Agitation 2020

Agitation 2020

Artist Statement

Andy Denton’s sculptures use metal and ceramics to combine figurative and abstract forms in representing notions of contemporary spirituality and agnosticism. Drawing inspiration from artists including sculptor HC Westermann, and the band, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Denton’s totemic sculptures bridge sci-fi vernacular and craft traditions while emphasizing the inherent spiritual and critical values of art. Denton’s recent fantastical and absurd sculptures address his experiences with isolation and virtual connectivity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Distorted pyramidal bodies reference the all-seeing Eye of Providence, which serves as a metaphor for social media in all its benevolence and horror. The juxtaposed porcelain and steel represent the precariousness of our social and environmental climate. 

Exhibit Flier

All-seeing Do-Do Inside the Citadel

Porcelain and Stainless Steel

 Watchful Hungry Bumpass

Porcelain and Steel

Peeking Out At Each Other

Porcelain and Stainless Steel

Super Shit-Storm on Eye-ball Mountain

Porcelain and Aluminum

These are all pedestal sized sculptures no higher than 24 inches. Made and shown during the 2020 Covit-19 pandemic isolation. They were on exhibit in a gallery but not seen by many people due because covit-19 cases were running rampant during November. 

I'd like to make one of these in an outdoor size. Comment below which one you would like to see bigger. Thanks for reading. 

How I started to Budget

Maybe it was turning 40 this year and having a new job in a new town that made me start monitoring my spending like a fiend. In my previous blog post I mentioned that I was motivated by student loan repayment, which has led me to think about retirement. What will retirement look like when you haven't had a cushy corporate job for 30 years?

I've been watching a bunch of YouTube videos and reading blogs and listening to podcasts while I'm grinding steel at my day job (probably another blog post). I decided I want to stop living in the dark side of my financial moon. I want to scatter the roaches of ignorance about my finances. This is what I've come up with for the past few months.

Auto-pay up sucka!
You gotta understand how much easier everything is now with the internet and being able to automate payments. This has been a godsend to me since about 2006 (this is old news for me). Before that, I wrote checks and paid late fees. If I can automate it, I do it. I even pay rent through automatically having my bank send a check to my own landlord's mailbox in my apartment building...instead of writing a check, finding an envelope, walking down 5 steps to the mailbox. Sounds lazy, but its one less thing to think about. If you're still wasting time on this, you're still living in the 1990's! This is old news, but worth the mention because it was such a crucial baby-step for me.

Budgeting 101 for dummies 
The more I read about how to save for retirement and paying off student loans, the more I hear about how you need to have a monthly budget. A few year ago I tried to keep one on  Google's excel, but I don't know how to use it right. Fortunately there's a App called Everydollar, a program started by Financial granddad guru Dave Ramsey. If you're a standard issue MFA-er you probably have never heard of him like me (but my Veteran brother sure does). So instead of spending 99% of my phone time on Instagram, I decided to use this keep my shit in check.

I get paid every month from my day job, but also get some "side hustle" flow from pottery sales at farmers markets.  Usually I would deposit this into my checking account and spend the extra on cocoon deliveries and so I've decided to become an adult moth and fly...to the light of financial freedom.

Everydollar Budget Bro

While I was at the NCECA conference in Minneapolis, I went to a lecture by Nicole Gugliotti about how to budget and save for retirement for artists. Sounds familiar? It was right up my alley! I took some notes and pictures of her presentation. I also left the lecture feeling like I actually had a better grip on PF than what I perceived of myself.

Fast forward months later and I'm looking for a budgeting app, I dug up my notes and found Nicole's  Art of the Budget YouTube channel. She has been learning how to budget in real time showing us her weekly expenses and income. There's a bunch of other videos of folks doing similar things, but what I like about Nicole's is that she is so relate-able A) she's a ceramic artist too B) she's a teacher, even though I'm not one now, I relate to that way of life C) her income is similar to mine. Many of the other PF YouTuber's are making way more me. Its nice to watch someone budget that's isn't making $100k a year. At first I was thinking, why am I watching this random person do her finances online? But as I started to play with the app, it was helpful seeing someone else navigate it.

Here's a link to her demonstrating how to use Everydollar, also I get a mention! haha!

I've only been doing using this since August 2019. How has budgeting helped me?

