RAKU AND SMOKE NORTH AMERICA Organized by Salve Regina- The NeUJport College and the Newport Art Museum, Newport, Rhode Island This selection of works by contemporary approaches to to the entire ACM staff for its twenty-two ceramic artists has raku and smoke-firing, and dedication and efficiency. For been drawn from Raku and demonstrates the remarkable extending the loan of their Smoke North America, an ex­ degree to which contemporary works for this exhibition , we hibition assembled through a artists have expanded these an­ thank the participating artists, competition and by invitation. cient traditions. private collectors, and galleries. It was organized by Salve Re­ Finally, we wish to express ap­ gina-The Newport College, We are grateful to Jay preciation to International and the Newport Art Museum, Lacouture for contributing Paper Company and Interna­ Rhode Island. Ceramists Wayne the catalogue essay and for tional Paper Company Higby and Richard Hirsch his extensive involvement Foundation for the continued juried the competition, and Jay th roughout the organization of support which makes Museum Lacouture, chairperson of the this showing of the exhibition. II possible. art department at Salve Re­ Thanks are also due to Kathleen gina, curated the exhibition . Nugent Mangan for preparing PAUL J. SMITH It presents a cross-section of the exhibition catalogue, and Director September 14-November 3, 1984 AMERICAN CRAFf MUSEUM II RAKU AND SMOKE The combination of raku and derstated character epitomizes maker of Rikyu ware. His fam­ smoke-firing techniques has the Zen aesthetic. The tea cere­ ily has continued this tradition historical roots in both Eastern mony, "Cha-no-yu ," has left for fourteen generations. Tradition and and Western traditions. From a an indelible print on Japan 's Adaptation fifteenth-century red raku tea­ national personality from the InA Potter~' Book , Bernard bowl to a Mimbres Valley spirit feudal sixteenth century to the Leach wrote how in 1911 , as a bowl, these ritual beginnings industrial society of today. young art student in Japan, he have been transformed into a Originally conceived by Zen attended a garden party at contemporary viewpoint. The Buddhist monks as a spiritual which unglazed teabowls were artists represented in this selec­ observance of meditation and given to all of the guests to tion of works from Raku and contemplation, the ceremony decorate and glaze. About an Smoke North America con­ evolved into a social rite. It hour later, the bowls were re­ tinue to maintain that ritual in attempted to unify all the turned for everyone to use for terms of their reverence for classes, since "the way of tea" tea drinking. This chance en­ material and technique, while is intended for everyone. counter lead Leach to work stretching the limits of this with Ogata Kenzan for the next unique artist -process-material The name Raku refers to a nine years. It was through relationship through technical family in Japan that has made Bernard Leach that the West innovations. These innovations tea vessels for over 400 years. came to know and began to are often the result of observing During the end of the rich appreciate the Japanese aesthet­ a spontaneous occurrence and Maomoyama period (1573- ic sensibility as revealed in subsequently using that infor­ 1615), the teamaster Sen-no their pottery making and folk mation to orchestrate an idea Rikyu, searching for native ves­ crafts in general. about clay. The common de­ sels to use in the tea ceremony, nominator shared by these discovered the work of a Kyoto Paul Soldner started to make contemporary ceramists is al­ family headed by Chojiro . Cho­ post-reduction raku pottery in ways the direct interaction of jiro's bowls were hand-formed, Los Angeles in 1961. Instead of the fire , leaving its undeniable rapidly fired , and quickly the traditional Japanese process mark on the finished work . cooled. The results bore witness of letting the pots air-cool , to the spontaneity of the tech­ Soldner extended the limits of Raku firing comes to us as an nique and captured the essence the process by placing the extension of the Japanese tea of the natural process. Rikyu glowing pottery into a com­ ceremony. The word raku and Chojiro collaborated in bustible material to alter the means "ease or enjoyment," establishing the precedent for metallic oxides further while and the Buddhist sensibility of teawares of future generations. enhancing a complicated net­ beauty and nature is present Chojiro was invested with work of color and texture. throughout the ritual of tea. Rikyu 's name and became the Soldner initiated a groundswell The unassuming teabowls are of interest in raku among the focus of this meditative American potters. His efforts experience. Their simple, un- represent a bridge between the earthen clay containers stable. support her entire pueblo of cess or the Native American traditional Japanese aesthetic As the shift to an agrarian San