan Minard for organizing this meeting. Kristen Applegate-King is working on a project of Host Housing for members who are visiting the Portland area (or other areas) and are looking for a place to stay.

There is a lot of information circulating in the Portland area, primarily through the Public Health Department about low fire red pottery containing lead. A lot of this pottery is being sold out of small privately owned Mexican grocery stores. As an organization, we need to educate the public about what pottery is hazardous and what is not. Please help to educate the public about this.

-Mary Walyer

1. Ghost- Pottery Studio 8. Karate Kid III- Pottery studio

2. Naked Gun 2 1/2- Parody of pottery scene in Ghost 9. Diehard- One second of Peter Callas's

3. Little Buddah- Katmandu, Nepal pottery village pot being blown up

4. Joy Luck Club- Chinese Pots, Rose & Ted are drinking 10. The Scent of Green Papaya- Great pots

from Paula Ross's coffee mugs throughout the movie

5. The Egyptian- Vivika Heino made 775 pots for this movie 11. Titanic- Beatrice Wood lookalike

6. Demetrius & the Gladiators- Various Pottery, Otto Heino throwing

at the potters' wheel 12. Utz- About porcelain and collecting

7. Rieku- Story of the original Japanese teamaster. 13. Ugetsu- Japanese film about potters in

Teabowls, bellermine jug and more hard times

CALL FOR ARTISTS: The Guardino Gallery in Northeast Portland is looking for artists to complete their 1999 gallery schedule. Interested in all mediums. Call for an appointment to show work or send slides and resume to them at 2939 NE Alberta, Portland OR 97211.

LOOKING FOR ARTISTS: A Woman's Touch in Singapore represents female artists from all over and would like to find a raku potter to represent. womantouch@pacific.net.sg or fax 65-7789646

CALL FOR ENTRIES: Arrowmont National 1999 Juried Exhibition, Feb 26-May 15, 1999. Juried by Joanne Rapp, Entries due Nov 6, notification Dec 11, $20 jury fee, two slides per work, up to 3 works. For info, contact them at PO Box 567, Gatlinburg TN 37738,

LOOKING FOR ARTIST: Searching for someone to make raku vessel for cat's ashes. William Blumberg,

1. Preparing to Approach a Gallery, Miriam Rose, Oct 24, 9:30-12:30, West Linn Arts Comm. Office

2. The Business of Being an Artist- Nuts & Bolts, Jan Rimerman, Oct 31, 9:30-12:30, Clackamas County Bank, Sunset rm, 38975 Proctor Blvd, Sandy

3. Think Like a Funder- Common Sense Grantwriting, Donna Milrany, Nov 7, 9:30-12:30, Milwaukie Center, Oregon Grape rm, 5440 SE Kellog Creek Dr, Milwaukie

4. Fundraising Strategies Adapted for Your Needs, Martha Richards, Dec 5, 2-5pm, Lakewood Arts Center, Lake Oswego.

CYNTHIA SPENCER will not be at the Gallery at Salishan this month, as reported in the last newsletter

RURI will have her "Third Biennial" at the Attic Gallery, 206 SW 1st in Portland, Nov 5-28, reception Nov 5, 6-9pm

LARCH MOUNTAIN COUNTRY ARTISANS- Dale Larson and Daniel Stevens, Nov 13-15 at Glenn Otto Community Park in Troutdale

ROSS SAMNANG is in the Ceramics Invitational at American Crafts Gallery in Cleveland, OH,Sept 11-Oct 31

SANDY BROWN, JOHN & VICKI BRIGDEN, JANET BUSKIRK, JEANNE CHARLES, SUMI DICK, CYRA DUQUELLA, TONY HACKENBRUCK, LOWELL HANNA, MARK HEIMANN, MARYLYN HOLLAND, KAY IRISH, GAIL PENDERGRASS, TAMAE SAWANO, LYN SEDLAK-FORD, MARY WALYER & TRUDY WOODS are participating in the co-op holiday gallery, Essence of Fire, which will be open Nov 7-Dec 24. Reception Nov 21, 6-9pm, 7035 SW Macadam in Portland

GEOFFREY PAGEN is having a solo show at Elizabeth Leach Gallery, 207 SW Pine in Portland through Nov 14

KRISTEN APPLEGATE-KING and SHANE BLITCH will be married in a private ceremony on Orcas Island on Sunday October 18th. Congratulations to the two of them!

