"There are always requests for alumni gifts - I get them from 2 schools. One of those schools gave me a pretty hard time with securing studio space, energy, and materials, even though I was a full-time matriculated, and tuition paying student, Still I did my thing, and reorganized the clay mixing room, fired the Alpine bisque kiln every Friday, and donated mixed glazes by the bucket. Over the years I have gifted the Kansas City Art Institute (fund-raiser auction), University of Kansas (cash, clay, glazes), Lawrence (KS) Art Center (glaze materials and chemicals), and Lane (OR) Community College (wheel). One of the interesting gifts was the 1000 pounds of local native stoneware that I gave Chris Obert when he and Professor Joe Zeller were building an anagama at KU. They were making salt fired brick for the insulating layer. You can see the finished kiln (maybe not the bricks) at http://www.lawrenceartscenter.com/ scroll down to "Wood Firing Slideshow." Normally I try to give the kinds of gifts that stoke the clay spirit in us all, rather than a general support of the arts which society at large (especially real estate developers) seems to benefit from. This in spite of the the fact that my interests are in sculpture, photography, the graphic arts, and music as well as ceramics. This year my work is in the KCAI auction. A karmic reciprocation has four of my pieces exhibited at Alexandria's Creative Clay. But, I was reminded of the importance of giving when Bill Schran gave me a tour of NOVA at Alexandria yesterday, explaining how grants and gifts were a large part of the programs success. Pictured is Vanderslice Hall, Kansas City Art Institute. I visited here for the 2008 alumni event which became the event at which ceramic sculptor Jim Leedy announced his retirement."
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