American Studio Ceramics has come to designate a period, roughly from the 1940s through the 1970s, when individual potters shifted from factory production to the personal studio. In this postwar period, artists advanced the ceramics field in various ways: conveying unique artistic vision; exploring materials through experimentation of techniques and glazes; and pushing beyond traditional forms, ranging from the utilitarian to the abstract and conceptual. Pottery became a platform for self-expression where function was optional.
During the 1940s, ceramics, and craft in general, became integrated not only into higher education, but into museums and art centers as well through exhibitions and acquisitions. Pioneering support by philanthropists, such as Aileen Osborn Webb, proved crucial to the field, as well as financial aid from the federal government in the GI Bill, which provided educational funding for veterans returning from WWII. An engagement with ceramics was found to be beneficial in rehabilitation and therapy, helping veterans to process trauma, build community, and express themselves creatively.
An artistic ecosystem developed in the 1950s and 1960s, when academic programs, artist residencies, and regional workshops centering on craft and ceramics emerged throughout the country, with major centers of activity on the East Coast, Midwest, and West Coast. Specialized journals reported on progress and achievements, highlighting emerging and experienced artists to new audiences. The United States became fertile ground for innovative advancements in production, dissemination, and promotion of many art media, including ceramics.
The exhibition does not present an exhaustive account of midcentury potters and their wares. Instead, Centering Clay explores this revolutionary period by constructing connections between the artists and their works, foregrounding the free exchange of creative ideas. Utilizing archival materials and a section on the Festival of Contemporary Arts, the exhibition positions the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign within the larger historical narrative of studio ceramics, as the university’s craft program emerged as a productive center of activity during this time.
Centering Clay features works from the museum’s collection. A selection of artists includes Katherine Choy, Richard DeVore, Donald Frith, Vivika and Otto Heino, Marvin Lipofsky, Gertrud and Otto Natzler, Don Pilcher, Jerry Rothman, Mary and Edwin Scheier, and Peter Voulkos.
Curated by Kathryn Koca Polite, Assistant Curator
Krannert Art Museum acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council.
