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Introduction
to Digging for Clay in the Archives |
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Clay
is quite ordinary. Considering the seemingly worthless material, it
is the maker of the pot who gives quality and value, harmony and refinement
to the work. What good shape is, must be sensed and understood. There
is no recipe, diagram, short-cut or trick.
To
be serious in his planning, to have complete command of his medium,
with skill gained through patient exercise, work discipline, and the
ability to think in and to create out clay - those are the qualities
of the potter. |
This
exhibition, presented in concert with Clay Works: American Ceramics from
the Everson Museum of Art at the UBS PaineWebber Art Gallery, is a selection
of letters, writings, photographs, interviews and other primary sources
documenting American artists working in clay.
The Archives of American Art’s current focus on clay is part of the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, an unprecedented initiative to document the life and work of Americas leading craft artists, made possible through a grant from Nanette L. Latiman. During this five-year project, the Archives will record and transcribe 100 oral history interviews with key figures in American craft. The grant will also support a national campaign to collect the papers of prominent artists working in clay, glass, metal, wood, and fiber. The Laitman project is realized in association with the Museum of Arts and Design. Clay Works: American Ceramics from the Everson Museum of Art will be on view at the UBS PaineWebber Gallery from January 16 to March 28, 2003. |
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