Orton Cone Box Show
Encyclopedia
The Orton Cone Box Show http://www.coneboxshow.com is a biennial ceramic art
exhibition for small work that started in Indiana
, United States and is now held in Kansas
, United States. It is open to submissions from across the world. The show's title is taken from the constraint on submissions, which must fit within the box in which Orton's pyrometric cone
s are shipped, 3" x 3" x 6" (approx. 75 mm x 75 mm x 150 mm.)
Submissions are adjudicated by up to four recognized members of the ceramics community within the United States, and exhibited during following year's the conference of the US National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts
.
- Ellen Canavier
1977, Kansas University - Marj Peeler, Richard Peeler, Bill Bracker
1979, Kansas University - John Ground, Glenn Rand, Jim Nabors, Bill Bracker
1994, Baker University
- Bill Hunt, Margaret Carney, Yoshiro Ikeda
1996, Baker University - Karen Karnes, Judy Schwartz, Brad Schweiger
1998, Baker University - Michael Simon, Harris Deller, Anna Calluori Holcomb
2000, Baker University - Nina Hole, Jeff Oestreich, Richard Notkin
2002, Baker University - Mitsuo Shoji, Wilfredo Torres, Inge Balch
2004, Baker University - Janet Mansfield, Phil Rogers, Inge Balch
2006, Baker University - Steven Hill, Inge Balch
2008, Baker University - Bede Clarke, John Neely, Inge Balch
2010, Lawrence Arts Center
- Peter Callas, Malcom Davis, Inge Balch
in West Lafayette, Indiana, Bill Bracker had access to all of the ceramic department facilities, but he had a studio and salt kiln at his home because he wanted his students to use all the space they could in the university studio and kilns. One of the neighborhood kids, Jerry Evans, expressed an interest in pottery, so Bill allowed Jerry a limited amount of kiln space in exchange for helping keep the studio clean, performing other studio "grunt" work, and helping to fire the salt kiln. Jerry maximized his firing space by making tiny pots, much like the small draw rings he helped Bill make and pull from each firing. After just a few firings, Jerry proudly showed Bill a cigar box full of his miniature pots...enough pieces for an entire exhibit in one small box! Bill immediately thought of all the times he himself had stored draw rings, fired mud dauber nests, used cones, and small ceramic pieces in cone boxes. The cigar box full of Jerry's pots also reminded him of his ceramic "sketchpads," which were actually four shadow boxes filled with miniature versions of different forms and styles of his pottery.
In 1974, while doing a workshop at Drake University
, Bill was encouraged by Lee Ferber and Richard Peeler, fellow ceramic teachers, to pursue the idea of a juried show for miniature ceramic pieces. A potter can have great slides of a not-so-great pot or lousy slides of a great pot, but a juror may never know until the actual piece is seen in person. A show of miniatures would be a perfect opportunity for a juror to adjudicate the actual pieces while still keeping shipping and handling costs down for artist entries. The question of size limitation was almost a foregone decision because of Bill's history with storing little pots in the Orton Standard Cone Boxes, a 3" x 3" x 6" box that potters quickly accumulated in almost every studio. Although he could get some support for the show through Purdue University (where he still taught), he knew he needed additional sponsorship. Approaching Orton Ceramic Foundation
was the next logical step, both for sponsorship as well as approval for the size designation. The proposal was funded and the Orton Cone Box Show became a reality in 1975.
With the support of both Orton and the University the fourth show opened in 1994 at the Holt-Russell Gallery at Baker University
. Now open to entries from across the global artists from several countries exhibited. The jurors were Bill Hunt, Margaret Carney and Yoshiro Ikeda. Subsequently the Cone Box Show has become a biennial event. The 2010 International Cone Box Show premiered at the Lawrence Arts Center in October. In the following spring (2011), it was shown at the 2011 NCECA http://nceca.net/ conference in Tampa, Florida.
Ceramic art
In art history, ceramics and ceramic art mean art objects such as figures, tiles, and tableware made from clay and other raw materials by the process of pottery. Some ceramic products are regarded as fine art, while others are regarded as decorative, industrial or applied art objects, or as...
exhibition for small work that started in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, United States and is now held in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, United States. It is open to submissions from across the world. The show's title is taken from the constraint on submissions, which must fit within the box in which Orton's pyrometric cone
Pyrometric cone
Pyrometric cones are pyrometric devices that are used to gauge heatwork during the firing of ceramic materials. The cones, often used in sets of three as shown in the illustration, are positioned in a kiln with the wares to be fired and provide a visual indication of when the wares have reached a...
s are shipped, 3" x 3" x 6" (approx. 75 mm x 75 mm x 150 mm.)
Submissions are adjudicated by up to four recognized members of the ceramics community within the United States, and exhibited during following year's the conference of the US National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts
National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts
Founded in 1966, the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts is an organization in the United States promoting ceramics as an art form for several decades...
