This remarkable collection of Ceramics Monthly articles, written by Elaine Levin, tells the stories of some of the most notable figures of the ceramic art movement in the U.S. Levin relates the struggles and successes of 26 movers and shakers dedicated to unselfishly pushing ceramic art into uncharted territory so others could enjoy and benefit from their efforts. From Binns, Baggs, Robineau and the Wildenhains, through Voulkos and Soldner, the stories in Movers and Shakers in American Ceramics are sure to educate and inspire.
In the 1970s, I began teaching a course on American ceramic history at the extension division of the University of California, Los Angeles. I sent a notice concerning this course to Ceramics Monthly. They quickly wrote to me (no email then) suggesting I write a series of articles on those early twentieth century ceramists who laid the foundation for American studio ceramics. The research for those articles, the first four in this handbook, taught me about the dedicated people who created a craft history. After those articles were published, the magazine suggested I continue to write about those others contributing engaging work in ceramics. This book is a compilation of those articles, a reflection on those responsible for shaping American ceramics over the years.
Twenty articles record the work of Movers and Shakers, the influential ceramists of the twentieth century. These artists provided the essential technical foundation for an art form that reflects contemporary American social and cultural circumstances. Equal to the challenge of finding an expressive direction and eager to articulate an aesthetic for a relatively new country, these men and women established a ceramic continuum for the next century of ceramists to build upon. Elaine Levin
In the 1970s, I began teaching a course on American ceramic history at the extension division of the University of California, Los Angeles. I sent a notice concerning this course to Ceramics Monthly. They quickly wrote to me (no email then) suggesting I write a series of articles on those early twentieth century ceramists who laid the foundation for American studio ceramics. The research for those articles, the first four in this handbook, taught me about the dedicated people who created a craft history. After those articles were published, the magazine suggested I continue to write about those others contributing engaging work in ceramics. This book is a compilation of those articles, a reflection on those responsible for shaping American ceramics over the years.
Twenty articles record the work of Movers and Shakers, the influential ceramists of the twentieth century. These artists provided the essential technical foundation for an art form that reflects contemporary American social and cultural circumstances. Equal to the challenge of finding an expressive direction and eager to articulate an aesthetic for a relatively new country, these men and women established a ceramic continuum for the next century of ceramists to build upon. Elaine Levin