Jim Stephens 5982 SW Harrington Ave Lake Oswego OR 97035

FOR SALE: Two lockerbie kickwheels, used, non motorized, $275 each. Ted Vogel at Lewis & Clark College, 

FOR SALE: hundreds of Idaho hard bricks, 150 used softbricks, 4 heavy duty natural draft pyronics burners & lots of 1" & 1 1/2" gas pipe, Brent slab roller model SRC 21" wide. Geoffrey Pagen at Reed College, 771-1112 x7292, very inexpensive!

FOR SALE: 6 half shelves for Skutt 1227, fired one time, $25 each or 6 for $125. Complete bottom ring for Skutt 1227, fired one time, like new, includes bricks, coils, control, band, $100 obo, Marylyn, 

FOR SALE: used large kiln. Evenheat Super XL (29" wide, 27" deep) with 16 half shelves and posts plus assorted accessories, $550,

WANTED: Small ball mill or rock tumbler, call Ray or Jere Grimm,

FOR SALE: Craftsman-style duplex in north Portland. 3 bedrooms each side, new gas furnaces, new roof. Great

This section contains general information about the 1999 Ceramic Showcase, applications for booths, gallery, and OPA membership. It also contains the Showcase Policies, a list of committees and chairs, and a 1999 points form. Yes, it is a lot of paperwork, but unfortunately there seems to be no way around that.

Showcase is a co-operative show. This means that every participant must help with the logistics of running Showcase. Everyone must work three 3-hour workshifts during the show, and must work on a committee. Generally, the workshifts are jobs relating to sales, bookkeeping, or helping the public. The committee work is more behind-the-scenes, and is often done months prior to the show.

SHOW DATES: The 17th annual Ceramic Showcase will be at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, May 7-9, 1999 (The tentative dates for the 2000 show are May 5-7, with May 12-14 as 2nd choice)

NEXT MEETING: November 13th at 6:15pm, before the general OPA meeting at Multnomah Art Center. This Showcase meeting is not mandatory, however it is strongly recommended that you attend if you want to know what is happening. The Showcase Expansion Study Group will be meeting at 5pm at the Multnomah Art Center.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Your application must be postmarked on or before November 15th. Late applications will not be accepted. Mail applications to Linda Bourne, 27309 SW 145th, Sherwood, OR 97140.

BOOTH FEES: Booth fees remain at $75 for a full (10x10) booth, $40 for a half (5x10), and $25 for a space in the group booth, however all booth participants, including group booth participants, will be required to pay a refundable fee of $75. This deposit can be refunded if the participant drops out of the show prior to March 1, but if they drop out after March 1 Showcase will retain the $75 deposit. Gallery participation is free and requires no deposit.

POST DATE YOUR CHECKS: For bookkeeping purposes, you must post date your checks. Please include 3 checks: one for your $35 membership, one for your $75 deposit, one for your booth fee. Date both checks for January 1st, 1999. THIS IS IMPORTANT!!! PLEASE DO IT!!!

SHARED BOOTHS: Applications for a shared booth must be submitted clipped together. You are encouraged to set up a gallery-type area with 3-4 potters sharing 2 spaces.

GROUP BOOTH: The group booth is a large area which is shared by 20 people. You may apply to be in the group booth, or you may apply to be in a regular booth but choose to be in the group booth if you do not have enough points to be in a booth. The cost for this is $25 plus $75 deposit.

SHOWCASE GALLERY: All members of OPA, regardless of length of membership or points, are welcome to put a pot in the gallery. This is free, but you must still fill out the enclosed application, omitting the section for "committees" and for "points". The deadline is the same, November 15th, and you must renew your OPA membership with your application. Gallery participants are required to work one three-hour workshift during the show.

WHAT TO INCLUDE WITH YOUR APPLICATION: Your signed application must include your 1999 membership renewal, points form, 3 postdated checks (one for membership, one for your deposit, one for your booth), gallery application (if you want to be in the gallery), committee preference form, and workshift form. If any of this is incomplete or missing, your application will be returned to you.

