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5OthAnnual Conference of the NationalCouncilon C0'LECTURE:INNOVATIONS lN CALIFORNIACIAY NancyM. Servis and fohn Toki

Introduction of urbanbuildings-first with architecturalterra cotta and then Manythink cerar.nichistory in theSan Francisco Bay Area with Art Decotile. beganin 1959with PeterVoulkos's appointrnent to theUniversi- California'sdiverse history served as the foundationfor ty of California-Berkeley;or with Funkartist, Robert Arneson, its unfolding cultural pluralisrn.Mexico claimed territory whosework at Universityof California-Davisredefined fine art throughlarge land grants given to retiredmilitary officersin rnores.Their transfonnative contributions stand, though the his- themid l9th century.Current cities and regions are namesakes tory requiresfurther inquiry. Califbr- of Spanishexplorers. Missionaries nia proffereda uniqueenvironr.nent arriving fronr Mexico broughtthe through geography,cultural influx, culture of adobe and Spanishtile and societalflair. cleatingopportu- with ther.n.Overland travelers rni- nity fbr experirnentationthat achieved gratedwest in pursuitof wealthand broadexpression in theceralnic arts. oppoltunity,including those warrtilrg Today,artistic clay use in Cali- to establishEuropean-style potteries. forniais extensive.lts modernhistory Workersfrorn China rnined and built beganwith the l9th centurydiscov- railroads,indicative of California's ery of largeclay deposits in the Cen- directconnection to PacificRirn cul- tral Valley, near Sacramento.This turesand the extensive ceranric pres- find coincidedwith thegrowth of cit- ence they represent.The late l9th ies like SanFrancisco and Oakland, centuryperception of Californiaas creatingan expanding market for clay a "Valhalla"was heightened through pipe and architecturaladornments. the imagery of artists,like Albert Settlersfron.r the Pacific Rirn, Mex- Bierstadt's breathtaking, though ico, and other statescarried varied somewhatembellished. scenes of clay practiceinto Califomia.Simr"rl- LakeTahoe and Yosemite, including taneously,a nature-inspired style was Amongthe SierraNevada, CA, 1868. ernergingon the WestCoast. Socio- Such imagery fueled California's political changescaused by World sublime mythology that continued War II broughtpractitioners whose intothe 20th century. European backgroundsinfused a California'sidentity as a realm broadersensibility into the region'sceramic practice. Also, of grandnature underscored much of its culturalimage, and manyartists were introducedto ceramicsthrough the United alsoillustrates its departurefrom EastCoast artistic practice. StatesG. I. Bill.r With the unleashingof artisticexperimenta- Artisansparticipated in the late l9th century-early20th cen- tion in the 1950sand 1960s,clay's creative possibilities seemed tury Arts andCrafts Movement, yet California's distance from limitless.Since then, California's artistic amalgam, especially easterncities fostered a freedomofinterpretation linked rnore thatofNorthern California,has been a pointofdeparture for with naturethan with socialbenefit. For example, Roblin Pot- ceramicsthat are vessel-based,architectural, sculptural, con- tery of San Francisco(1898 1906),produced simple forms ceptual,and contextualinstallation. This pluralisticscope with solid glazingadorned with regionallizard-like fauna. Its rnakesclay one of the mostversatile and expressivernaterials contemporary,Stockton Art Pottery(1896-1900), retained a for three-dirnensionalart. California's multicultural society and Victorianaesthetic similar to potteriesin theMidwest. inventivesensibility prornpted a dynarnicera of artisticinnova- A culturalturning point was the devastating1906 earth- tionwhile celebrating a variedvessel