Functional Ceramics 1974
Ceramics Monthly, September 1974
The Art Center Museum of the College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio presented “Functional Ceramics 1974,” an invitational exhibition, April 7 through May 5.
Twenty-one ceramists including many of this country’s leading potters provided 250 pieces for exhibition and sale. Participants were asked to comment on the challenge faced by the functional potter when combining utility, strength, and design; excerpts from those comments are included in this feature article. Forty color slides of selected works have been prepared and are currently available for sale (see the Directory of Audio-Visual Aids, beginning on page 48 in this for further details).
The exhibition was prepared by Arnold Lewis, past director of the Art Center Museum and chairman of the department of art, and by Phyllis Clark of the department of art staff and assistant to the museum director. A broad range of functional forms and decorative techniques was evident, demonstrating the diversity of style in contemporary functional ceramic design. Catalog information is available on request. Another such exhibition is planning for 1975.
Above: Marvin Bartel, Goshen, Indiana. “Chief Stool,” 20 inches in height.
“I like to see an element of mystery in a work of art…Function provides me with many absurd, but often creative ideas that would never occur…if I felt that function was no longer relevant…“