ADDITIONAL THINGS TO INCLUDE: You should also include professional quality photos of your work and work mailing list updates. If possible, mail these with your application or bring these to the November meeting. If you mail these things later, color slides or black & white photos (5x7 or 8x10) go to Boni Deal, poster chair, 5839 NE Lessard Rd, Camas WA 98607. Slides and color photos go to Audrey Graham, publicity chair, 32493 Juliette Dr, Wilsonville OR 97070. Mailing list goes to Ken Pincus, 5130 SW 175th Ave, Aloha OR 97007. There is more precise information about these later in this packet.

POINTS: Applicants for this show are ranked by their earned points. The explanation of the points system is very long, and it is covered later in this section. In a nutshell, points are earned for every year that you have been a Showcase participant, an OPA member, and for every job you have done for OPA or Showcase. Thus, people who have chaired major committees have more points and a better chance of being in the show than people who have not worked as hard to make this show happen.

COMMISSION: Commission for booth sales is 20%, for gallery sales it is 30%. If you have a booth, your sales in the gallery will be only 20%. As in past years, if we make extra money you will be receive a rebate on part of your fees and commission.

WORKSHIFTS: These are necessary to put on the show. Everyone must fill out the workshift preference form.

COMMITTEES: These are different from workshifts. They are equally necessary for this show to happen. Committees do all of the behind the scenes work, and are operating year-round. Everyone with a booth in the show must work on a committee.

CANCELLATIONS: If, after being accepted into Showcase, you find it necessary to cancel, you must contact Linda Bourne (registrar) immediately.   The last date for a booth refund is March 1

YOUR WARE & DISPLAY: This is a professional show. If you apply, please plan to have an attractive display and you must have enough work to fill a booth. If you do not plan to have many pieces, consider applying for the group booth rather than for a full booth.

MAILING LISTS: Our Showcase mailing list brings in about one third of our customers. It is one of our best tools for advertising the show. Please collect your mailing list (and updates from last year), and bring it to the November or January meeting. You can submit them in a variety of ways: on 3x5 cards; computer printouts in 3-column format; clearly hand written lists; floppy disk (PC format only); or any other very clear method. The best method is by disk, this will save us money, and you will get your disk back. Whatever method you use, skip a few lines between entries to make it easier to read. If you do not bring it to a meeting, mail it by the end of February to Ken Pincus, 5130 SW 175th, Aloha OR 97007. Would you like a copy of your mailing list? Our data entry service has many of the 23,000+ names coded with the initials of the person who submitted the names. For a fee of $30-40, each member can have their names printed out (onto labels if you want). We pay extra for this coding service, and it is a great way to update your own mailing list!

PHOTOS: High quality photos of strong work help us get better press for Showcase. Black & whites and slides are used for advertising and the poster, and slides can wind up in feature articles. We always want new work to give exposure to new members or new work by older members. Send them to Audrey Graham or Boni Deal. Those who have borrowed photos from the file, please return them now. We are beginning publicity work and the file is low. This is a great opportunity to get your work out there- on the poster, in the newspaper, on TV... Submit them at the November meeting or mail them to Audrey Graham, publicity chair, 32493 Juliette Dr, Wilsonville OR, 97070.

PHOTOS FOR THE POSTER: We are in need of good quality black & white photos for the 1999 Showcase poster and flyers. This is great free publicity for you: we distribute over 30,000 posters and 60,000 fliers! We need good, clear 5x7 or 8x10" b&w photos and a few color slides of your work. If you can submit few photos of different types and shapes you are more likely to have one used and our selection process becomes easier. We look for quality shots and a variety of representative pottery and claywork to appeal to a wide audience. Looking forward to seeing your photos! Please bring them to the November meeting or mail them to Boni Deal, 5839 NE Lessard Rd, Camas WA 98607.

A few comments about photos from the publicity committee: The photo file will be at the November OPA meeting. All potters who are participating in Showcase 1999, please: 1. Bring recent black & white prints and/or color slides; 2. Remove old photos from the file.

