Let me introduce to you one of the finest locally produced
talkshows to hit our airwaves: Art is Essential.
Let me introduce to you one of the finest locally produced talkshows to hit our airwaves: Art is Essential.
This 30-minute program is hosted and produced by Fran Lozano, Gavilan’s Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and can be seen on GAV-TV, Channel 18 daily at 11am, 7:30pm, and 11:30pm.
Art is Essential explores why the arts are so important in our lives. As the show’s introduction states, art is not just about putting pen to paper or paint on a canvas. Art is about problem solving, about communicating ideas in unique ways and about exploring alternative viewpoints.
This week, Fran interviews Sculptor Mark Fisher, Gavilan Ceramics Teacher Jane Rekedal, and Raku Artist Kasey Gonzales about how they got started in their perspective fields, and how they go about creating their works of art. You’ll particularly enjoy the footage of the artists in their studio, creating works.
Kasey explains that “Raku is for people who like action. There’s a lot of burning, using closed containers for cooling artworks as they change colors, and coordinating your movement with other artists helping you shape and create a piece. Indeed, the footage we see of her creating a pot is not placid and relaxed!
Quite the contrary, there are a few people running around, creating spaces for blazing hot pots to cool, and turning pieces in the kiln. It appears to be an unusual and fascinating way to create pieces.
Watching the wheel spin as Jane Rekedal shapes a new pot is really meditative. Fran comments on how “easy Jane makes it look,” and I’d agree. Jane reassures viewers however, that it takes practice and repetition to become at ease with the tools used to create ceramics.
Be sure to tune in to GAV-TV Channel 18 this week and check out Art is Essential, as well as the other Gavilan produced programs, The Gavilan Hour and Gavilan Connections. Programming schedules are always available on our Web site at www.mycmap.org
Suzanne St. John-Crane is the director of CMAP. She writes a regular column for publication in The Dispatch highlighting the news from our local television station.
