AG #8 Recap: Kiln & Letterpress Win Big!

3 proposals, 52 patron votes, $520 in proceeds, 3 styles of home brew from the Dubuque Society of Brewers, Soup & Bread from L May Eatery sent potter Ken Bichell ($370) and letterpress apprentice Rachel Yoder ($132) each home with seed money for their projects. The June funding cycle was open to individual artists or creatives.

AG June Crowd at St. Mark Community Center.

Potter Ken Bichell swayed the audience with his proposal to build  a new wood-fired kiln on the property of Four Mounds in Dubuque. The wood fired kiln is a 2000 year age old process that produces unique surfaces which result from temperatures of 2300F, melting fly ash, and flame impingement. The resulting organic colors and textures are unique to the process. "In Northeast Iowa there were no opportunities for regional artists to fire with wood until in 2000 a group of potters built a kiln in Menominee, Illinois, Ken said "The kiln became a focal point for a growing community of dedicated potters and students. Hundreds of firings and thousands of pots later the kiln is reaching the end of its useful life leaving an uncertain future for those that have come to depend on producing work in this unique way."

Building a new kiln at Four Mounds provides an opportunity for the existing community of artists and students to maintain contiguous use of a wood kiln, but it also offers an opportunity for further outreach to youth programs in conjunction with existing programs at Four Mounds. 

Potter Ken Bichell awarded $370 for his wood fired kiln. Pictured with host Connie Twining & DubuqueFest's Aaron Hefel.

Rachel Yoder, letterpress apprentice at SlowPrint Studio won second place to help fund her idea to create a series of a letterpress postcards using the collection of historic letterpresses at SlowPrint. The content of the postcards will come from collaborations with local artists, designers, poets, and writers.

"The postcards will be composed on any of four presses:  a 1960’s Original Heidelberg “Windmill”, a 1940’s Vandercook 219 flat-bed proof press, 1930’s Miehle Vertical Cylinder Press or the 1900’s Chandler & Price Gordon Old-Style press," Rachel said. "We would first curate the compositions to be published through an editorial submission process and work with collaborators to best display their work, whether visual art or literacy." The postcards will be distributed for free in local cafes and galleries and also by subscription for people who want to be sure to receive the whole series as produced.

Rachel Yoder, letterpress apprentice at SlowPrint Studio.

The night also included a proposal by Roger Richard to create a free alternative newspaper written by the community contributors.

Final report by March winners DubuqueFest Fine Arts Festival for their Community Mural Project with Keith Huie. They showed a documentary video of the project by local film maker Kylie Clark. The Murals are currently on exhibit at Roshek Building, 500 Locust Street in Dubuque through October 1. Click here to watch video.

DubuqueFest Art Fair Director Paula Neuhaus & the Community Murals

We are nothing with YOU and our SPONSORS. A big thanks!

• L May Eatery
• Northeast Iowa Community College
• DigitalDubuque.com
• Dubuque Society of Brewers
• Loras College Food Service Dept.
• St. Mark Community Center 

A special thanks to guest host Connie Twining of Outside the Lines Art Gallery. ;)

The ever-inspiring Connie Twining!

Mark your calendars for September 20, 2012, 6-8 p.m. at Voices Warehouse Gallery, 10th & Jackson Streets in Dubuque.

FYI: Since our launch in September 2010 AG has funded 12 projects raising a total of $6,170 for Dubuque art projects!