1. Instead of guessing at how much I'm spending, I can really see it is! Wow $150 in gas!
2. I can see how much I'm spending on booze versus food. I can split restaurant bills to reflect this.
3. When I "reconcile" at the end of the month, I can see what I need to work better at. See above.
4. After "reconcilation" I can see what money is left over that I can throw into my student loans or my emergency fund, or my house payment. Normally, I would just guess and spend it randomly.
5. When you're thinking deeply about every purchase you make, it forces you to double-think it. Should I really buy this? My friends already know that I'm a cheapskate, so this is validation. 

There's a few budgeting apps out there. Everydollar is the only one I've tried. Do some research and find the one for you.

I usually watch some (streaming) TV before I go to sleep. There's a bunch of good TV out there now. But now I've added YouTube videos to the mix.

My MVP's (so far).

Art of the Budget. See above. :-)

Brad Finn. This super hyped fello is a really clear concise speaker. I feel like I'm dyslexic when it comes to numbers and its helpful to have someone break it down for me simply and with enthusiasm. Here is a good one to start. If you are thrown off by his "bro-like nature", ummm its free info, Check Yourself.

Mr Money Mustache. (link) Dude is known for his groundbreaking popular Blog and for revitalizing the recent FI (financial independence) movement. His YouTube channel isn't as polished as Brad Finn's but it endearing and he's helpful in explaining this stuff succinctly.  I just wish he'd do more. It seems he's really taking the retirement thing to heart. His blog is excellent. Note also his environmentalism and anti-car and anti-consumerism is very DIY punk Fugazi to me.

ChooseFI.  (This is a podcast.) These bros have sort of taken over from Mr. Money Mustache. They are very lively with 2 podcasts a week. Every time I listen to them I either learn something about personal finance and/or get pumped to save money. Don't be put off by their "bro-like nature" as they strive to be all-inclusive. Also noted that they are still in their 30's and are clearly still learning as they go. Also noted they are based in my hometown of Richmond VA.

Random Thoughts:

1) One thing I've learned is to make PF fun. I think having an app to learn and having Nicole to watch has helped me to relish financial planning.

2) I love how the ChooseFI guys talk about you are influenced by the closest 5 people that you spend the most time with. They posit that if you listen to their podcast then they will become one of the 5 people. Thus their Early Retirement podcast talk will influence you into saving money. I know it might be a insidious way to keep people listening to them, but I think it is true about the rule of 5 or whatever you call it. So I've decided to keep listening and every week I get motivated and learn something about Personal Finance.

3) Wish I found this last year. Wish I found this 3 years ago. Wish I found this 10 years ago. Wish I found this 20 years ago.

4) If you think this is something for rich people. I would say, as someone that has lived on food stamps, that budgeting might be for "poverty-level" folks most of all. Fight me. ;-)

What are your favorite youtubers or blogs or podcasts? Comment below.

Soul Sucking Student Loan Repayment Research

Out of the blue, I received a text message from a younger friend inquiring about my student loans. He gently asked how much debt I had and what I was doing about it. He was worried about being able to buy a house or have kids, etc. I told him I hadn't been paying the loan, for years, since I started grad school in 2008! During grad school I deferred them and after graduating I entered into the Income-Based Repayment Plan (IBR).  I reported my meager income to the loan company by way of my annual taxes and they determined my monthly payment would be zero. Which suited me fine, since I started living on an adjunct instructor income at the time. I've kept it this way up until present time (2019).

My friend asked me if my loan was gathering interest and wasn't I worried about it?  Honestly, I just figured I'd be in this program for the rest of my life and probably never get this loan paid off....ever (sound familar?). But his worried texts got me sweating about it again, so I dug up my password and logged into my student loan account to see what was what. In my head, I thought I owed $60k. That's consolidated from undergrad at SAIC and graduate school at East Carolina University. Turns out that these loans had been gathering interest! PALM SLAP! Oh, only $15k extra added to the principle! Its $75k and rising! Yikes. Maybe I should be looking into this!

I started researching this like it was my full-time job. I fired all cylinders on trying to figure out what to do.  My friend said he was almost $100k in debt and I remembered I have another art school friend with that much debt too. They were both working multiple jobs and living with roommates in their 30's to try to pay down these loans and I knew many more in the same boat.  Maybe I need to stop ignoring this elephant too and start paying it off.

Another art school friend says he's in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Which means if he makes minimum of payments for 10 years the rest will be forgiven because he works for a non-profit (a community college). That's great for this friend, but I don't work for a non-profit at present as many of my friends do.

