ceramic excellence FELLOWSHIPS AT THE ARCHIE BRAY FOUNDATION 2013–2014 Annually, the Archie Bray Foundation invites a critic to spend time at the Bray—to meet with the artists, experience the Bray’s unique environment and develop essays for the fellowship exhibition catalogue. This year the residency was awarded to Nancy M. Servis. Servis is an author, curator and ceramics historian who resides in Northern California. She is presently completing her book detailing the history of Northern California ceramics. THE ARCHIE BRAY FOUNDATION FOR THE CERAMIC ARTS INTRODUCTION “Where is there more opportunity to be determined by others who has always been an ongoing experiment, a place and experience than in Montana for creation of... sought to sustain the founder’s idea. broad margins, physical and Much—though not all—of what with no artistic boundaries. The extensive facilities, the freedom intellectual? Where is there more Archie Bray Sr. designed for his art to explore and the creative exchange that occurs within the opportunity to enjoy the elemental center has come to pass. Yet his community of resident artists provide a profound opportunity values of living, bright sun and broad Montana vision and optimism clean air and space? We have have remained, as indicated by the for artistic growth, both for individual artists and for the field room. We can be neighbors foundation’s long-term success of ceramics. without getting in each other’s and stylistic variety, which is evident hair. We can be individuals.”1 in its many short- and long-term To further encourage the Bray “experiment,” Robert and residents. Chris Dufala, Adam Field, Suzanne Taunt established the Taunt Fellowship in 1998. he seeds of creative thought Tom Jaszczak, Zemer Peled, Inspired by the Taunts’ vision and generosity, others established can come from unexpected and Joanna Powell are presently additional awards, including the Myhre Fellowship in 1999 and T places. While originality often long-term fellowship artists whose evolves out of rigorous and repeated tenure started in 2013. Their 2000, the Lilian Fellowship since 2001, the Lincoln Fellowship effort, the spark of an idea fuels the extended time at the Bray supports in 2004, the Matsutani Fellowship in 2006, the MJD Fellowship creative path. A testament to artistic the development of evolved in 2007, the Anonymous and Speyer Fellowships in 2011, variety is the ceramic artworks bodies of work that, as a group, and artifacts found throughout range from pottery to conceptual and most recently, the Windgate Fellowships in 2012. Each the grounds of the Archie Bray installation. These fellows draw fellowship provides $5,000 and a one-year residency to a Foundation for the Ceramic Arts from an international scope of ceramic artist who demonstrates exceptional merit and promise, (the Bray). They are tangible records inquiry, investigating ancient of success and failure, artistic pottery practices, probing social allowing them to focus more completely on producing and remnants intermingled with mounds commentary, musing upon ceramic exhibiting a significant body of work during their fellowship year. of brick, eventually to be subsumed painterliness, and interpreting by nature. While each piece alone sculptural landscape. Their stylistic signals a unique time of a specific pluralism illustrates clay’s success Individuals wishing to establish a fellowship at the Archie Bray maker, their totality renders rich as a versatile medium that can be Foundation are encouraged to contact resident artist director meaning to those who make and anchored in the realm of craft while Steven Young Lee. appreciate pottery and ceramic art. also unleashed to serve sculptural In 1951 Archie Bray Sr. realized notions—echoing the scope of his dream of opening a pottery in possibilities posited by Archie Bray association with the Western Brick Sr. more than 60 years ago. Manufacturing Company, with two 1 now-legendary Montanans, Rudy Joseph Kinsey Howard, Autio and Peter Voulkos, as its first Montana: High, Wide, and Handsome This publication is generously (Lincoln, Nebraska: University of funded by the Joliet Foundation. residents. His untimely death in Nebraska Press, 2003) p. xviii. 1953 left the course of the Bray Chris Dufala MJD FELLOW “The cohesiveness is Anchored by trompe l’oeil imagery, the works ceramicness.” 