"Get a Leg Up" RCS Alum Award 2023
/About the RCS Project Award
The “Get a Leg Up” RCS Project Awards are open to alumni (past assistants) of Rat City Studios. The mission of these awards is to offer annually gifted support and to give alumni a leg up in their endeavors as artists. These awards are also intended to be a way of keeping in touch with the goals of alumni, as well as to honor the legacy of mentors. The three awards below are described and each recipient for the award follows.
There are more details on the Award Webpage. And if you would like to consider matching one of these awards or starting your own through RCS, your support will make a lasting impact on the next generation of artists!
Juried by Reid Ozaki:
http://www.reidozaki.com/
@reidozaki
Reid Ozaki is a studio potter living in Tacoma, WA. His work was influenced as a graduate student at the University of Puget by his teachers F. Carlton Ball and Kenneth D. Stevens and visiting artist Frederick L. Olsen. As for the technical aspects of what Reid creates, he works in stoneware, primarily, with a little porcelain for a few objects. The work is fired in a gas kiln to cone 10 (2400 F) in a reduction atmosphere. Since being invited to participate in their wood kiln firings, I am increasingly firing more work with John Benn and Colleen Gallagher on Hartstine Island, WA. Reid has made a living as a potter since graduate school and just retired from teaching ceramics at Tacoma Community College for many years. Recently he has co-founded a community building group, The Tacoma Potter’s Salon, where visiting artists present, local potters get to know each other, and cross-generational learning has a place to grow!
Artist Statement: Raised the son of a minister, I was instilled with a desire to link myself to a purposeful life. With promises of being bound to a higher power, I found little doubt about my place in this world. As I grew older and moved away from the church, it left a wound that leaked fear and doubt into every aspect of my existence. My work has always come from this place of longing to better understand the world around me and my place within it. I work narratively, creating characters based on the struggle of balancing relationships, where I can navigate the landscapes of emotions experienced but not quite understood. It is in this continual self-assessment where I find the restlessness of my mind soothed, my vulnerability eased and my empathy expanding as I grow more honest with myself and loved ones. Through this practice of work, disguised as play, I have begun to mend my faith in what I find sacred. The studio has become my church, the work my prayer, and the completion of pieces my testimony to a pursuit of healing, in an effort to find myself at the threshold of a meaningful and purposeful life.
Bio: Rickie Barnett grew up in the Northern California city of Redding. He attended California State University, Chico, receiving a Bachelors of Fine Art degree with an emphasis in painting and ceramics. After Graduating in the fall of 2013 he took up a year long position as an Artist in Residence at Taos Clay Studio in Taos, NM. He then moved to Seattle for a long term position as a Studio assistant to Deborah Schwartzkopf at Rat City Studios. During this time he also worked for sculptor George Rodriguez. In 2016, he moved to North Carolina, to become a studio assistant to ceramic sculptors, Cristina Cordova and Jeannine Marchand. His work has been shown both internationally and nationally. He has taught and done numerous short-term residencies all over the country. Currently, he lives near Penland School of Craft, where he shares a home and studio with his partner, Lynne Hobaica, in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.
Project : Since mid-2021, I was able to make the leap into being a full-time artist. It is no secret that working for yourself as an artist comes with a cost. This past year I’ve been hesitant to take on bigger projects due to a swinging income. Recently, my ten-year-old computer crashed and in its absence, I have found myself in a constant struggle to keep up with all aspects of my practice that require or are made easier with a computer. Operating a business completely from a phone is extremely unpleasant. Everything from website management to printing shipping labels, to writing emails and editing photos is all a bit more difficult from a phone. Even as I write this grant proposal I can’t help but think about how much more practical it would be to be able to utilize a computer in the process. If selected to receive this grant I would allocate the funds towards the purchasing of a new computer.
Making work is an extremely important part of my life, not only as a way to support myself but also as a way to balance my mental health. The mental space I need to be in while writing and researching is different from the mindset of balancing books and doing taxes. Both being different from the mindset I need to be in while making work in the studio. Being able to purchase a new computer would give me the opportunity to return to setting up the behind-the-scenes systems of my practice in a more professional way. This would not only impact the logistics of my business but would also ease the stress and anxiety, letting me fully engage in my studio with a mental space of being completely present.