There are also reports of many many people signed up for this program 10 years ago that aren't getting forgiven! Why? Because they filled out a form wrong! Make sure you are sign up correctly, ya'll.

My generation has a huge problem (I'm an old Millennial). We should be buying homes, starting families with secure jobs, and saving for retirement. Instead we have 20 years of $500 to $1000 monthly payments just to get to zero. College was great! What a party it was!  I have many good friends I met there and I learned a great deal!  But the system is broken and maybe I would have chosen a different path if I'd known it was going to be such a financial leash. Will we elect a president that will help us? Haha not likely. I seriously doubt any president can POOF make millions of dollars disappear.

I'm not here to complain. I'm here to find a solution and to help my friends find a solution or at least some camaraderie. These debts aren't going away and I'm not afraid to talk about them or bring them up at a cocktail party (sorry friends).

In lieu of getting a teaching job (a tempting possibility at this point) I went further down the rabbit hole of how to pay these off, or at all. I found some podcasts and blogs about personal finance. I will use this dusty old blog to talk about this and use it as a way to gather up all the information that I've found useful, just so I can link my friends to it. Especially so that I'm not bombarding them with links and blogs in their facebook comments (haha sorry again).

So here's what I found out...if you're freaking out and need some guidance:

1) I found on Spotify an NPR program called Death, Sex, and Money. Among other uncomfortable facts-of-life subjects they discuss, they tackle the student loan debate. This helped me realize that I'm not alone. They interview a bunch of different loan takers and loan experts. There are millions of us out there with this problem and some of them way more in debt than me. So many people called that they had to split their show into two parts. Geez! They could have a podcast show just about student loans! I listened to them on Spotify (I think they have more than a couple about student loans). Here's a couple links to their official stories. Part one and Part two.

2) Another podcast I would recommend is this Choose FI episode. In this episode, a student loan "expert" is interviewed. He recommended that if you don't qualify for Loan Forgiveness then you could get your student loans refinanced. I looked into this and even though this would reduce my interest rate, I would be kicked off the IBR payment plans and never be able to return. Which means if I ever got a teaching job, I couldn't sign up for Loan Forgiveness. Thus I've decided to stay in the IBR program for now to keep that option open.

Now that I have a lower middle class regular job (instead of a food stamps level adjunct instructor), I decided to return to pay down this monster loan. I think the last time I paid on it was when I had the welding job in Richmond in 2008! So there's a lot of people out there that are paying these off by living very frugally and throwing as much money as they can at paying it off. Like WAY more that the monthly payments. Which seems to work too. But I'm not sure its a good idea to do this if you qualify for loan forgiveness. Then maybe its best to invest that extra money somewhere else...like retirement. But I'm no expert....yet.

This rabbit hole has led me to an obsession with personal finance. Something that I don't think I've been awful at, but now I'm really going to lock it down! I will post more about that next.

If you anything to share please leave a comment below.

Papermaking with Veterans

Today I finished teaching a 5 week papermaking course through Veterans Affairs with art therapist/metalsmith/fellow AIR Maria Tritico. In addition to making books & personal pieces, they collaborated on a large collage and they cast into my big face mold and we sewed it together with a student's sailor's palm. Given my personal experience with veterans in my family, it was a powerful experience for us all. Art making is therapy.

Mike Hamer

This blog post is about Mike Hamer. Whatever I could find online about him. There's some links to his music and some YouTube videos uploaded by his friends. I also sprinkled in some comments made on Facebook when he died.

Mike was a bright light when he wheeled into a room. I am honored to be his friend. One of the last times I got to see him was at his birthday party in Greenville when I was on my way to Michigan from Florida, it must have been in June 2017. He was surrounded by friends and family and they did a round robin of music-playing in his backyard. It was a magical experience hearing him and his friends play all this great music with guitars and their voices. He was very loved.

I got to know him from the Maxwell Family aka the NuClear Twins, whom he often played concerts with the last few years of his life. I was going through my own personal tragedy and, its hard to deescribe, but being around someone like Mike made you feel good.  After I heard of his passing that Sunday morning, I found him again on Spotify and even though I was somewhat familiar with his music, I was blown away by the music he had recorded. It reminds me a little of Tom Waits and Bob Dylan because his voice is rough and warbly, but within it are some real gems. I love especially the irrelevant songs and the tragic ones and the tragic/comedic songs. He had a great sense of humor.



Mike Hamer bio on Reverbnation.