We need many photos each year. The newspaper ads and the mailer take dozens and must represent current work, as show shoppers often look for pottery which they have seen in an ad or on the mailer. Those who put these ads together have no way of knowing which is your most recent work, so it is up to each potter to take care of this task. Black & white prints are used for newspaper ads and the mailer, magazines usually request color slides. Having one of your photos in an ad is great publicity for you, but they cannot be there if we do not have one of your photos.

Also, OPA has a web site. Jim Sloss, our web master, would like to use more photos in this. Colored prints would be best, so bring them along to the November meeting as well, or send them directly to Jim.

1999 SHOWCASE CHAIR: The 1999 Showcase Chair is Mark Heimann 

ACCEPTANCE: You will be notified in January of your booth status and committee assignment. If you are wait listed, you will receive a card with your wait list number. Booth spaces for people on the wait list may only be half booths.

LAST DATE TO LET PEOPLE IN FROM THE WAIT LIST: We will not be able to let people in from the wait list after April 24. This is a new cutoff date for Showcase 1999.

INFORMATION PACKET: In April you will receive an information packet which will include booth and workshift assignments. It will also include other important information regarding Showcase. Please read it carefully.

BREAKAGE: Showcase pays for some types of breakage, but this payment comes out of our profits. It is not an insurance policy. For every broken pot payment we make, everyone's rebate checks will be slightly lower. Normally, the Steering Committee only allows payment for breakage that is the fault of the show, not for breakage that is due to poor display design. The show does not pay for broken work valued at under $20, and there are upper limits on breakage payments as well.

COMMITTEE PLACEMENT

If you have a booth at Showcase you must work on a committee. This is in addition to your three workshifts, which are assigned to you in April. Please see the Showcase Policies for details regarding committee participation. Please choose from the following list of committees and indicate your 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices for committee work on the Showcase application form.

There are a number of committees which are vital to the success of Showcase. Please consider Publicity, as it is the largest and most important for a successful show.

AWARDS: Pamela Mattson-McDonald, ch. . Tally votes, post awards for booth & gallery, help with awards reception, opening night, deliver pots to photographer, make sure awards recipients receive checks. Must be available Fri 9-11am, noon-2pm, and evening during awards reception. 2 people needed.

CHILDREN'S' AREA: Kay Irish, ch,  Set up, break down and transport supplies. 2 people needed

DEMONSTRATIONS: Patty Maly, ch, . Set up & break down demo area, including obtaining & transporting one wheel, organize demo schedule. 2 people needed

EQUIPMENT RENTAL: Doug Hively, ch,  Set up & take down tables & chairs, coordinate pipe & drape rental & set up. 4 people needed

EXHIBITOR SERVICES:Jeanne Charles, ch, . Help provide & maintain food in a relaxing environment for show participants. Good for out-of-towners. 8 people needed

GALLERY-PHYSICAL SET UP: Steve Moellering, ch, . Transport pedestals and display to and from Showcase, paint pedestals, set up gallery fixtures. Helpful to have van or truck. Must be available all day Wednesday and immediately after Showcase closing on Sunday evening. 8 people needed

GALLERY REGISTRAR: Susan Fishel, , Susan Roden, chs. Gather office supplies/typewriters for gallery check in, screen pots for fragility, type labels. Must be available Wednesday afternoon/ evening and Thursday morning. 4 people

GALLERY DISPLAY: Pat Strauss, ch, . Help with placement of pots in gallery. Should have display experience and be able to work as a cooperative team member. Must be available Thursday. 4 people.

HOLDING TABLE: Jim Keith, ch5. Set up holding table before the show and break it down at the end. Available from time to time throughout the show as need arises. 1 person.

INFORMATION BOOTH: Geri Lynn Enos, ch, 503-736-1304. Help set up and break down info booth, run errands for supplies, maintain OPA PR materials & name tags. 2 people.

GROUP BOOTH: Sandra Neufeld, ch . Help set up and break down group booth display, paint fixtures, etc. Must be available Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday night. Helpful to have truck or muscle. 3 people

PERMANENT COLLECTION: Lowell Hanna, ch, . Transport permanent collection to and from Justice Center window display (downtown Portland) & display pieces. Helpful to have van or truck. 2 people

POINTS: Tony Hackenbruck, ch,  Helpful to have a good understanding of Showcase & OPA jobs, as well as attention to detail. 2 people

SALES TABLE: Dulcie Lindsoe-Johanson,  & Nan Niiranen,  chs. Help set up and take down the sales table and facilitate the operation of the cash sales. Efficiency with money and numbers helpful. 2 people.