tradition. quakeand ensuing fire thatdestroyed rnuch ofburgeoning San Francisco.Shattered artistic communities dispersed, rnoving to ArtisticClay 0rigins of California nearbyareas of Berkeleyand Oakland-wherethe California A cornbinationof influencesfostered the environmentin Collegeof Arts andCrafts began-or furtheraway to placeslike which cerarlicsprospered during the 20th century.Northern Carrnel.This tragedyfostered opportunity to rebuilda world- Californiasits on extensiveclay deposits. Many arelocated at classcity in theWest.3 Civic leaders rallied to competeas the site juncture the of the SierraNevada Mountains with the Central for the l9l5 World'sFair that they successfullv won. Valleythat was oncean immenseinland sea.Clay reserves werediscovered by Midwesternentrepreneurs visiting the re- WideningtheLens gion in the 1870s.2As theytraveled back roads, often crudely The Panarna-PacificInternational Exposition (PPIE) of cut throughhillsides, they discoveredan abundanceof clay, l9l5 beautifullyasserted the identity ofNorthern California and andmanufacturers like Gladding,McBean in Lincoln,Califor- theBay Area as a Mediterraneanarcadia, as is illustratedby the nia,were established. This abundantcache initiated the drive still-standingrotunda designed by notedCalifornia architect, for industrialclay use, leading to theadornrnent and sheathing BernardMaybeck (1862 1957).The PPIEserved as a cultural nCeGa110 lournal2016 o Lectures CaliforniaClay: I Contemporary(1997) image of historic Gladding, lllcBeaninLincoln, CA. This company devised architectural terra cotta andtiles for many cities in California and the USA. lts main factory was locatednear extensive clay reserves near Sacramento. 2 Viola Frey in herstudio,oakland,CA,2001. Photo: Nancy M. Servis 3 AntonioPri- etoand Shoji Hamada with Hamada's family at Mills College, Oakland, CA,ca.l952. Prieto attracted many artists to theBay Area through ceramics.He andhis wife, Eunice, amassed an extensivecollec- tion,donated tothe college. Robert Arneson was one of his students. Photo:Private collection. 4 Stephen DeStaebler: Seated Figurc with RightStilped Arn78x14x29" Pigmented stoneware, surface oxides, ca.'1984.Sculpture located infront of DeStaebler's studio, Berkley, CA. Photo:Nancy M. Servis. 5 ClaytonBailey in his studio, Port Costa, CA, ca.2002.Photo: Nancy l\4. Servis. 6 RichardShaw demonstrating his decaland screen printing techniques, Davis, CA, ca.2008. drawfor theHarlem Renaissance artist, Sargent Johnson (1888- to ceramicswere born in the state.Native Northern Califor- 1967),whose work includedsculpture, enamelist painting, poG nians includeF. CarltonBall (l9ll-1992) who foundedthe tery,and murals, contextualizing hirn within California'slatent San FranciscoPotter's Guild, RobertArneson (1930-1992), Arts and CraftsMovernent while alsopositioning him as one AnnetteCorcoran (b. 1930),Viola Frey(1930-2004), and Ron of theregion's budding modernists. As early20th century pot- Nagle(b. 1939)to namea few. teriesdeveloped, like the medicinallydriven Arequipa Pottery Effortsto elevateCalifornia ceramics occurred during the (l9ll-1918) in Marir.rCounty and art potterieslike California 1950swith Prieto'sattendance at the lnternationalConfbrence Faience,Berkeley (1915 1959), urban areas constructed build- of Pottersand Weaversat Dartington Hall, Englandin 1952. ings adornedwith architecturalterra cotta and later,Art Deco This rneetingcoincided with the well-knowntour by Bernard tile.Oakland's Cathedral Building (1914), is sheathedin Gothic Leachand ShojiHamada to the UnitedStates that includeda Revivalembellishrnents and is retniniscentof New York'sFlat visit to Oakland'sMills College.The FirstAnnual Conference Iron Building.Nearby is the Parar.nountTheater (1930) with its of AmericanCraftsmen in 1957occurred at theJulia Morgan- soaringexterior figurative large tile fagade. designedconference site, Asilornar near Monterey. Makers from rnultipledisciplines gathered with someceramicists in positions BayArea as Cultural Ferment of leadership.TDesigner/Craftsrnan exhibits took hold at venues In a recentinterview, Jim Melchertrecalled a comment like theRichmond Art Center,north of Berkeley.In 1946,Rayer by thepainter, R.B. Kitaj,who wasonce a visitingprofessor at andLeslie Toki opened a potteryin SanPablo called Leslie's of UC-Berkeley.He equatedthe region to a rnigratorystopover California,which quickly evolved into the best regional source for artists,poets, and other creativeprogenitors, infusing it for clay, glaze,and rnolds.A goal of Leslie'swas to support with acuteartistic ferment.a Antonio Prieto, for example,came artistsin theirunique endeavors that often led to innovationof to Californiain l9l6 asa youngboy frorn Spain, sailing around technique.For over60 yearsartisans like JarnesLovera (1920- Chile'sCape Horn. The industriousBauhaus-trained potter, 2015),Beatrice Wood (18931998), Robert Arneson,Peter MargueriteWildenhain (1896 1985)arrived first to New York Voulkos,Stephen De Staebler(1933-2011), Viola Frey,Clayton from Europeto escapethe Nazi invasionof Holland.Within Bailey,Sandy Simon, Kirnpei Nakamura, Jun Kaneko (b. 1942 threeyears of herarrival in California,Wildenhain established Japan)and MC Richards(1916 1999) were all patrons.E PondFarm (c. 1943 1985),an artists'colony and pottery locat- ed 80 rnilesnorth of SanFrancisco.s Edith Heath(1911-2005) Roleof Academia wasanother ceramics innovator who foundedHeath Ceramics The notorietyof collegesand universitiesin the 1960s in 1948after her solopottery show at SanFrancisco's Legion squarelyrests on the fennentationthat occurredthe decade of Honor Museutn.Heath developed wartirne clay and glazing before.lndependent makers like Heathand Wildenhain, along practicesthat were economic-like singlekiln firing at lower with the fundarnentalstrides achieved by the CerarnicsGuild temperaturesto saveenergy. Her resourcefulnessled to an en- at Mills College,set the stagefor non-conformistartists like duringline of utilitarianware and tile that still thrivestoday. Montana-bornPeter Voulkos and RobertArneson to advance Later,artists were drawn to Northern Californiaby the active newideas. The California College of Arts andCrafts was where presenceof PeterVoulkos as was true for Jirn Melchert.6Clay- manyof theseformative artists studied. Viola Freytaught there ton Bailey (b. 1939)moved from Wisconsinto get involved for over threedecades while devisingunparalleled towering with the irreverentcoterie offunk artists. figurativesculpture. At San JoseState University, Herbert migrationis an influentialdriver of California's Sanders(1908-1988) established the ceramicsdepartrnent in While ,l930s, culturalhistory, many of thosewith noteworthycontributions the fbsteringceramic excellence through his technique-

nceca 111lournaa2016. Lectures Finneran'sring-like and mounding installations, assembled us- ing thousandsof hand-rolledcurved clay rods,reference Bay Areagrasslands. basedbooks, especially regarding crystalline glazes. Theseselect artists represent a smallcross-section ofthose Muchis knownabout the impact these artists made on stu- activelyworking in thecreative ceramics realm. As thecyclical dents,the regional artistic comrnunity, and beyond. Their syner- discnssionofcraft versus art periodically reappears, its irnpact has gisticactivity inspired artists Iike MarilynLevine (1935-2005), wanedhere. Northern California's innovative use of sucha ver- StephenDe Staebler,Richard Shaw (b. l94l), BeverlyMayeri