03/28/08
The Baker art community is gearing up for its most acclaimed biennial event, the 2008 International Orton Cone Box Show.
Professor of Art Inge Balch said the event, which opens from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, was started in 1975 by former Purdue University professor Bill Bracker, who would later bring his show with him to the University of Kansas, where he taught ceramics.
Balch said Bracker was a good friend of hers, and after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, Balch approached him about taking care of and reviving the show. In 1994, the Fourth International Orton Cone Box Show opened in the Holt-Russell Gallery.
“It is an honor to have this show,” Balch said. “It is important for our students to be able to see real art.”
The show has strict regulations attached to it, the two main rules being that the piece has to be made up of 50 percent clay, and it must fit inside an Orton Cone Box, which is 3 inches by 3 inches by 6 inches.
Balch said the jurors this year will be John Neely, USA; Bede Clarke, USA; and herself, and they will have 160 entries to critique. Balch said the show is really intimate because the pieces are so small and the craftsmanship has to be flawless.
She said the pieces come from all across the globe and some of the contest winners this year have come from as far away as Denmark and Scotland; however, Balch said the number of entries from overseas has decreased due to the high cost of shipping.
“The Midwest has such a strong ceramics community, and this show could be used as a terrific recruiting tool,” Balch said.
Senior ceramics student Jill Gyulafia said she started working with Balch right after the last Cone Box show in 2006, when she helped pack up the exhibit.
“We get a wide range of pieces, from the conceptual to the functional,” Gyulafia said.
Gyulafia said that she would probably attend the opening of the show, but she will also set up the show beforehand. She said this is a very fun show and like any artwork, it can help broaden a student’s perspective.
“This is a really nice show, and it is internationally known,” she said. “The fact that Baker hosts it is a big deal, and it is definitely something that students should take advantage of.”
Walt Bailey, special assistant to the president for development of the arts, said he maintains the Holt-Russell Gallery where the show is presented. He said the Cone Box show is a rich experience, and it is amazing to see these artists work within the constraints of the show.
“It is an uncanny exhibit and a tremendous opportunity to see work from all over the world,” Bailey said.
Bailey said he always encourages students to attend events like lectures, art shows and theater productions.
The show will run through April 25 in the Holt-Russell Gallery.