.
Dates, Locations and Jurors
1975, Purdue UniversityPurdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
- Ellen Canavier
1977, Kansas University - Marj Peeler, Richard Peeler, Bill Bracker
1979, Kansas University - John Ground, Glenn Rand, Jim Nabors, Bill Bracker
1994, Baker University
Baker University
Baker University is a private, residential university located in Baldwin City, Kansas, United States. Founded in 1858, it is the oldest university in Kansas and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Baker University is made up of four schools...
- Bill Hunt, Margaret Carney, Yoshiro Ikeda
1996, Baker University - Karen Karnes, Judy Schwartz, Brad Schweiger
1998, Baker University - Michael Simon, Harris Deller, Anna Calluori Holcomb
2000, Baker University - Nina Hole, Jeff Oestreich, Richard Notkin
2002, Baker University - Mitsuo Shoji, Wilfredo Torres, Inge Balch
2004, Baker University - Janet Mansfield, Phil Rogers, Inge Balch
2006, Baker University - Steven Hill, Inge Balch
2008, Baker University - Bede Clarke, John Neely, Inge Balch
2010, Lawrence Arts Center
Lawrence Arts Center
The Lawrence Arts Center was established in Lawrence, Kansas in May 1974 to support the visual and performing arts. The founder and first Executive Director was Ann Evans, who retired at the end of 2007. In 2002, the Center opened a new facility that included studios, gallery space, a performance...
- Peter Callas, Malcom Davis, Inge Balch
The beginning
As a professor of ceramics at Purdue UniversityPurdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
in West Lafayette, Indiana, Bill Bracker had access to all of the ceramic department facilities, but he had a studio and salt kiln at his home because he wanted his students to use all the space they could in the university studio and kilns. One of the neighborhood kids, Jerry Evans, expressed an interest in pottery, so Bill allowed Jerry a limited amount of kiln space in exchange for helping keep the studio clean, performing other studio "grunt" work, and helping to fire the salt kiln. Jerry maximized his firing space by making tiny pots, much like the small draw rings he helped Bill make and pull from each firing. After just a few firings, Jerry proudly showed Bill a cigar box full of his miniature pots...enough pieces for an entire exhibit in one small box! Bill immediately thought of all the times he himself had stored draw rings, fired mud dauber nests, used cones, and small ceramic pieces in cone boxes. The cigar box full of Jerry's pots also reminded him of his ceramic "sketchpads," which were actually four shadow boxes filled with miniature versions of different forms and styles of his pottery.
In 1974, while doing a workshop at Drake University
Drake University
Drake University is a private, co-educational university located in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The institution offers a number of undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and pharmacy. Today, Drake is one of the twenty-five oldest law schools in the country....
, Bill was encouraged by Lee Ferber and Richard Peeler, fellow ceramic teachers, to pursue the idea of a juried show for miniature ceramic pieces. A potter can have great slides of a not-so-great pot or lousy slides of a great pot, but a juror may never know until the actual piece is seen in person. A show of miniatures would be a perfect opportunity for a juror to adjudicate the actual pieces while still keeping shipping and handling costs down for artist entries. The question of size limitation was almost a foregone decision because of Bill's history with storing little pots in the Orton Standard Cone Boxes, a 3" x 3" x 6" box that potters quickly accumulated in almost every studio. Although he could get some support for the show through Purdue University (where he still taught), he knew he needed additional sponsorship. Approaching Orton Ceramic Foundation
Orton Ceramic Foundation
The roots of the Orton Ceramic Foundation date back to the establishment of the "Standard Pyrometric Cone Company" in 1896 by Dr. Edward J. Orton, Jr.. Dr. Orton was a pioneer in developing and applying scientific principles to ceramic manufacturing...
was the next logical step, both for sponsorship as well as approval for the size designation. The proposal was funded and the Orton Cone Box Show became a reality in 1975.
Shows from the 1990s
The show experienced a period of inactivity following the departure of Bill Bracker from Kansas University shortly after the third show. In 1993 Inge Balch, Professor of Art at Baker University, Kansas, asked Bill for his blessing to revive the show.With the support of both Orton and the University the fourth show opened in 1994 at the Holt-Russell Gallery at Baker University
Baker University
Baker University is a private, residential university located in Baldwin City, Kansas, United States. Founded in 1858, it is the oldest university in Kansas and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Baker University is made up of four schools...
. Now open to entries from across the global artists from several countries exhibited. The jurors were Bill Hunt, Margaret Carney and Yoshiro Ikeda. Subsequently the Cone Box Show has become a biennial event. The 2010 International Cone Box Show premiered at the Lawrence Arts Center in October. In the following spring (2011), it was shown at the 2011 NCECA http://nceca.net/ conference in Tampa, Florida.