satilematerial as clay leads to pioneeringartistic practice today. (b. 1944).Jarnes Melchert (b. 1930),Ron Nagle (b. 1939),Tom Rippon(1954-2010), and Kazr"rye Suyematsu (b. 1938).Notably, I PeterVoulkos discovered cerarrics at BozernanState Collese. Montana wherehe was studyingon the G.l. Bill. sorneartists ignored material divisions during the 1970swhen the 2 Gary Kurtz, Architectural Terra Cotttr ol Glatlding, McBean (Sausalito, BayArea's Conceptual Art movementprospered. lnnovative ex- CA: WindgatePress, 1989), 89. hibitionslike Melchert'sLower Case a showat the San Francisco 3 Largeterra cotta clay deposits in Niles,owned by MissionClay, provided the clay for makingbricks that helped rebuild San Francisco afler the 1906 Art Instituteintern.ringled conceptual ideas with clay.Judy Chi- earthquakethat leveledthe city, as notedby Bryan Vansell,General Man- cago'sfernirrist installation piece, The Dinner Party, preniered agerof MissionClay. at the SanFrancisco Museum of ModernArt in 1979.and John 4 Nancy M. Servis interviewwith the Jirn Mclcherton April 8th,2013. OaklandCA. Roloffburnedlarge sculptural kilns asoutdoor events.e 5 In 2014,Pond Farm was nanred to theNational Register ofHistor.ic Places. 6 Nancy M. Servis,"Jinr Melchert Works of Resonance."Cerantics: Art & Coexistence:Innovations andTraditions Perceptiotl#/00 (2015):88 93. This brief discussionillustrates the diversesocietal, geo- 7 In attendancewere F. Carlton Ball, EdithHeath, Betty Feves(1918 I985), Vivika Heino (1910-1995),Antonio Prieto, Daniel Rhodes(l9ll-19U9), logical,and cultural conditions through which the trajectory of PeterVoulkos (1924 2002), Marguerite Wildenhain,and EleanaNetherby. clay usein NorthernCalifbrnia prospered. Practitioners fron.r 8 The businesssoon nroved to San PabloAvenue in Berkeleywhere it re- aroundthe world as well asresidents engaged in a uniqueevo- rraineduntil its transf'ersale in 2015.For a flrther discussionof the imoact of Leslie Ceranricsin the Bay Area, seeMore Tltan Clot,: The Toki Coitet- lutionof artisticthought and practice,resulting in concurrent tion ofCeronics. 1994by NancyM. Servis. effortsof artisticpluralism. Elegant vessel interpretations us- 9 JohnToki notesthat is was alsodurins this time that PeterVor:lkos was ing naturecontinue with thework of AnnetteCorcoran. Sandy sprayingsome of his work with black l{rylon enanrelspray paint and the adventofepoxy glue madejoiningceramics a boonfbr sculptors. Sirnonarnplifies her commitment to potterythrough her func- tional-wareand gallery,while EhrenTool employsthe vessel Nancy Servis is an essayist,art historianand art critic asanti-war commentary within thegift econorny.The mysteri- specializingin CaliforniaCeramic history. She is widelypub- ousfigurative evocations by Arthur Gonzalezblend symbolisrn lished,including significant pieces in internationallyaclairned with dream-likeirnagery, while CalvinMa renderssteampunk Ceramics:Art and Perception.Servis is a ResearchFellow at depictionsofrelational creatures. Annabeth Rosen defies tradi- theAmerican Museum of CeramicArt. Pamona.CA. tionscompletely to engagein disciptinedyet brutpractices re- sultingin groundbreakingsculptural work; Jos Sances ascribes John Toki, MFA, CaliforniaCollege of Arts and Crafts, to the tradition of social activism through his large-scale, Oakland, CA, is an internationallyrenowned ceramicist, hand-paintedand silk-screened ceramic tile rnurals;Ron Nagle knownfor monumentalscaled totemic scuptures. He is anedu- continuesto excelsculpturally as his oncevessel-referenced catorand co-author of threehighly regarded books, including srnallsculptures have attained pure abstraction. Finally, Bean Handsin Clay,5th edition and Make it in Clay,2nd edition. nGeGalll lournal2016.Lectures