nce lournal 'Volume37 lllllllIt { t t \ \ t lr tJ. I nceoqKAlt$[$ 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 Sierra Nevada,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