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Articles

Elenor Wilson, illustration by Zoe Pappenheimer, 2016.
2°C. It could be the difference between a vase that dons a gem of transparent green, perfectly pooled just above its foot, and one that when pulled from the shelf has a sharp, mangled base, leaving its disappointed maker with a shelf to grind and a new addition to her shard pile.
Michael Simon, Black Box. Thrown and altered, cone 10, salt-glazed. Photo by Al Karvey.
At four a.m., the dawn was just starting to crest over the Penland hills. It was dark, and cold for late spring, and I was up doing the sunrise wood kiln shift (my favorite).
In writing about my personal philosophy of sustainability, I considered both my twenty-five-year timeline as a studio artist and my recent plight of surviving a house fire and badly broken back.
Jane Herold. Dinner Plate, 2015. Stoneware with white glaze, 0.5 x 11 in. Photograph by Signe Birck. Food by Bryce Shuman of Betony.
My definition of “useful” keeps evolving. I’ve long believed that a pot’s true usefulness lies in its ability to generate caring, to inspire a cook to greater effort, to offer comfort and company in a cup of tea, to cause someone to pause and take note of a particular moment on a particular day.
Noah Hughey-Commers starting work on the foundation of his kiln, February 2013. Photo by Stephanie Gross.
Editor's note: See Vol. 13, No. 2, June 1985 for "Potters of the Blue Ridge Mountains" featuring several potters from this article.
Natania Hume, Bottle, 2015. Cone 5 stoneware, oxidation. 5 x 9 in. All photos by artist.
As a maker of functional ceramics, I often wonder if my practice is sustainable. Climate change has not only affected how I perceive my work, but it has also shifted the cultural values of many makers; many of us are now aware of our “footprint” and what impact our actions have on the environment.
Espejo (Mirror), Osmany Betancourt, 2003. El Museo de Ceramica. Life size figures depict the struggle of the Cuban people. Photo by author.
The Biennial supplied a visible platform for the political drama between Cuba and the United States. The eyes of the art world were on Havana. Held at La Cabaña, the colonial fortress complex in Havana Harbor, the Biennial was in the news daily.
Jonathan Mess. Reclaim No.9, 2014. Various reclaimed ceramic materials, solid cast. 16 x 11 x 10 in. Photo by Kate Mess.
From the beginning, I figured out a. I don’t want to pay for anything, and b. there’s so much waste everywhere. I feel bad opening up a new bag of Neph Sy or something that was shipped here from California, or wherever.
"Carbon Credit Chai," illustration by Elenor Wilson, styling by Zoe Pappenheimer, 2016.
Editor's note: Find Part I of this essay in Vol. 43 No. 2, Summer/Fall 2015.
Vipoo Srivilasa. Prosperity, 2015. Cobalt pigment on porcelain and mixed media, 2 x 29 x 31 cm. Photograph by Andrew Barcham, courtesy of the artist and Ferrin Contemporary, USA
If it were not for the proverbial bull in a china shop, I would have nothing to collect or write about.
Title Page Art, Lorie Nelson, Preserving Balance, Vol. 44, No. 1
In early June, mornings are cool and peaceful as the sun rises over the rich, verdant landscape of Fernwood Farm. Birds harmonize with the whir and clang of early morning chores, yet there is stillness in the air.
The showroom of Kirk Creed outside Gimli, Manitoba. June, 2015. Photo by Mary Ann Steggles.
Four of Canada’s celebrated potters, Harlan House, Kirk Creed, Gordon Hutchens, and Wayne Ngan, have set admirable examples of how to build a sustainable life as a ceramic artist.
Albany slip-glazed Jugs, 19th century. Left, 9.5 x 5.5 in. Right, 7 x 7 in. Photo by Joseph Szalay.
“You can’t take it with you,” is oft repeated in conversation when referring to other people’s acquisitions. And yet, the majority of us leave behind a raft of stuff, most of it quite ordinary.
Frank Saliani, Vase with Sunflowers, 2014. Colored, cast and assembled porcelain, cone 6 oxidation. 5 x 5 x 3 in. Photo by artist.
For a long time, the question of sustainability for me was largely a question of how to sustain myself as an artist. After securing the basics like food, water, and shelter, there was always the matter of how to secure the space, the time, and the means to maintain a studio practice.
Norm Schulman. Blue Teapot, 1989. Salt-glazed porcelain. 8.5 x 7 x 5.75 in. Collection of Collection of Dorothy and Clyde Collins.
Norm Schulman passed away in October of 2014 in Penland, North Carolina. Norm was an independent thinker, at once rebellious and innovative, engaging, defiant, loving, passionate, a husband, a father, and perhaps most of all, a dreamer.