Happy holidays! See you in the new year.

Pan Gallery will be closed in January but starts February with a bang in the form of The 48 Hour Clay Project.

Four ceramic artists, from the general vicinity of western Victoria, have been pondering the challenges of their making process and its inherent connectedness with the earth. In a fit of enthusiasm they decided that, in order to explore this area further and to encourage others to consider the values and implications of making objects by hand, the best thing to do was to intensify the process.

And so The 48 Hour Clay Project was born. The rules of the project were agreed - dig your own clay, make something, build a kiln, fire your work. Use only the tools and materials you have on hand, and complete it from beginning to end in 48 hours.

Each artist undertook the challenge independently on her own property. Their stories are inspiring, amusing and cast light on the ceramic process, our relationship with our environment, and our usage of resources.

The 48 Hour Clay Project exhibition includes the finished 48 hour works, as well as documentation of the making/firing process, and other relevant works by the participating artists.

And it should be quite an opening too with live music, locally produced organic nibbles, the artists retelling their experiences and, of course, the opportunity to view the fruits of their labour.

So from all at Pan Gallery we wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Thank you for your continued support and interest this year and we look forward to seeing you in 2010.

The 48 Hour Clay Project

Elise Bishop, Kim Haughie, Kath Wratten, Sue Mitchell
5 Feb to 4 March 2010
Opening Thurs 4 Feb 6-8pm