Alfred University to award Binns Medal for outstanding contributions to 9/04/02

The School of Art and Design at Sunday will award the Binns Medal for outstanding contributions to the field of ceramic art to the Archie Bray Foundation, and , one of the individuals who helped shape the Bray Foundation into an internationally acclaimed institution. The Binns Medal is named in honor of Charles Fergus Binns, the founding director of the State School of Clayworking and Ceramics, established at Alfred University in 1900, that grew into two renowned schools: the School of Art and Design and the School of Ceramic Engineering and Materials Science. On hand for the presentation will be Ferguson, who earned his Master of Fine Arts degree from Alfred University in 1958, and Josh DeWeese, current executive director of the Bray Foundation and a 1991 graduate of AU with an MFA in ceramic art.After earning his MFA from Alfred University's acclaimed ceramic art program, where he studied with noted ceramist Charles Harder, Ferguson began his career as executive director of the Bray Foundation, which was founded 50 years ago in Helena, MT. The Bray Foundation is dedicated to providing a place to work for anyone seriously interested in ceramic art. Many artists who are now leaders in the ceramic art field began their careers as resident artists at the Bray Foundation."Ken Ferguson's contribution to the Bray Foundation has been lifelong," said Andrea Gill, associate professor of ceramic art and current chair of the Division of Ceramic Art at Alfred University, as well as a former resident artist at the Bray Foundation. Ferguson, she noted, has been a member of the Board of Trustees, and has been very influential in guiding the Foundation to its position of prominence in the field of ceramic art.After leaving the Bray Foundation, Ferguson took over the ceramics department at the Kansas City Art Institute. "He created one of the most respected ceramic art programs in the country," said Gill. "His dedication to educating artists was profound. Within a few years, he was attracting students from all over the world who were interested in making pots. His program was one of the strongest undergraduate schools where pottery was a prime focus of the curriculum. His influence in the field is huge, as he has educated many faculty in ceramic programs all over the world. His work as an educator was not limited to Kansas City Art Institute. He has given hundreds of workshops, demonstrations and lectures at universities and art centers, according to Gill.Winner of several prestigious awards, Ferguson is a leading figure in contemporary ceramic art. He is represented by the Gallery in New York, and has exhibited his work nationally and internationally. His work is included in the collections of major museums and private collections. Dedicated to pottery, his work ranges from the functional pot for the kitchen to his exploration of the vessel form in the recent Hare Baskets. He has maintained studios in Shawnee Mission, KS, and until recently, in Laramie, WY.The public is invited to a lecture in Holmes Auditorium at 4:30 pm on Monday, Sept. 9. Ferguson will be demonstrating in the Harder Hall ceramic facility on Monday and Tuesday from 1:30 to 4 p.m.Accepting the Binns Medal on behalf of the Bray Foundation, DeWeese is the most recent in a string of directors who have ties to both Alfred University and the Foundation.Since the late , who received an honorary degree from AU in 1998, and founded the Bray Foundation, there have been six directors, and five of them have been Alfred alumni: Ferguson; David Shaner, who earned his MFA degree in 1959; David Cornell, who received his MFA in 1969; Carol Roorbach, who received a MS degree in art education in 1982; and DeWeese.Other AU alumni are among the more than 300 resident artists, past and present. At one time or another, noted DeWeese, most of the AU ceramic art faculty have been associated with the Bray, including , John Gill, who received his MFA from Alfred in 1975; Andrea Gill, who received her MFA from Alfred in 1976; and Linda Sikora. DeWeese had been familiar with the Bray Foundation for most of his life. A native of Montana whose father teaches at Bozeman State, DeWeese attended Montana State, and received his BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute. He spent a couple years with the Bray, including a stint as acting director, before deciding to earn his MFA, After he received his MFA, the job of resident director opened up again, he applied, and he's been there since. DeWeese has exhibited widely, and his work is included in public and private collections around the world. Much of his work is functional pottery. DeWeese will also be participating in the workshops Monday and Tuesday from 1:30 to 4 p.m. in Harder Hall on the AU campus. His lecture is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 4:30 p.m. in Holmes Auditorium, Harder Hall. ##