My goal is to purchase a new MacBook Pro 14” laptop with an Apple M1 Pro Chip, 16GB memory and 1TB SSD. This model should be more than sufficient to handle all business aspects of my practice with room to grow. The new model will allow me to make sure that my setup will be compatible with new software for years to come and will keep me from falling to obsolescence. This is a large purchase but I believe the benefits would be clear immediately. The amount of stress and anxiety that this purchase would subside would be exponentially beyond measure. I believe that this computer would change my current state of business and would benefit my career growth a great deal. I was recently awarded a $1,000 grant to put toward this purchase from the NC Arts Council. Receiving this Get-a-Leg Up Grant would round out the full cost of the new computer, which would make the possibility of this purchase more immediate. It would also relieve the stress of pulling from my own finances, which continue to be unpredictable in this early phase of my career. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.
Artist Statement: I aim to express feelings of hope and joy through tactile, handmade pots. I hand-build and hand paint functional pottery intended to be used throughout the day. My pots are thoughtful pieces to enhance the rhythm of your life and make you smile; whether it be a coffee mug to hold and cherish in the morning or setting the table for a dinner with friends. The floral imagery has childlike qualities to it and the forms are hand-built intuitively, creating a sense of naivety. I hope they remind you of playing in the garden or running through a field of flowers and inspire the child and artist within each of you.
Bio: Krista has a background in painting, printmaking and sculpture and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Pacific Lutheran University in 2011 with a minor in Art History. In 2016 she immersed herself back into the ceramics community through the Continuing Education program at North Seattle College. A few years later in 2019, looking to grow as an artist and professional, she began an assistantship to Deborah Schwartzkopf at Rat City Studios in Seattle, Washington. Krista currently works full time as a ceramic artist and educator out of her home studio in North Seattle. She is now offering memberships and mentoring to students in addition to instructing lessons and workshops. She hopes to facilitate a creative environment that is therapeutic, fun and explorative for her students. Krista makes functional pottery that celebrates the rituals of everyday life with an emphasis on joyful, floral compositions with the charm of naivety.
Project: I am writing today to request support to cover display equipment and registration fees for a full booth at Renegade Craft, a seminal, Seattle-area, holiday arts fair, scheduled for December 9th and 10th in 2023.
My business grew beyond expectations in 2022! However, despite the corresponding increase in revenue, expenses constituted 48% of my gross income. Unfortunately, overhead accounted for much of those expenses. With the help of this grant, I could significantly lower those overhead costs which would allow me to further invest in reaching a larger audience, expanding clientele diversity, and creating visibility for my brand. These marketing efforts are key to increasing profits and will provide a significant push towards my goal of building a sustainable business and achieving financial independence.
To outfit my 8 x 8 foot booth for Renegade, it will be necessary to cover a total of $1500 in overhead: $650 for a two-day booth fee, $30 to rent a 6 foot table, and $75 to upgrade to a corner booth, which past experience has shown to be well-worth the extra cost. I will also need to acquire lightweight shelving, display risers and a custom canvas sign, totaling $580 in overhead. The rest of the costs will cover the cargo van rental and gas at $165.
The 2022 edition of Renegade was my first professional craft fair. I shared a booth, borrowed shelving, and performed market research in order to identify optimal booth layouts, and design a physical presentation which aligned with my brand. All the hard work paid off as I generated 40% of my yearly income in just two days. Because of that success, I am confident in my abilities to consistently sell at markets provided I have the resources to support my vision.This funding is crucial at this point in my career as an artist. I’ve calculated that this grant would create opportunities for me to increase profits by 20% while decreasing expenses by 23%. As I enter my fifth year of running this business, the path to reaching my fiscal goals is clear and can be achieved with your help. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Artist Statement: I’m a lover of words and how we piece them together, much like clay, to create meaning. My pottery reflects the playful nature of weather and cloud-related idioms (every cloud has a silver lining, head in the clouds, on cloud nine, etc). I make whimsical, voluminous forms awash with colorful rainbows, lightning bolts, and stylized clouds. Each piece is carefully decorated with love and attention. I hope to spark joy in your daily routine–infusing a little whimsy in the act of slicing butter or sipping an afternoon tea.
