The Contemporary Ceramics Movement in Hawaii
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THE CONTEMPORARY CERAMICS MOVEMENT IN HAWAII Shige Yamada Under the patronage of Hawaiian capital of the world with the fall of somewhat abruptly, controversy royalty, the arts of ancient Hawaii Paris in 1940, acquired much national and spirited dialogue. This marked flourished, reaching great heights. prominence in art. The growing the beginning of the contemporary Skilled artisans produced ritual. potency of modern art, manifested ceramics movement in Hawaii. Later, domestic, and ornamental objects in part by an increasing acceptance Peter Voulkos was to lead a similar unsurpassed in Polynesia-until the within art circles of the New York movement in California which played early part of the 19th century when School, was felt even in Hawaii by an important role in the contem the various kapu, societal prohibitions, the tiny art community which then porary crafts movement which were abandoned. Without the kapu included a few painters, printmakers swept the country. system, which ruled every aspect of and sculptors. When Claude Horan came to teach island life, the traditional culture ceramics at the University of Hawaii collapsed. Hastening the demise of The Beginning of the in 1947, he started with severely this fragile society was the arrival Contemporary Ceramics Movement limited facilities. Ceramics was a of large numbers of missionaries, The years from 1947 to 1950, with new course offering at the University merchants and laborers from Europe, the sudden emergence of significant and an empty World War 11 military America and Asia who settled ceramic art in the Islands, were barrack served as a classroom. A throughout the island chain, irre particularly eventful ones in Hawaii's bouyant and enthusiastic young potter vocably altering what remained of the art history. During that period a trained in the tradition of pottery indigenous culture. Finally, in 1893, small group of art majors pursuing making in California and Ohio, he with the overthrow of the Hawaiian ceramics at the University of Hawaii transformed the "shack" into a monarchy by a group of dissident were accomplishing remarkable functional ceramics studio complete Americans, a tragic yet colorful period achievements in clay to the as with potters' wheels and kilns. Within in the history of Hawaii was brought tonishment of the conservative art two years he attracted a group of to an end. Half a century later, with establishment in Honolulu. With their students with superior talent. Among the coming of World War 11, the teacher, Claude Horan- the primary them were Toshiko Takaezu, Alice turbulent forces of change generated catalyst in those pivotal years of the Kagawa Parrot, Anna Kang Burgess, by global conflict engulfed America ceramics movement- these students Wade McVay, Harue Oyama McVay and swiftly transformed these languid made such an impact on island art and Isami Enomoto. Igniting the creative islands into a major Pacific crossroads. that public attention was drawn to drive of his students by encouraging The great sweep of the pendulum this hitherto obscure craft. Their them to experiment with both form towards modernization drew every experimental work with ceramic and materials, they soon burst out of thing in its wake, including art. New materials and bold departures from the rigid cocoon of the tradition- York City, which became the cultural traditional modes of working with bound craft. Exceeding everyone's clay aroused the art community from expectations and excitl'<i by the its quiescence and brought about, development of modern art in New York, the students were driven to 16 innovate. They boldly sliced open leading exponents of modem art as tinued for a while over what would conventionally-thrown pottery forms Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko, be considered commonplace ceramic and recombined them to produce they found something that turned sculpture today. Thus, in 1948, unique forms which expressed a them on. In 1948, ceramics major with no known precursor in the fresh vision. The potential of wood Wade McVay exhibited "Prolatus," country, "Prolatus" became an and metal, in combination with clay, a closed ceramic form, at an art show important milestone in the develop was explored. These explorations at the Honolulu Academy of Arts. ing ceramic art of Hawaii. resulted in well-integrated In the intervening years, we have multimedia sculpture and pottery un seen the emergence of many other PHOTO BY THE ARTIST common at the time. Local resources ceramists whose creative energies including wood, cane, and volcanic and phenomenal productivity have ash- were tested in the tiny studio impressed an unusually receptive laboratory for their value as glaze public. The names of island ceramists materials. In this atmosphere, where Shugen Inouye, Henry Takemoto, an anemic craft was undergoing Sally Fletcher Murchison and Charles rejuvenation, it seemed that anything Higa have become as familiar as those was possible. of prominent local painters and One day, when Horan threw a sculptors. The ceramic bandwagon