NCECA Part I

Philadelphia is one of those great cities, and it's really not that far away. I took the trip on Friday after work and my classes to attend the last full da and night of the annual NCECA conference. NCECA is the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, and every year their conference draws huge crowds of artists (not just ceramicists), vendors, educators, students, and general art fans.

The actual conference was held inside the Mariott Convention Center right in the heart of Philadelphia, Market Street. Although the conference charges a hefty fee for a pass inside, I was able to negotiate my way in when everyone was packing up, under a good premise, free help loading vans.

The main convention area was filled with tables. All of those tables were comprised of vendors, schools, and artists. The schools come from all over the country to have a sort of recruiting session for possible transfer students and graduate programs. The University of South Carolina's ceramics department, lead by Virginia Scotchie, a very talented ceramicist, has been participating in NCECA for as long as they can remember.

The real nuts and bolts of the conference as far as I'm concerned is the various galleries that exhibit in connection with the conference. Friday night alone, there were countless openings of great work, four of which I was able to attend. In addition, I was able to see what was exhibited in the galleries inside of NCECA.

My reviews and images from the galleries will come this week, but one thing I really wanted to cover was the dance scene. After an early evening gallery hopping, my friends and I from USC went out for some cocktails and nightlife. We ended up at club Zimo on Chestnut Street. This club was unlike any I've seen especially, around New Brunswick. There are no signs, business cards, or distinguishers to let a person know what the name of the club is. In fact, IU had to beg the security guard to even discuss the subject with me, and I still do not know if he told me the truth. The only way to find it is to see it from the street. The windows and doors are covered by anime. Yes, I said it, anime. I understand the obvious snickers and quips that could be made on this subject, but honestly, you just need to get over it, and experience the inside.

Unique DJ's were spinning completely original techno and the whole inside of the club was buzzing with young dancers and performers. The dancers were really at home there, and the way they moved their bodies was amazing. It completely fit in with my blog because this was truly an art for that the dancers were participating in. Their freestyling was some of the most precise and intricate movements I have ever seen, and they made the teams on America's Best Dance Crew look like my parents doing The Hustle on the Disco floor. To be a witness to that after a day full of great art work was a perfect ending to the night. More to come on NCECA later!