SECURITY: George Youngren, ch,  Provide physical, watchful presence between 6:30-8:30am on mornings of Showcase while floor is being cleaned. Good for out of towners. 6 people

TRAFFIC: Dan Turnidge, ch, Oversee loading & unloading of vehicles. Must be avail Wed or Thurs, as well as Sun eve. Good for out of towners. 8 people

THE FOLLOWING COMMITTEES ARE ALREADY IN PLACE:

1999 SHOWCASE CHAIR: Mark Heimann, 

BOOKKEEPING: Greg Tomlinson, ch Craig Martell, Linda Owen, Ellen Currens, Donna Gettel

BUILDING: Farshad Barman, 5 & Barbara Rawls, 503-285-9836 (co-chairs)

COMMITTEES: Nancy Hart (ch), Marilyn Cony

INFO PACKET: Sam Bernardi 

MAILING LIST: Ken Pincus, ch, , Ginger Steel (trainee)

MAP: Samm Dobash, 

POSTER: Boni Deal, ch, Cyra DuQuella (trainee)

REGISTRAR: Linda Bourne, 

SIGNAGE: Gail Pendergrass, 

SPONSORSHIP: Kristen Applegate-King, 

TREASURER-VISA: Michael Fromme,

TREASURER-CASH: Alexis Campbell (ch),  Cheryl Kempner (trainee)

WORKSHIFTS: Carol Lebreton, 

WRAPPING: Kathy Knowles,  & Gay Liebert,  co-chairs

A note about the Publicity Committee: The Publicity Committee needs you! We are looking for people with the following qualifications: Enjoy travel to exotic locations in the greater Portland area. Clever, quick-witted, good at organizing. Meet famous people. Organize and help script TV interviews or demonstrations! Be ready to change directions at a moment's notice! We need well-spoken clay artists. BFA or MFA immaterial. Good communication skills including writing thoughtful letters. Familiar with the work of many OPA members. Ability to read minds a plus. Meet local art critics. If you know 'em already, you got the job! If any of the above even partially applies to you, call us! Audrey Graham . We have a wide variety of jobs to do (even some fun ones). Please consider signing up for this committee.

ATTENTION ALL COMMITTEE CHAIRS: The above list will be printed in the OPA membership list for 1999. If your phone # has been changed or needs correction on the 1998 list, PLEASE send your correction to Tamae Sawano (membership chair) via postcard. If any of the above information is wrong, please contact Nancy Har

POINTS (IN DEPTH): Our points system has been worked on and re-worked for many years. People who work on this committee end up with a lot of gray hair because it is very difficult. In general, our points system rewards people who have either been members of OPA or Showcase for many years and/or have taken on leadership roles. While this does make it difficult for new people to get into this show, the people who have a lot of points have worked very hard to make this show what it is today. It is a co-op show, and we cannot think of a system that is more fair.

For new members, the best way to move up the points list is to volunteer to help out, and then do the job for which you have volunteered. Please be patient. We have all been there before.

There are four ways to earn points for Showcase:

1. Annual membership, one point per year

2. Showcase participation, 2 points for booth, one point for gallery per year

3. Committee chair jobs. These points vary up to 15 points per year. Trainees earn fewer points. Chairs may occasionally grant 1-2 extra points to committee members who performed Herculean tasks. Co-chairs (for Chair of Show, Publicity and Building Committees) both receive points for their jobs. Chairs-in-training do not receive points for their jobs.

4. OPA Officers receive 9 to 15 points per year, depending on the job.

Points are deducted for failure to do committee work. Up to five points per year may be deducted for this. This is at the discretion of the Steering Committee, and any disputes must be taken to the Steering Committee by February 28th for the previous year's Showcase.

October 21: Steering Committee meeting

November 13: OPA meeting

November 15: Showcase application deadline

December 9: OPA Board meeting

December 10: OPA newsletter deadline