To see a video on the presentation from Garth Johnson. click here.
Highlights of ceramicist Garth Johnson’s lecture Wednesday evening included Anna Maltz’s molehair suits that make the wearer appear naked and a scarf by Laura Splan made of medical tubing that circulates the wearer’s blood in order to keep warm. A heart-warming story about the “grannies of Koniakow” joining the world of capitalism by making thongs out of heirloom quality lace also received an audible reaction.The “whim of iron” is at the core of his design philosophy, Johnson said to a filled auditorium. Part of the distinguished lecture series, students and professors agree Johnson’s was the most successful yet.Johnson, an associate art     professor at the College of the Redwoods in Eureka, Calif., reminded students art is fun, and they don’t often get to hear about that, said painting professor Kelli Scott Kelly.”It was the first lecture where half of the students weren’t falling asleep at the end,” said Stephen Blades, sculpture art senior. While almost all of the lectures are required, Johnson’s was the most interesting, said Skye Erie, sculpture art senior.Drawing from the phrase “will of iron,” Johnson described the “whim of iron” as “an idea that’s so crazy, you really are unable to not make it into reality.” The auditorium responded with a rumble of recognition.Johnson advised students to not edit themselves.”Make your crazy ideas into reality before talking yourself out of them,” he said.During the past three years, Johnson said he’s made more than 800 posts to his Web site, Extreme Craft. The lecture is essentially the “greatest hits” from those posts, he said. “It was nice to hear people laugh,” said Michaelene Walsh, associate art professor, who nominated Johnson to speak at the program.Although he is an established ceramicist, Johnson said he doesn’t feature his own work in the lecture. The site has become his obsession since its creation three years ago.The slogan and his goal for Extreme Craft, only took a few minutes of contemplation, he said.”Art masquerading as craft, craft masquerading as art and craft holding up its middle finger” is a recurring theme on his Web site.Johnson said he’s especially interested in historical examples of extreme crafting, such as a manual from the 1800s detailing how to make sculptures and architectural models out of rendered beef fat.”As long as the human urge to create has existed, the urge to take it further than you should has also existed,” Johnson said.He owes a lot of his findings to people who contact him and to the Internet, Johnson said.”There’s a craft gene in my family that tends toward the obsessive,” he said, referring to great-grandfathers who were blacksmiths and gem carvers, a mother who is a “crazy quilter” and an aunt who is “an obsessive glass painter.””Ceramics was the last thing I thought I’d get into,” Johnson admitted.Once that “craft DNA” clicked, clay remained his chosen medium for 12 years, he said.Johnson will remain on campus today, visiting classes, speaking with students and giving a demo of how he creates his own work from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. in the ceramics area of the art building.Johnson’s visit to her class Wednesday morning prompted Katie Knoeringer, painting graduate student, to attend the lecture. She said she found him to be insightful and easier to understand than other lecturers. “I think this was reaching out more to the design students,” said Knoeringer. Johnson’s ceramic features decorations created with vinyl decals, a sand blaster and paintball gun splatters, incorporating references to pop culture.- – – -Contact Olga Kourilova [email protected]