NCECA is the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts.  This year, NCECA’s 44th annual conference, which draws visitors from all over the United States and around the world, is being held at the Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA from March 31 to April 3, 2010.  The Community Arts Center and the Potters Guild are proud to host an NCECA exhibit, “Dis/Arming Domesticity” in the CAC’s Duke Gallery from March 7 to April 23. An opening reception will be held March 7 from 2-4, with a Curator’s Gallery Talk with Gail M. Brown that day at 1:00. The Duke Gallery will be open for visitors during the conference week. A special Tile Making workshop with Frank Giorgini will take place at CAC on March 29&30.     

Frank Giorgini is one of the foremost designers and fabricators of handmade tiles in the country.  His best selling book Handmade Tiles (Lark Books, 1994) has become the bible of the handmade tile movement.  Frank designed and fabricated tile murals and artwork for the renovation of the Whitehall Street Subway Station, NYC and the Utica Avenue Subway Station, NYC.  He also designed a 45ft. x7ft. mural for the Downtown Flushing Pedestrian Project, NYC, which is now completed and awaiting installation. Frank Giorgini’s artwork is in art galleries and in private and public collections across this country and abroad and in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, NY.

Frank Giorgini is considered the designer of the modern udu drum, an all clay musical instrument of West African origins.  His drums are used by the worlds leading percussionists.  The process of hand building the udu drum is documented in his new DVD “The Art of the Udu Drum”.  

Frank Giorgini taught Architectural Tile Design courses at Parsons School of Design, NY for 15 years.  He has held tile making and udu drum workshops around the USA and abroad including at NCECA, Rochester, NY, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, Moravian College, Bethlehem, PA, Pewabic Pottery, Detroit, MI, Parson’s School of Design at Altos de Chavon, Dominican Republic and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA.

All Levels

Tile Making Techniques

Monday, March 29 and Tuesday, March 30 – 10am – 4pm with lunch break.

In this two day workshop Frank will demonstrate several of the tile making techniques presented in his book Handmade Tiles, Lark 1994, including making a model, pouring a plaster mold, pressing out a tile, shellac resist and glaze application.  He will also present a slide show documenting the process of creating the NYC Public Art Projects.  Frank will demonstrate making an all clay udu drum and each participant can, hands on, make a small udini drum.

Register here