completely-closed form on the potter's has filled to overflowing, spilling wheel, the implications suggested ceramists onto all the major Islands by such an accomplishment were who are producing pottery and not lost on the students for whom ceramic sculpture in staggering another door flew open. What was quantities to feed what appears once a simple pot, a container, to be the public's insatiable appetite had been subtly transformed into for ceramic art. In the heat of present sculpture by merely closing a tiny day competition, with numerous aperture at the top. Before them ceramists striving to carve a small sat a non-utilitarian form which niche for themselves, it is timely was inherently an object for visual to ask, "Where have all the old contemplation-sculpture. This fun PROLATUS Wade McVay timers gone?" damental concept had barely been By the late Fifties, Toshiko digested by the students before they Takaezu, Anna Kang Burgess and too were throwing closed forms. It This glazed, egg-shaped sculpture Alice Kagawa Parrot had acquired must be remembered that at the was greeted with outcries by a number national reputations in the crafts field, time, pottery-making was a clearly of enraged visitors to the exhibition. having moved to the Mainland after circumscribed activity not to be In a letter-to-the-editor appearing leaving the University. Toshiko, confused with the "loftier" aims of in a Honolulu daily, an observer now a resident of New Jersey, is one art. Sculpture, for example, was art; snickered that he had "a chicken of the country's leading ceramists, pottery-making was definitely not! in (his) backyard (which could) while Alice and Anna are nationally being accorded, instead, the status produce the same thing by the dozen recognized weavers who have made of a craft. Such a difference, de and without any hands." A respected New Mexico their home. Isami lineated by the often provincial painter on the University faculty Enomoto, who directed his interest mentality of art cognoscenti, was cooly remarked that the "closed to commercial and architectural essentially an academic one deeply wheel-thrown form was inap· ceramics and who collaborated with rooted in historical prejudice. propriate to the craft of pottery internationally-known muralist Jean Fortunately, this did not deter the making and could not actually be Charlot on several major ceramic students from using clay and ceramic considered legitimate sculpture." An projects, is the owner of the state's materials beyond conventional limits. art reviewer, more sympathetic to leading ceramic firm, Ceramics Throughout the country, the eternal innovation, welcomed the uni.>xpected Hawaii. Wade McVay, creator of the verities in art were being questioned intrusion of the egg-shaped sculpture controversial "Prolatus," entered the seriously by younger artists seeking in an otherwise staid art exhibit field of business management in new directions. In the work of such and compared it to the works of Honolulu shortly after he earned a Brancusi-probably to the chagrin master of arts degree in ceramics of local practitioners of "fine art." And so a lively public debate con- 17 from Ohio State University. In 1952, the kids there-blond, black and every Christmas day whC11ever we llad a ki/11 Horan (now retired) was joined on color in bctwcm. Such a contrast from my opC11ing. Unfortunately, I also experi the University faculty by one of his cl1ildl10od days wl1en the classroom UllS a enced something very unpleasant that most outstanding former students, sea of black hair. Eventually, my pare11ts year. l ims shmned whe11 my frirnds from Harue Oyama McVay. More than tra11sferred me to Maryknoll School high sc/1001 wl10 were in college seeking any other local ceramist, her imagery because they felt that I was not receiving degrees in educatio11 or sodology, the "in" in clay reflects the creative mind t•noug/1 homework from my public sc/100/ disdpli11es the11, became quite cool and of an artist attuned to her time and teachers. Maryhw/J, a parochial school, later avoided me altogether whm I Hawaiian environment. In 1978, had a reputation for giving out lots of infom1ed t11em tliat I tais going to major the Honolulu Academy of Arts l10111ework. My pare11ts trere determined in art. I u..is puzz./ed by tl1eir behavior invited this prominent artist-teacher to sec me receive a good education a11d towards me and could 011/y sum1ise that to exhibit recent works in the dedded tl1at I 11eeded to study as much at they regarded art as a frivolous activity museum's 28th annual exhibition, home as I did i11 school. Whrn I e11tered for empty-heads. Being rejected by my "Art Hawail"-finally giving Harue my teens, I had to attend a Japanese fonner friends did 11ot cha11ge my mi11d public acknowledgement. Her sc/1001 after my regular English scliool because by thm I kmw what I wa11ted contributions in the field of ceramics l1ours to learn 11ot 011ly Japanese, but -1 career ill art." span more than two decades and such femini11e skills as flower arranging, form a major cornerstone in the lzand-sewing, and /tow to walk properly After graduating from the state's ceramic tradition.