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Criticism and Aesthetics
Looking for informed criticism on contemporary ceramic art? Look no farther. Our archives contain some of the best writing on ceramic art including timely exhibition reviews and highlights, insightful topical essays and artist profiles – all with gorgeous full-color images of some of the most exciting work in ceramics. If you are passionate about clay, learn about the cultural, social and aesthetic issues directly related to studio ceramics right here. And don't forget to download your free copy of Emerging Ceramic Artists: New Pottery and Ceramic Sculpture to see work by the latest and greatest new talents in the ceramic arts field.
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November 5, 2009
I use one tool everyday, on every pot or sculpture, whether I made it or not. This pervasive tool is critical analysis, and I use it to assess the pot I am currently throwing, the work I made yesterday and the work I made years ago.
October 7, 2009
Those pots have something wrong with them and are thus not for sale. Since there is something wrong with them, and each bear my name, it would cost a large amount of money to convince me to let them out that door. It would be much cheaper for you to wait until I made a bowl that I am happy with.September 18, 2009
I have a confession to make: If you're not the "underdog," I'm probably not rooting for you. Please don't take it personally. Although I sincerely respect the talent, education, training, and skills associated with a variety of expertise, I typically cheer on the underdog, whomever that may be. Underdogs, let us not forget, often can be quite good at what they do. It's only circumstance that gives them underdog status. During the NCAA basketball tournaments, for example, there is no "home" team. There are only "seeded," or ranked, teams. Ordinarily the home team wears lighter colors, and the away team wears the darker version of their school's well-known hue. But during tournament time, that darker color means only that a particular ...
September 18, 2009
The dozen or so stained earthenware sculptures revolved around human heads on pedestal-posts or wall-mounted and clusters of bird beaks (some of which were raku-fired) also mounted on the wall. The results were uniformly dark, foreboding, and very promising.
February 1, 2009
As a field, we are particularly good at time travel, but really only in one direction. We can, and should, start to look forward-further and more often than we do. Many potters define their work by how it differs from industrially made work. For example, the industrial pot is seen as flawless, boring, identical, sterile, cheap, safe and lacking a personal connection to the user. This critical definition goes back to William Morris' 19th-century attack on industrialization and his subsequent championing of craft.
January 14, 2009
Optimum Form and Function for Utilitarian Pots: 10 Questions to Ask When Designing Pottery for Use
Today, Robin Hopper, who wrote the book on functional pottery (quite literally - he is the author of Functional Pottery: Form and Aesthetic in Pots of Purpose), is back again today with ten questions that every functional potter should ask themselves when designing pots for use. Post these in your studio so you remember them every time you make a new pot!
December 20, 2008
An Australian–born potter living in Japan discusses his collaborations with chefs to create ware specifically designed for the presentation and enjoyment of food.
November 1, 2008
An exploration into the history, near extinction and resurgence of what many consider to be the pinnacle of celadon glazes.
November 1, 2008
A discussion of the cultural and historical forces surrounding the production of Pennsylvania salt-glazed ware, why and how it ceased, and what it means to the potters of today. with The Wind in the Jug
October 1, 2008
Looking for and recognizing the qualities in pots that make them timeless, instructive and perhaps even priceless.
October 1, 2008
A potter's perspective on being "the hunter and the hunted" in the collecting world, and what it really means to collect pots.
September 1, 2008
The annual exhibition, which takes place at the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts conference, occupied three gallery rooms at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts this year. The jurors share their thoughts on the work and their reflections on ceramic education.
