DESERT CLASSICS: Ceramics in Arizona
This exhibition will highlight four Arizona ceramic artists, Rose Cabat, Susan Peterson, and Edwin and Mary Scheier, who developed their individual ceramics styles out of the mid-20th century studio pottery tradition. A focus exhibition of Don Reitz’s work will coincide with Desert Classics at the Ceramics Research Center. This exhibition will utilize works from the Museum’s permanent collection, local private collections, as well as the artists’ personal holdings.
Well into their 90s, Ed and Mary Scheier produced ceramics for more than six decades, generating an impressive body of work. During their long career, they became known for their well-crafted functional ceramics and collaborative practices. As individual artists, their work is distinctive and representative of their personal interests.
Mary did most of the throwing, producing traditional thin walled vessels with luminescent glazes. Ed’s emphasis was on decoration, enlivening the vessels with his narrative imagery of fertility goddesses or creation stories. During his career, Ed branched out into different mediums such as drawing, carved wood, and textiles. Today, he continues to experiment and adapt, recreating his narratives as computer generated prints.
A contemporary to the Scheiers, Tucson artist Rose Cabat began her career later in life. A self-taught artist, Rose and her late husband Erni invented the famous “feelie,” which they coined to describe the smooth tactile surface created by the glaze. Her signature teardrop vessels developed from traditional vase forms, thrown on the wheel in her home studio. Rose still works six to eight hours a day, producing the delicate porcelain vessels in a wide variety of “feelie” colors.
From the 1950s until her retirement in 1994, Susan Peterson followed an academic career as well as an artistic one. As a studio potter, she is known for her glaze techniques, reproducing glazes mastered by the Chinese duplicating the purples and reds of the Ch’ing Dynasty porcelains.
As a ceramic educator, she has been a catalyst and a facilitator, starting five ceramics programs at universities around the country. Her students comprise a virtual who’s who of American ceramic masters and include John Mason, Ken Price and Beatrice Wood. She has authored more than 15 books and continues to dedicate her life to the field.
The Ceramics Research Center is fortunate to be the recipient of the Susan Harnly Peterson Archive, comprising her ceramics library of rare books brought back from her travels in the field, the slides and videotape she gathered documenting works of ceramic art, kiln sites, processes, and interviews with ceramists.
In the exuberant tradition of Peter Voulkos, Don Reitz has emerged as an important figure in contemporary studio ceramics. His work is wide ranging, from functional plates and pitchers, to his distinctive large-scale, slab built vessels. Perhaps his greatest contribution to the field has been his technological advancements and innovations to the salt-glaze process. Like Susan Peterson, Don has dedicated his life to teaching ceramics and continues to inspire emerging artists through his workshops.
Artists in the Exhibition:
Artists in the exhibition include Edwin and Mary Scheier, Susan Harnly Peterson, Rose Cabat, and Don Reitz
ASU Art Museum Presentation
Organized by Peter Held and Tiffany A. Fairall, DESERT CLASSICS: Ceramics in Arizona will be installed in the Arizona State University Art Museum’s Ceramics Research Center location.
Duration
DESERT CLASSICS: Ceramics in Arizona (February 5 through April 2, 2005) is open at the ASU Art Museum Ceramics Research Center: Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Support
The exhibition and related programs are supported in part by Ceramics Leaders of ASU (CLA).
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