Glenn Schwaiger, an artist and associate professor at New Mexico State University and Dona Ana Community College, will present highlights of his latest trip to Jingdezhen, China, during a presentation later this month.
Schwaiger’s presentation, “Handcrafted Porcelain in China: Collaborative Processes and Methods,” will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m.Feb. 23 in the NMSU Health and Social Services Building Auditorium, Room 101. The presentation is free and open to the public, and is sponsored by the NMSU Confucius Institute and the NMSU Department of Art.
Schwaiger recently completed a three-month study of Chinese art history, culture, and ceramics in Jingdezhen, China.
“In every nook and cranny of Jingdezhen, there’s someone working with porcelain,” Schwaiger said about what he observed during his trip. “Craftspeople specialize in more than 70 different skills, such as making clay, pottery, molds, brushes and decorating.”
Schwaiger also said the collaborative spirit is “alive today in the porcelain capital of the world.”
Jingdezhen has been a major center for Imperial, domestic, and export porcelain for more than 1,000 years. Ceramic artists in Jingdezhen perfected the materials and processes required to produce porcelain during the Song Dynasty from 960 to 1279. Today, skilled craftspeople work in together to produce a broad range of porcelain objects from simple production wares to large-scale sculptures.
To view photos of Schwaiger’s trip, visit http://www.agavearts.com/?page_id=146
Information from NMSU