Born in 1922 in Pepeekeo, Hawaii. Toshiko Takaezu’s closed vessels and asymmetrical forms blend Eastern and Western traditions, recalling the landscape of her native Hawaii; the scale and drama of her pots demand an intimate participation from the viewer. For most of her career she divided her time between gardening, teaching, and her ceramic work.
Born in 1941 in Tacoma, Washington. Dale Chihuly is one of the most influential contemporary glass artists alive, and he has created numerous significant site-specific installations, in sites ranging from London’s Victoria and Albert Museum to the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Born in 1925 in New York. Karen Karnes continues to exemplify the pinnacle of the studio pottery movement, as she has for the past 60 years. Karnes’ ceramics move deftly between functional and abstract forms, equally intriguing and inviting in both modes. She attended Brooklyn College before studying ceramics in Sesto Fiorentino, Italy and at Alfred University in 1952.
Born in 1924 in Kansas City, Missouri. In all aspects of his career, Warren MacKenzie has championed the functional potter. In his prolific body of work, Mackenzie uses form, color, and surface to create striking, expressive functional pottery.
Born in 1926 in San Francisco. Kay Sekimachi’s objects are at once simple yet crafted with an astounding complexity of detail.
Born in 1927 in Seattle. Jack Lenor Larsen is an innovator in textile design and technology. His handwoven fabrics represent the pinnacle of 20th century design, and his innovation continues to be a pervasive influence in this century. Larsen attended the University of Washington and Cranbrook Academy of Art, earning his MFA in 1951. He established Jack Lenor Larsen Inc.
Born in 1918 in Denver. June Schwarcz studied and worked in industrial design before a book on enamels inspired her to change her artistic focus. She soon began experimenting with different construction techniques and surface treatments, such as etching, electroforming, and engraving, to create forms which she then covered with transparent enamels.
Born in 1929 in Sunbury, Pennsylvania. Don Reitz is considered one of the most important influences in contemporary North American ceramics. Through his studies of salt-firing, Reitz achieved and developed colors that had not been created before using that method. Reitz earned his MFA at Alfred University in 1962, during which time he began his lifelong exploration of atmospheric-firing.
Teapots, I’d say, are the Beatles of household objects. Okay, bit of a stretch...
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American Craft sat down with Mira Nakashima to talk about her father, George Nakashima, his legacy, designing furniture, and running a craft business.
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As the ACC’s show in St. Paul nears, one artist on my list to see is Fred Kaemmer...
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Woodturners from around the world will assemble in San Jo
moreThe annual gathering is a cornucopia of things to see and do.
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She started as a painter, because that's what she thought it took to be taken seriously. Then one day Joyce Melander-Dayton realized that she had “always liked the backsides of canvases more than the front.” Now her singular art form incorporates the textile-based crafts she loved as a youngster.
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This year marks the 50th anniversary of studio glass in the United States. It's a time not only for celebration but also for reflection and debate in the field. Glass has long been known for its fabulous aesthetic impact, but a growing chorus of artists and critics has called for glass artists to focus less on technique and medium and more on ideas and narrative. With that in mind, we thought it would be interesting to talk to David Patchen, a glass artist whose work shows a transition along those lines.
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