Mike Hamer has been writing and playing songs for adults and children for over 40 years. Paralyzed in a diving accident in 1985, Mike took up the hammer dulcimer and has continued to entertain audiences young and old alike. Lately, he has been performing on the Casio PT100 and is performing with the Cantankerous Casio Tour.
Mike focuses on classic American folk songs that give people a sense of their roots, and he loves a good sing-a-long. His original work ranges from Americana to lullabies to rock ballads, rhythm and blues, and even the occasional tango. He performs both solo and with various combinations of musicians and has released seven albums of original songs as well as a children's album and the most recent, a collection of lullabies featuring Julie Beutel.
Mike teaches non-fiction writing and the occasional songwriting course at East Carolina University. Living in Greenville, he hopes to record some new songs soon featuring Mike Hamer and the Cantankerous Casio Tour.

Bob Aiken - December 10, 2017 ·
"For me...there was no stronger, braver, or better man than Mike Hamer. He was my friend and my brother. And I will miss him immensely."

Mike in interviewed on the radio and talks about the accident.

Nikkita Yagenrok December 10, 2017 ·

"My first clear memory of Mike Hamer: I was, for a brief time in my early twenties, his neighbor on Park Drive with two other young ladies. We received an invitation to a Rumi poetry reading in his backyard, and it was one of the most magical afternoons I have spent in town to date. Mike was one of those special people who could brighten the darkest of days. Here's to the next rung on the ladder. Rest easy."

This is pretty dang awesome.


Megan Maxwell shared her photo. December 10, 2017 ·

"Mike Hamer performing at our wedding. He lives forever in the hearts of everyone who met him or heard his music, or just know those of us who hold him dear to our hearts, because he lifted us up."

Not sure what this is exactly but Mike singing with Sue Luddeke and others. Its cheesy but great! :-)

Jerry Allegood is with Mike Hamer and 2 others. December 10, 2017 ·

"My camera was acting up and the shutter didn't open all the way. But it made a different sort of focus on Brandy, Mike and Tabitha"

Mike Hamer to Megan Maxwell
October 17, 2016 at 8:34am

· Time for a pigpile of love, pigpile of love, pigpile of love on top of you!

I found Love Dust an amazing album where he talks about being in a wheelchair in a tragic and funny way. 

At Mike's funeral. 

I missed the funeral by being in Florida, but was able to visit near Christmas time and Nathan Maxwell sang Josephine for me. Its a great song.

I'm in West Palm Beach! (an update)

This Fall of 2016 I began my new life as an Artist-In-Resident at the Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. Its an 8-month residency. 

Its been a bit of a blur around the country. After Interlochen Summer Camp (a whirl in itself), in Northern Michigan,  I drove back to my studio in Greenville, NC and took down my solo show at Emerge Gallery. In about a week's time, I bought a trailer and loaded it up with sculpture and drove it down to South Florida. 

As an Artist-in-resident, I'm supposed to spend half my time working on my artwork and half the time teaching classes for the Armory and doing general maintenance and outreach. It's been a blast so far. Here are some photos from my phone, just to give you an idea of what its like here.

Jaded Lovers

 I brought Jaded Lovers on the trailer and was able to install it in front of the Armory, which is neat because it matches the white star design. Its a very new piece. I made it right before leaving for Michigan last Spring. This is the first time it's been on display and people seem to like it. 

Here is a view of a sunset on the street I live on. That's my trusty Dodge Truck on the lower left. I was super lucky and found (through connections at Interlochen, MI) a small "carriage house" to live in a short walk away from the Armory Campus. Its like furnished guest house and very small. My bed is a few feet away from the kitchen! It is perfect for me. I come home, cook dinner, and read Game of Thrones.

Tree frog that surprised me in my mailbox!

My first class is Intro to Welding. The class learns the basics of Oxyacetylene Welding, Stick, MIG, and plasma cutting. I picked the Cube Project because they learn how to construct a simple shape. I like teaching here. There's no grades, no attitudes, just learning. The people are so nice. The students sign up eager to learn welding. It seems there hasn't been a welding sculpture teacher here for a while, so people are eager to get in here and learn the equipment. 

Student's 6in Cube. A+

Here I am repairing a 30-year sculpture that was outside the Armory.

Students MIG welding

Student lighting her torch.

Student MIG welding

Another class I'm teaching is Shadowboxes: the Art of Joseph Cornell. This class was very small at the beginning of the session, but we had fun re-using students' collections of found objects into presentable wall hanging artwork. 

