Val Cushing Interview
Conducted by Margaret Carney in Alfred Station, New York, 2001

DR. CARNEY: Could you tell me whether or not you've had involvement with the Penland School of Crafts, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Arrowmont, Pilchuck [Glass School], Archie Bray [Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, Helena, MT] or any other educational facilities?

MR. CUSHING: [Laughs.] All of the above, except Pilchuck. Now, the fact is I have taught in all of those places, including Anderson Ranch, which is another one, Peters Valley, another one in Pennsylvania. I've taught twice at Penland and twice at Anderson Ranch and once in the other places. I'm a great supporter of these places. And let me say Archie Bray is in particular significant to me because in 1968, I had a grant to study at Archie Bray. This was when Dave Shaner was running Archie Bray, and Jim Flagherty, who was his assistant then, who had just gotten his MFA at Alfred. Dave Shaner, of course, had gotten one here earlier.

The Alfred connection at Archie Bray, I think, is well-understood. When Ken Ferguson took over the Bray after Pete Voulkos and Rudy Autio left -- Ken wasn't the next one, there were a couple in between, but Ken, I think, made the biggest change at Archie Bray. And then, of course, he was from Alfred, and then Jim McKinnell came and there were others there. Anyhow, Dave Shaner was sort of groomed by Ken Ferguson to take over when Ken retired, or left and went to Kansas City. So Dave Shaner took over. And Jim Flagherty was another who was to have been the director, although that never did develop.

Anyway, I was there for one summer in 1968, and the whole mystique of Archie Bray hit me. It tends to have that effect on one if you go there. There is something very special there. This is not to say that this doesn't exist in these other places we've mentioned. I mean, Haystack, for instance, is this gloriously beautiful place. And I had this cabin that overlooked the ocean. I mean, I never felt like leaving my cabin, it was so beautiful. [Laughs.] And Penland, you know, up on the mountain. I mean, all these places have a great deal to offer. And I'm going to come back to that in a minute.

But Archie Bray, I was there for eight weeks, and I did a significant body of work there. It was just a wonderful summer. By that time we had four children, and the whole family came and we stayed in what had been a gold miner's cabin back up in the national forest. I mean, we had a glorious summer. So Archie Bray was very special to me and I've been a strong supporter of that ever since, although, like most of us, I've donated a pot for the auction to each of these places we've just mentioned for several years now because we want to support them.

I say "we" meaning the people who have been around as long as I and who are known in the field. We all want to support these places because it represents a way to approach clay not through the university but through another angle. The alternative education offered by places like Penland, Anderson Ranch, Archie Bray and so on have become a tremendously important part of the field.
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