FCA&C will be closing its office doors on Friday 23 December at 4pm and will re-open for business on Thur 5 January at 9.30am.  We wish everyone a happy festive season and look forward to seeing you in 2012!

Have a magical festive season from FCA&C

If you missed this first Treat event, don’t despair as there’s another two to go – and you can catch work by Mitchell & Black at the next one:  join Jan Shelley & Friends at her Weft textile studio on the front at Pittenweem next Thursday evening (8 December, 6-9pm), and join Lovely Pigeon & Friends in Cellardyke at St Anns, Fowler Street the following Thursday (15 December, 6-9pm).  Drop in for a festive drink and a nibble, a chat with the artists, and some Christmas shopping!

Dot Sim’s  studio on Tay Street, Newport on Tay is open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays until 17 December (10.30am-5.30pm).

Dot Sim's studio in Newport on Tay

Installation of first sculpture by Nick Evans

The second part of Placement opens to the public tomorrow at 10.30am and runs daily until 20 November.  There are also still spaces on the symposium accompanying it on Sat 5 November - email FCA&C (or phone 01334 474610) if you’d like to book a space.  Four of the participating artists will be speaking and the day – including lunch and refreshments – is completely free!  Find a booking form on the Placement page of FCA&C’s website.

For younger visitors, there’s a host of drop-in activities available in the Activity Space next door to the gallery.

She will divide her time into 2 sessions – 11am-12 noon and 1-2pm – and weave some wonderful stories from Claire Curneen’s gold tipped trees, Laura Ford’s dolorous donkey and David Shrigley’s outsize boots – for a start!  The sessions are aimed at children aged between 4 and 10 years and there’s no cost, but booking is required as places are limited (tel St Andrews Museum 01334 659380).  What better way to spend an hour or two on a chill October day?

More about the exhibition on FCA&C’s website programme page or Facebook page.

Judy Paterson in 'full flow'

What can you expect this year?  To start off, attenders arrive at St Andrews Museum for a tour of PART 2 of ‘Placement’.   The action will then move to the Gateway Building, University of St Andrews (North Haugh) where the rest of the day takes place.  The 2 artist-curators of the exhibition, Lowri Davies and Dawn Youll, will talk, as will 2 of their fellow participating artists Ken Eastman and Conor Wilson.  The event will be chaired by Natasha Mayo (who wrote the conversation-essay in the accompanying exhibition publication from the National Centre for Ceramics Studies, Cardiff School of Art (UWIC).  The day will end with a discussion session which proved very popular at last year’s ‘Causing Chaos’ symposium.

Despite the current financial climate, we’d like to encourage as many people as possible to attend and have therefore decided not to charge for lunch this year;  so it’s a completely free day once you’re here – general refreshments plus lunch included.  Bookings are still necessary – please click here to go to the relevant page on our website, from where you can download a form, or phone 01334 474610 to have one sent to you.

Hope to see you there!

Causing Chaos symposium 2010

The project was funded by Celebrating Fife 2010, and the ‘bools’ were made when artist Frances Priest worked with a group of local people in Buckhaven. They explored the Fife Coastal Path and wanted to make an artistic guide to what they discovered. As the artist was aware of the historic Kirkcaldy bowls she decided that they would make some modern ‘bools’ decorated with motifs related to the coast. The set gifted to the museum has two types of decoration. One group depicts the padlocks and wood grain of fishermen’s sheds designed by Liz Houston and the other ones show intricate drawings of, for example, the Bass Rock and shells which are designed by Gareth Baglow.

A small display of both the old, original bowls and the new set is on at Kirkcaldy Museum & Art Gallery until the end of 2011.

L to R: Diana Sykes, FCA&C; Gareth Baglow; Gavin Grant, Fife Museums

The display of 'bools' and bowls at Kirkcaldy Museum

Running from 17 Sept – 16 Oct 2011, the show kicks off with a kids’ ceramics workshop at the museum this Saturday morning with Lowri Davies – lots of fun guaranteed (booking at St Andrews Museum 01334 659380)!  During the second part of the exhibition (22 Oct – 20 Nov 2011) a day symposium will be held on Sat 5 Nov.  Info will be available shortly about this.  More details available on FCA&C’s website.

Diana carefully unpacks Claire Curneen and Stephen Bird's work

Marion & Anton prepare plinths for work

A group of artists, scientists and academics were brought together for two stimulating days of exchanging information and ideas as part of a larger project organised by artist led Polarcap, Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop and FCA&C.

Inspired by the work of early environmentalist John Muir a range of issues were discussed touching on ecology and art. Following his example informal discussion was stimulated by walking in the inspiring environments provided by host venues the Ecology Centre by Kinghorn and the Centre for Stewardship at Falkland. Back indoors short presentations from participants linked to group discussion.

Unusually there were no fixed outcomes determined for the event which was deliberately open but a number of fruitful connections have been made between participants and with the venues.  As the Steep Trail project develops, a number of exhibitions, a publication and a conference will take forward some of the ideas explored at this and two previous labs.

Special thanks to all participants who enjoyed glorious sunshine on day one and endured a deluge on day two, to those who made us think through their presentations and to our walk guides; Ronnie Mackie at the Ecology Centre and Tess Darwin at the Centre for Stewardship.

www.theecologycentre.org

www.centreforstewardship.org.uk

www.jmbt.org.uk

www.polarcap.org.uk

Day 1, The Ecology Centre, Kinghorn Loch

Day 2, Centre for Stewardship, Falkland

So now we’re working in a pseudo post office sorting office but are confident that the space will return to normal (eventually!).  Just as well Diana’s on hols at the moment as there’s no way she could reach her desk!  If you were one of the 1,000 plus visitors who came, saw and maybe purchased during Treat, thanks for the support and the great feedback.  We’ll be sitting back for a wee while now and mulling over things and then, who knows, there may be Treat2!

Arlene, Arlene - are you there???

FCA&C postal depot

We’ve had loads of lovely people come in during our fortnight’s stay at J&G Innes and are really feeling very at home there.  Our glamorous full time assistant, jeweller Jane Gowans, has been doing a sterling (ha, ha!) job of encouraging folk to part with the brass – in fact it’ll be quite sad to have to pack it all away on Monday.

View of Treat at J & G Innes, St Andrews

So, go on folks.  If you’re in the neighbourhood, drop by and pay us a visit – it’ll be your last chance!