I've been working on a few new sculptures and face-mugs, but a show opportunity popped up real quick. All my sculptures were tied up in other shows here, in NC, or still in progress. So I took stock of the work I had and came up with this sculpture. The show was a last Saturday at Studio 1608 in West Palm Beach. It was a group show and I talked and met many people from Palm Beach. 

Heads of States of Existing 

I've got some real awesome projects in the hopper, but don't want to spoil it by posting too many Progress shots. Just follow me on Facebook or Instagram to see more. 

I'll try to post more often here. I'm not sure if the Blog is still a good format for me. There are so many these days. I think sometimes I am "oversharing". The blog is kind of a throwback to Myspace, where I'd share my thoughts and what's going on in my life, before Facebook. 

Anyway. There's the update on my life so far. Hope ya'll are doing well and living the dream, too.

38th Annual Tri-State Sculpture Conference Schedule of Events

Randolph County, North Carolina
Schedule of Events

Wednesday, October 5, 201610am-4pm:
Installation of sculpture @ Sarah Smith Self Gallery, Asheboro NC
Installation of student sculpture @ Downtown Seagrove Gallery, Conference only
Installation of outdoor sculpture @ CBS Sculpture Park, Conference only unless prearranged

Thursday, October 6, 2016
8am-10am:
Conference Registration Check in @ Carolina Bronze Sculpture (must be registered and checked in to participate in today's events)

9am-1pm:
Behind the scenes tour of the NC Zoo Design Exhibits and fabrication shop and a tour of art in Africa region of the zoo and art in North America region of the Zoo, free but reservation required

10am-12 noon: choose one
Conference Registration Check in @ Carolina Bronze Sculpture
Installation of sculpture @ Sarah Smith Self Gallery, Asheboro NC
Installation of student sculpture @ Bank Vault Gallery, downtown Seagrove, Conference only
Installation of outdoor sculpture @ CBS Sculpture Park, Conference only unless prearranged

1pm-3pm: choose one
Conference Registration Check in @ Carolina Bronze Sculpture
Tour of NC Pottery Center, Seagrove Pottery tour on your own
Installation of sculpture @ Sarah Smith Gallery, Asheboro NC

4pm-6pm:
Walking tour of downtown Seagrove potteries and TSS Student Show

6pm-8pm
Reception @ NC Pottery Center hosted by Seagrove Area Potters Association (SAPA), Heavy hor d'oeurves and wine

Friday, October 7, 2016
8am-10:30pm:
Conference Registration Check in @ STARworks

8:30am-12 noon:
Vendor tables open
Coffee and donuts available
Vendor raffle tickets sold (for vendor gift baskets)

8:30am-9:30am: choose one
Presentation # 1 – STARworks – Joe Grant
Presentation # 2 –ACRATECH, Rigging Large Sculptures, Jerry Klinke and Neil Hayes
This session will introduce the participants to a basic understanding of rigging equipment and techniques used in the handling and lifting of sculptures and artwork. It will include the selection, inspection and usage of rigging equipment as well as case studies of the lifting of various art objects.
Presentation # 3 – Artist Estate Planning, Amy Kincaid, Board Certified Estate Lawyer

9:45am-10:30am: choose one
Presentation # 1 – STARworks Glass Studio, Sculpture building with Thoryn Ziemba
Presentation # 2 – Arts Entrepreneurship at NCSU, Gary Beckman
Presentation # 3 – STARworks Clay Studio, Ceramic Sculpture building with Erin Younge

10:45am-11-30am: choose one
Presentation # 1 – STARworks Glass Studio, Sculpture building with Thoryn Ziemba
Presentation # 2 – STARworks Clay Studio, Ceramic Sculpture building with Erin Younge
Presentation # 3 – Clay Plaque Making From Photos, TJ O’Connor
Presentation # 4 – Applying for Artist Grants, Jeff Pettus, Senior Program Director,NCDCR

11:30am-1pm:
Lunch on own: Food trucks available
1pm-2pm: choose one
Presentation # 1 – STARworks – Ceramic Fire Sculpture, Anne Partna, Blue Hen Pottery
Presentation # 2 – Clay and Steel, Merged and Fired, Mark Gordon
Presentation # 3 – Creating Your Own Plasticine and Other Modeling Materials, Joel Haas