Bio: I grew up in Maine and spent much of my young life doodling on the sides of notebooks and crafting anything from beaded jewelry to handmade cards. Craving to get out of my small town and move to a city, I enrolled at MassArt in Boston and discovered a deep love and appreciation for ceramics. Since graduating in 2016, I made it my mission to soak up as much clay knowledge as possible–completing a year long assistantship, teaching at various clay studios, and working as a production potter for a small business. Each experience gave me valuable tools to add to my small biz owner belt, which came in handy when setting up my own private studio with my husband and fellow MassArt alum, Gustavo Barceloni. And thanks to all of you, I feel so lucky to work for myself and call pottery my full-time job!
Project: My two main goals in 2023 are to improve my internet marketing strategies and move to a new studio space that better suits my needs.
I plan to use approximately $795 of the grant funds to take an 11-week marketing class called “Advanced Digital and Social Media Marketing Strategies” at UCLA Extension. As the landscape of the internet continues to evolve, it is imperative to stay on top of the latest strategies to effectively promote my pottery. Making a beautifully decorated mug with a comfortable handle is one thing; actually selling that mug is another!
The remaining grant funds will be used to help transition to a new studio space in the next 6 months. My husband (also a ceramic artist) and I have reached a point in our careers where our current studio no longer suits our needs. We are looking for a new space in a large artist community that offers more square footage, better heating and ventilation, and natural light. This new studio will allow us to work more efficiently and keep up with demand, while also providing an opportunity to network and collaborate with other artists who rent space in the building.
In addition to these goals, I plan to continue to develop my business in the long term. This includes regularly seeking ways to continue my education in both clay and business, participating in art fairs and juried shows, and expanding my online presence. Funding from this grant will help set me up for growth and success this upcoming year!
Artist Statement: While leaving evidence of the hand, I use surface design to tell tales through imagery, patterns and bold, slightly wavered lines. Heavily influenced by folk and outsider art, I explore the poetics of the mundane. The small joys of everyday blended with bright colors and imagery of animals and people bring my work to life. Many of the narratives going through my mind while working come from things I habitually look at and the emotions they elicit. I carry a wide range of imagery in my pocket at all times, whether it is plants and animals I am observing or more surreal emotional depth.
Bio: Ash is originally from the flat lands of central Illinois and received a BFA in Ceramics from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She then moved on to complete a Post-Baccalaureate program at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville which led her to Washington, California, and currently Nashville, TN.
Her work focuses on hand-building techniques, utilizing surface decoration to bring her pottery and sculptures to life. This last year has been a big year for her, she had her first solo exhibition at Julia Martin Gallery in Nashville’s popular Wedgewood Houston neighborhood and completed her first-ever month-long residency in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
Project: The project I am writing this proposal for is for a solo exhibition I am working on in October at the gallery I have studio space in, Elephant Gallery. I have built some momentum in the last 2 years after starting my small business, Handwings Ceramics, but always seem to fall behind financially. Last summer I had my first solo exhibition here in Nashville in a well-known local gallery, Julia Martin Gallery. During this experience, I found that a little can go a long way but felt a little held back with time and money. The last 2 months before my show is where that relief would have been extremely helpful for focus and time in the studio wrapping things up. This grant would help with buying material in advance and alleviating studio rent for those couple of months before the show. I currently sell functional pottery as my “mostly” full-time job and teach hand-building classes at the nonprofit studio Buchanan Arts here in Nashville, TN. For this show, I would like to step away from function and focus more on sculpture and surface. Particularly figurative sculpture, where I would build busts of people that invoke emotional relevance and impact on society, including everyday people who have touched or inspired me in what they do. Everything these days is so fast-paced and I feel a lot of important people get overlooked or feel their voice doesn’t carry or their ideas can't be seen. I want to acknowledge the importance of these people and how they impact the people and spaces they surround.
