Heather Barker Artist Statement
Heather Barker comes from a creative family, many of them pursuing careers in the arts. Heather has worked in human services for over 25 years, including working at a women’s shelter answering domestic abuse hotline calls and performing case management. She has also worked with teens at the Department of Youth Services and with adults of various abilities and barriers, finding vocational training through the Mass Rehab Commission. Heather broke state records in Massachusetts with the number of people she assisted in regaining employment. She also worked in the Welfare to Work grant program through the Department of Transitional Assistance.
Over the years, Heather has implemented and organized Expressive Arts groups with the populations she has worked with. About this, she says, “I had a strong desire to help them heal through the arts and learn healthy ways to express themselves. I found it a window at the very least for them to come together as a group and begin to build bonds and support for each other. I feel fortunate to have had the chance to watch street kids give me attitude about doing an art project and then begin working with clay and paints at the same table as their rival gangs. Art does amazing things to everyone it touches!”
Raising her daughter as a single mother has made her realize that she needs something for herself, some form of creative expression. “After hearing so much of the darkness and struggles in the world through my human service jobs over the last 25 years, I began to snap away. I found photography more valuable than ever to help me focus and to remember the beauty in the world all around me everywhere, people, family, nature, my daughter, events…whatever, I began to snap away.”
Current Work
- Photograph The New England Music Awards http://nemusicawards.com/ at their annual awards show
- Freelance photographer at Chelmsford Independent http://chelmsford.wickedlocal.com/
- Brand Ambassador for Howl Magazine, www.howlmag.com, a local print and online arts and entertainment magazine. My photos are used in the magazine and online.
Won Best Color Award at The Whistler House of Lowell, show in 2014. http://www.whistlerhouse.org/
She plans on doing more shows in the future. You can follow her photography journey on her Facebook page, Heather Barker’s Photography.
Gayle C. Heney Artist Statement
The process of Raku includes placing glazed pieces of pottery in a kiln, usually powered by gas burners. The glazes respond to the low-fire temperature, which rarely exceeds 2000 degrees F., by melting, bubbling and developing a “shiny look.” When the glazes are mature, the pot is removed with tongs and placed in a container filled with combustibles such as shredded paper, magazines, straw or sawdust. In this reducing environment, the combustibles ignite, creating a smoke-filled atmosphere. Those areas of the pot left unglazed become black as a result. In addition, metallic luster, crackle patterns and iridescence are possible in this exciting process. Raku, as a firing method, provides an opportunity for serendipity and immediacy, which enhances its appeal for me.
Historically, Raku bowls were thought to have been made first by a Korean immigrant to Japan. His son, Chagiro, (1515-1592) and his family became known as the Japanese “Raku family.” Chagiro made tea bowls for the famous tea master Sen-no-Rikyu. This genetic line of potters continued until 1944. Raku tea bowls exemplify the Zen emphasis on “simple living,” and were originally associated with the Japanese tea ceremony. Classical Japanese tea bowls are small, irregular, made by hand and without detail. Their simple form, unadorned rim, lack of detail and understated glazes require handling in order to be fully appreciated.
Raku in America is very different from its Asian ancestor. Here, Raku is known for flamboyant color, metallic luster and free form. Emphasis is placed on the exciting process of firing with glazes that can amaze our senses and challenge our notion of what pottery can be.