2:15pm-3:30pm:
Roundtable Discussion: Life as an Artist
Share in a discussion with artists Ed Walker, Jim Gallucci, Carl Billingsley, Steve Bickley and David Fernandez who are making a living creating art, teaching art, making art for others, and working in an arts non- profit. How did they get started? What advice can they give you? How do they make time for their own creativity? Join us in a lively question and answer session and bring some questions of your own.
Vendor tables open
Vendor raffle tickets sold

4pm-5pm:
Walking tour of downtown Asheboro Outdoor Sculpture Show
*15 person shuttle bus to go to downtown Asheboro from conference hotel

5pm-6pm:
Reception for Tri-State Sculptors exhibition @ Sarah Smith Gallery

6pm-7:30pm:
Dinner @ 105 Worth Event Center

7:30-8:30pm:
Keynote Speaker, Noah Scalin, with Coffee and Desert: Open to the public
Lifetime Achievement Award
Vendor Raffle winners – must be present to win
*15 person shuttle bus to return to conference hotel

Saturday, October 8, 2016
8:30am-10:30am:
Conference Registration Check in @ Carolina Bronze Sculpture
Coffee and bagels available
8:30am-9:30am: choose one
Presentation # 1 – Sandcasting Demo by Carolina Bronze Sculpture
Presentation # 2 – Crossing Barrier, a Mixed Material Collaboration, Jim Davies and Rosie
Presentation # 3 – 10 Questions To Start a Conversation, Ed Walker, Carolina Bronze

9:45am-10:30am: choose one
Presentation # 1 – Smooth-On Product Demo, Chris Wooten, Reynolds Advanced Materials
Presentation # 2 – ACRATECH, Rigging Large Sculptures, Jerry Klinke and Neil Hayes
This session will introduce the participants to a basic understanding of rigging equipment and techniques used in the handling and lifting of sculptures and artwork. It will include the selection, inspection and usage of rigging equipment as well as case studies of the lifting of various art objects.
Presentation # 3 - Crossing Barrier, a Mixed Material Collaboration, Jim Davies and Rosie Thompson, continued

10:45am-11-30am: choose one
Presentation # 1 – Patina demo by Carolina Bronze Sculpture
Presentation # 2 – Water-based clay portrait demo, Peter Rubino
Presentation # 3 – Sales Techniques For Artists, Wendy Outland – Art consultant
11:30am-1pm:

Lunch on own: Food trucks available
1pm-2pm: choose one
Presentation # 1 – The Combination and Integration of Metal With Clay, Michael Hough
Presentation # 2 – Computer Not (In) Control, From Digital to Physical, Austin Sheppard
Presentation # 3 – Moldmaking demo by Carolina Bronze Sculpture and Silicones, Inc

2:15pm-3:30pm
Roundtable Discussion: Public Art:
Are public art commissions worth pursuing as part of your artistic career? Artists and an art administrator discuss best practices and share anecdotes about gaining success in the field of public art. Jeff York, Jim Galluchi, Chas Fagan, Michael Waller

1pm-8pm: – open to the public
CBS Sculpture Park – open to the public
Liberty Arts Iron Pour – open to the public, Sundown, approx. 6:30 pm
Don't miss Liberty Arts' Pour Master Tripp Jarvis as he and an amazing team of artists rev up our mobile furnace to 2800 degrees and turn iron into liquid. Create your own scratchblock designs at the afternoon workshop from 2-5 pm, $30 for one, $75 for 3. Watch as the molten metal lights the nighttime sky. It's an event you won't soon forget.
Large onsite clay sculpture firing by Daniel Johnston
Watch as Daniel and his crew fire a large clay sculpture on the grounds of the Carolina Bronze Sculpture Garden. The highlight of the evening is when the kiln is removed to reveal the sculpture in all it’s fiery glory!

6pm-7pm:
BBQ Dinner
Beer and wine supplied by Four Saints Brewery

7pm – 8pm:
Keynote Speaker – Daniel Johnston - open to the public
CBS Sculpture Park Dedication
Bingo Game winner announced

8pm – until:
Tri-State Social
PechaKucha 20x20 by members
Daniel Johnston – Large Ceramic Sculpture Firing
*15 person shuttle bus to return to conference hotel

Sunday, October 9, 2016
9:30-12noon:

Tri-State Sculptors Business Meeting at Carolina Bronze Sculpture. Open to all members
9am-3pm:
Pick up sculptures from Student Show/ CBS Sculpture Park

Studio space available at Dirty LAM Sculpture Studio

Studio 24-7 access to a studio in Uptown District of Greenville NC. Tools available for your use include: MIG welder for steel and aluminum, plasma cutter, air-tank, die-grinder, grinder, table-saw, miter saw, metal chop saw, bathroom, WIFI, rack to store metal, and table space. A place for you to work without bothering the neighbors. Tools are not to be removed from the studio for any reason. This is a work place not a party zone or a hangout spot.