I1defonso. As the work of reverence for nature and the and a freer, more experimental culture developed, so did the Maria Martinez and other basic elements of earth, air, and individual American ap­ need for storage vessels. This Native Americans continued to fire , and water, the artist using proach to raku. The raku closeness to the land fostered a develop and receive attention raku or smoke techniques has idiom, with its inherent acci­ unique relationship with clay from museums and collectors, artistic roots planted firml y in dent and immediacy, was and its ability to be molded this exposure intrigued other tradition while facing the chal­ ideally suited to Soldner's inter­ and subsequently fired and potters to experiment with lenge posed by honesty to est in process and creativity in made permanent. Early kilns primitive firing techniques. materials and process and the pottery making. ranged from a simple bonfire possibility of chance effects. As type to a shallow pit lined with In Primitive Pottery, Hal Rieg­ one of the exhibiting artists, Rick Hirsch , one of the jurors stone or clay in which the fire ger documented his interest in Harvey Sadow, wrote, "Regar­ for Raku and Smoke, was had direct contact with the simplifying technique to a fun­ ding the raku process in gen­ drawn in the late sixties to the pottery. Eventually, more damentallevel of ceramic tech­ eral , the ultimate surrender of metallic iridescence associated sophisticated stacking arrange­ nology. By observing the nature control after carefully orches­ with raku . He has continued ments, using broken pot shards of clay, and the honesty and trating a set of possibilities his interest in these unique to protect the pots from the simplicity with which it can be always gives the pot an oppor­ surface characteristics through flame , enabled the potter to manipulated, Riegger helped to tunity to be a little bit better a multiple firing process. While make the clay permanent while kindle an interest in so-called than the potter. " on a visit to Kyoto in 1978 to leaving the decorative surface primitive techniques. In 1972, coordinate a raku workshop for unblemished by the flame. The Paulus Berensohn wrote about The work selected here from the World Crafts Council , variety of fuels used directly sawdust firing in his book Raku and Smoke North Amer­ Hirsch was invited to meet with reflected the immediate local Finding One's Way With Cl£ly. ica illustrates the great variety Raku Kichi zaemon, the four­ environment. Grasses, stiCks , The method he described has of approaches that potters con­ teenth-generation descendant twigs, and manure are still been expanded on and varied tinue to take toward the clay of Chojiro . After watching used extensively by potters by a number of contemporary medium. They have clearly dis­ Hirsch 's slide presentation on around the world. potters, using slips, terra solved the artificial boundaries the scope of American raku as sigillata, and other surface of Art versus Craft by creating it has grown away from the In the Southwestern United treatments to react with the work that somehow yields both Japanese concept of a tradi­ States, pit-firing with manure flash-patterned surface created a reflection of our past and a tional ceremonial tea vessel, was revitalized by Maria and by the fire . These processes give mirror of our future . This Raku-San remarked that Julian Martinez during the an immediacy to such works, timeless spirit is what connects "Raku is changing from a 1920s. Smothering the fire at a which although tied to a tradi­ Raku and Smoke to ancient butterfly to a bird." critical point with manure tion of the past, reflect a tradition and to the contempo­ dust, their porous clay pots contemporary aesthetic. rary lifeblood of North Ameri­ Historically, smoke-firing tech­ turned a rich black due to the can crafts. niques began when primitive heavy carbonization of the clay. Whether it is the Zen ideal of man sought to render simple This black-on-black ware be­ surrendering oneself to the pro- came Maria's trademark, and its popularity served to help JAY LACOUTURE GLOSSARY BISQUE or BISCUIT initial ENGOBE a clay slip containing them into a combustible SALT BISQUE single firing of firing of the clay, usually clay, feldspar, fluxes , opacifiers material (sawdust, straw, clay object with salt (NaCl) without glaze. and sometimes colorants. newspaper, etc.). added to the atmosphere for surface color and variation. BURNISHING polishing the FlASHING marks caused by the PRIMARY REDUCTION clay surface with a smooth direct contact of the fire with increasing the fuel-to-air ratio SLIP a liqUid clay. object. the clay or glazed surface. in the kiln. More fuel and less SODA RAKU Western raku- CONES (pyrometric cones) oxygen causes the atmosphere type firing using sodium bi- small triangular shapes made GREEN STATE raw or unfired in the kiln to effect the clay carbonate as an additive to the of ceramic material, chemi- clay state.