1 probing commentary is deepened using the monoprint process where detailed drawn images, rendered on hris Dufala’s sculpture is a plaster slab, are transferred to a deceiving, and purposely so. ceramic ground. This technically CFor many years he has been challenging process furthers the exploring a direction that satisfies idea of manipulation into his work. his drawing interests, while also He intentionally distances the Using this dual language, he builds messaging his societal concerns authenticity of the image from its narrative with “conglomerate through ceramic sculpture. He original drawn reality—equating sculpture,” depicting industrial develops social, economic, and the idea to calculated layers of detritus signaled through added environmental commentary using deception in American culture. gesture. These compositions include trompe l’oeil imagery intensified by Clay’s capacity to simulate realistic both freestanding and wall-mounted the multi-step monoprint process. form completes the double works and reinforce Dufala’s Both are foundational to his artistic entendre in his work. preoccupation with the conflicting goal of rendering poignant meaning Dufala’s icon-driven sculpture relationship between the culture of through visual and conceptual is dominated by nostalgic symbols. convenience and the natural world. illusion. Circa 1960s appliances or toys While at the Archie Bray Sculptural interpretations of summon sentimentality that is Foundation for Ceramic Arts, Dufala domestic icons from a bygone era metaphorically addressed. His expert has unveiled a new, though related assert Dufala’s unsettling ideas. makership continues the ceramic body of ceramic work that furthers Also, wall-mounted frieze-like practice of “fetish finish,” rendering his point of view. Cast soda-fired imagery references his fondness societal “objects of convenience” cups and tea bowls are imprinted for the rich lineage of poster art. with hyper-realism. Overturned with newspaper articles from linoleum Gesturing hands, private symbols, or wheelbarrows, radio-flyer wagons, presses, circa 1949 in Buffalo, New partial words foster illusion through outdated ovens, or old washing York. These societal snippets are ceramic assemblage, serving, he machines illustrate this idea. For the artistically reissued as commentary explains, “... as the cornerstone of artist, these mid-twentieth-century in vessel form, revealing outdated my building process and a catalyst suburban appliances are the last and sometimes alarming points of for my conceptualizations.” generation of machinery with view. While these are functional integrity as they were built to last works that are easily handheld, they and not be tossed. Need for continue Dufala’s innuendo within convenience, he believes, has a more intimate medium. led humanity down a wasteful, If pressed, Dufala’s body of work destructive, and perhaps irreversible could be considered confrontational, path. Through familiar iconography, though he purposely recoils from this Dufala creates a lingering discomfort idea. Provocation is not his primary that is both nostalgic and woeful. concern. His body of ceramic work Dufala’s messaging broadens stands as a societal harbinger. through gesturing hand symbols that 1 equate to the human figure, and are Adam Welch, “The Margin: A Theory of also the most prevalent feature Resistance in Contemporary Ceramics,” integrating this sculptor’s work Ceramics: Art and Perception, 79 (2009): pp. 42-47. with his lifelong pursuit of drawing. Who’s to Blame?, 2012, earthenware, underglaze, terra sig, glaze, stain, Forward Progress, 2014, earthenware, 28" x 25" x 4.5" underglaze, 21" x 14" x 3" Adam Field SPEYER FELLOW “It is in the realm of... submerged his more stylized wheel-thrown and memory-traces that creative art carved porcelain celadon vessels. moves, bringing them into the During his early development as orbit of everyday life and making an emerging potter in Northern them available to the experience California fifteen years ago, Field of others by formalizing and practiced wood fire methods projecting them onto elements and mingei folk craft aesthetics. of the familiar world...”1 Porcelain dominated Field’s ceramic output while living in Hawai’i; a deliberate and fruitful oasis where vessel’s form. Field summarizes he idea of trace resides in the he solidified his abstract surface these complexities, saying, “I find work of many ceramists, often design and restrained organic form, studio pottery to be a gratifying T appearing in the fingerprint, heightened by his use of celadon and challenging balance between scrape, or physical manipulation of glazes. While living in Icheon, South structure, techniques, instinctive the clay. It documents the story of Korea, for a year, Field studied decision making, and spontaneity.” a piece, often described by potters traditional Onggi pottery under a The essence of Field’s work and ceramic sculptors alike. In sixth-generation master, Kim lll resides in his critical assessment of Adam Field’s pottery, cultural trace Mahn. The rigors of preparing the ceramic features and interlacing supersedes materiality, permeating harvested stoneware