 Price $150 including $150 deposit. You must have a bank account to pay rent through an online system. Available September to May 2016 with chance to re-new. Looking for a 8 month commitment, but month-to-month would be considered with a month’s advance warning. You are an artist. You work in clay, in metal, painting, metalsmith, etc. You are respectful of the studio and clean up after yourself.

You share the studio with another artist, Jordan Parah. We both will interview you about what you intend to make, how much time you will spend there, and how much space you will need. You must provide photos of your work and a reference from someone that can attest to your work ethic. You obey the law.

 About The Dirty LAM Sculpture Studio is a well-known Greenville institution since 2011. It’s been an art incubator, an artwalk venue, and conference gathering place. On 9th Street near the new 10th Street connector and across the street from where Jefferson’s Flower Shop will be moving, which will provide curious shoppers. Because it is situated between Collide Youth Church and Pitt County Sheriff’s substation giving the studio a virtual 24-7 free security.

 Me (Andy Denton) The Dirty LAM has been my studio since 2011. Because I am going to a residency, I will let 1 (and maybe 2) qualifying, trustworthy, and reliable artist(s) to rent it out until May 2017 with a chance to r
enew. Studio Tech Jordan Parah manages the space and tools. You will work with her to make sure the studio is kept clean and organized, tools and space are shared respectively and used responsibly. There is a “you break it, you pay for its repair” policy. She is not your maid. We will sign an agreement and I reserve the right to kick you out if there’s any violation of agreement.

 Contact Andy.Denton@gmail.com

You Always Live Again: Solo Exhibition in Greenville.

E-news Bulletin from Andy! View this email in your browser You Always Live Again - Sculpture and Pottery by Andy Denton. I am pleased to announce I have a Solo Show which open this June 3rd and through August 19th at Emerge Gallery in Greenville, NC. It will feature many new sculptures and pottery that I want to sell sell sell, they gotta go or I will drown in mustache cups and skull mugs. Haha! Emerge Gallery is the Pitt County Arts Council and is Greenville's artistic hub in many ways. My CV is filled with different group exhibits at Emerge from over the years, so it is very neat to gain sole access to a whole gallery for an entire summer. Instead of setting up my pottery at various outdoor markets this summer, I have decided to install it all at Emerge and let them reap the benefits of selling my pottery and sculptures. On exhibit: new! large ceramic sculpture featuring a deer on top of a lady's head. new! a wall of small relief sculptures that could double as soap dishes or spoon rests title: Series of Dreams  they are freaky and psychedelic they are being fired at Dan Finch's as I write this, fingers crossed! new! an outdoor sculpture featuring a bird and a yogi.  ...if it fits into the gallery! new! baby doll face mugs. YUMMY! a sculpture with moss never before seen in Greenville. I'm really excited about this exhibit and I think it will turn this town upside down. Riot in the streets turmoil. Watch out! ;-) Other News: My pottery is available at these locations: Poor Man's Hole in Swansboro, NC Pineapple Yoga Studio in Wilmington, NC Art Avenue in Greenville, NC Wilson Arts Council as part of a group exhibit of Dan Finch's Studio Potters.  Make sure to like my Facebook Page because I send my instagram photos there. I also updated the design on my website for your viewing pleasure. I will be going teaching/managing at Interlochen Center for the Arts this summer for the 6th year and look forward to another beautiful Northern Michigan summer. I have some more exciting news coming soon, but will announce it at the next e-news post. Thanks for following my art practice! I wish you every good thing and have a nice day today. -Andy Denton ON DISPLAY: "Transformation Revisited" now in Valparaiso, Indiana. This is part of the Midwest Sculpture Initiative that installs work all over Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. I also dropped off another sculpture that they will install for me in just a few a days. It was a long drive to install work, but I made the best of the trip and I realized that it was the closest I've ever installed art to my birthplace (a secret witch's lair in Indiana).  "Transformation Revisited" - Aluminum- 10ft tall. Installed in Valparaiso, Indiana

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