AFTERWORD

Australasia Museum

In early 2005, I was encouraged by Janet Mansfield to make a visit to Australasia for searching artists to come to Fuping and to make art work for the coming Australasia Museum in Fuping. By the end of 2005, FuLe International Ceramic Art Museums (FLICAM) decided to build three museums in Fuping in 2006~7 and Australasia Museum was the first of them. It includes Australia and New Zealand.

In January, 2006, Janet Mansfield organized a meeting at her office in Paddington, Sydney for me and invited 7 other persons representing different institutions from Australia. The purpose of this meeting was to introduce the FLICAM program including building an Australasia Ceramic Museum in Fuping Pottery Art Village (FPAV) as a part of the FLICAM group. I wished to have 12-16 ceramic artists from Australia and New Zealand coming to FPAV and make the art work for the Australasia Museum. So, one of the purpose of this meeting was to find good artists to go. The second purpose was to find some of the institutions which could assist the traveling cost for artists. I suggested that at least 6-8 artists were needed from Australia for first round workshop to make enough art work for the opening and another 4-6 coming from New Zealand. I also mentioned that wood fire work was very strong in Australia and it should be emphasized.

It was also discussed how to announce the event so more Australian artists could know the opportunity. Janet Mansfield agreed to announce it in her magazine. Michael Reighery took initiation to liaison the artists searching. All agreed that all meeting members will continue to be concerned of the progress of the program and asked me to continue keeping them informed. Then I visited Canberra, Melbourne and Auckland. In Auckland, New Zealand I met artists Len Castle, Richard Parker, Peter Collis and John Parker at Rong Sang’s Home, Moyra Elliot was out of town so she introduced Rong to me, All artists shown great interest to come to China except Len, he was over 80 years old. I also extended invitation to Chris Weaver and Peter Lange. In Australia. I visited Cowra Gallery where I viewed the exhibition of Richard Daly’s collection of contemporary Australian ceramic work. I also visited the Powerhouse Museum in Sidney and view the early days Australian ceramics.

My Australia and New Zealand trip pretty much set the scheme of the Australasia Museum in Fuping. I was quite sure that Museum would be successful with the help from all the people I met. From there on, things moved smoothly. By the Fall of 2006, the building construction started, all artists were selected and 4 of the Australia artists came to Fuping in the September to make their work for the Museum. The opening date for the inauguration of the Museum and exhibition was set for May 27th, 2007. All other artists would come to Fuping in late April or early May of 2007 to do their work and stayed there till the opening time. All together, we have 13 artists from Australia and 6 from New Zealand to make and contribute their art work to the Museum.

I have to say Australasia Museum is another successful example of FLICAM.

Dr. I Chi HSU, one of the Directors of FuLe International Ceramic Art Museums (FLICAM) in Fuping (near Xi'an) participated ceramic activities in Gulgong, Australia, two times. In these two gathering, he met many Australasia artists. During the second gathering, the Clay Modern event organized by Janet Mansfield, Dr Hsu invited about 10 Australia artists to a Chinese dinner and he introduced the intention of FLICAM to dedicate an Australasia Ceramic Museum as one of the regional museum of the FLICAM’s museum complex in Fuping.

FLICAM is jointly organized by Fuping Pottery Village (FPV) and Le Pottery Studio, HAP (Hsu Arts Promotion) in Beijing. This is the origin of the name “FuLe” The first stage of the plan was to build a group of main exhibition halls including one 18 meter high dome hall and two dragon like longitudinal halls. All constructions were finished in August of 2004 just on time for the opening of the First International Ceramic Magazine’s Editors Symposium. Then, in 2005, the French Museum and Scandinavia Museum were built. A total of 25 artists came to work for an average of 4 weeks and contribute their work to these two museums. It is FLICAM’s goal to build more than 10 such museums to cover most important region in the world where the ceramic activities are significant.

FLICAM is located inside FPV in Fuping which is a county town about 70 km northeast of Xi‘an, the famous ancient capital of China’s Qin, Han and Tang dynasties. FPV is an enterprise composed by 1000 acres land of orchard, a modern tile factory and a three star hotel.

A China-Australasia Ceramic Art Exchange (CACAX) Committee will be formed. The members recommended for the committee are listed below:

• Janet Mansfield
• Janet DeBoos
• Moyra Elliot (New Zealand)
• XU Dufeng, FuLe International Ceramic Art Museums
• FU Qiang, FuLe International Ceramic Art Museums
• HSU I-Chi, Secretary, FuLe Ceramic Art Museums

The proposed CACAX program is aimed to exchange the ceramic art between China and Australasia. It consists of the following parts:

A) Australasia Ceramic Workshop in China, 2006-7

A workshop will be organized and at least 12 Australasia ceramic artists( 8 from Australia and 4 from New Zealand) as recommended by CACAX committee will be invited to Fuping for work 4 weeks in 2006-7 before the opening of the museum. If more artists want to come, some can be arranged to come to Fuping in the second year because Fuping like to take about 10 artists each time. Like the French program, 28 were selected and and each year only 8-10 are coming.

Participated Australasia artists will visit China to experience ancient Chinese culture in the Xi'an region where dynasties Qin, Han, and Tang had its capital there. In addition, China is proposing to develop the Great North West (GNW) in the 21st Century and Xian is the gate to the GNW. It is also recognized by the artists from France and Scandinavia that to work in this part of country is unique and the ceramic work they make in Fuping reflecting their China feeling.

Australasia artists will come to China and spend 4 weeks in China and making ceramic work in Fuping. It is the FLICAM’s concept, not to accept the art work made by the artists at other places, but in Fuping using the local materials, glazes and the local facilities. FPV owns a tile factory and also a section making ancient building structure elements. So many molds are available. Any industrial products in process could be used to create art work. Based on the comments made by other foreign artists worked in Fuping, such interchange of industrial production and creative art is one of the interesting access Fuping has. FLICAM will also arrange Australasia artists to visit culture surroundings in Xi'an and Fuping. If they have additional time, they should also visit other part of China or ceramic towns in China either before or after the Fuping program.

Highlight of the Exchange Program

• Artists from one country or one region will be selected and invited to FLICAM,Fuping to participate a four week workshop.
• FLICAM will build a musuem for this country or region to collect and exhibit the art work.
• Artists will contribute their work to FLICAM and be the charter member of this Musuem.
• Artists have to take care their own traveling cost, round tri to Xi'an.
• FLICAM will provide all the lodging and food for this four week period.
• FLICAM will provide all materials,equipment,and necessary labor assistance for their ceramic work.
• FLICACM emphasizes artists' local cultural and environmental feeling and hoe them to integrate it to their creative mind for their work.
• Opening ceremony will be followed after the workshop and a catalog will be published later.
• Museum member-artists are welcome back t work again in Fuping and a residensy program is available.

Australasia and America Museum