What’s the job of a cup? In my home, cups do the usual workhorse tasks of conveying a variety of beverages from source to mouth, but they also hold plants, toothbrushes, hairpins, and pens; rest damaged on shelves, holding memories; sit forgotten in boxes, marking explorations and acquisitions past; wait for a toast, their use narrowed to significant moments. In my own practice, I embrace a flexible view of function—any given object or indeed the job I’ve assigned it could shift or stretch. However, I do insist that a thing does its job well. A traded tumbler from my first wood firing eventually cracked due to heavy use toting iced coffee to and from the studio. It now sits in a place of honor on a high kitchen shelf, no longer watertight but still beautiful and reminiscent of a favorite professor who encouraged my start in clay. Its function now is sentimental, and it does this well. In this issue, we see how a number of ceramic artists make functional pottery and interpret function according to their goals and conceptual concerns.
Samuel Johnson, whose wood-fired vessel is shown on the cover, discusses his multifaceted studio practice of drawing, painting, and making pottery. His training included an apprenticeship and immersive travels to studios deeply rooted in pottery traditions.
Working potter Peter Jadoonath describes the evolution of his ceramics: “My goal, all along, was to make pots that are drawings and drawings that are pots. Images that blossom appendages and forms that smear into imagery.” Through a practice centered on community, persistence, and learning, he accomplishes just that.
Adam Posnak presents the work and practice of Frederick Ebenezer Okai, a prolific Ghanaian ceramic artist whose installations merge cultural traditions and original concepts surrounding pots.
One such installation displayed pieces made by regional women potters with his own in order to challenge divisions and reflect on artistic individuality versus community.
A wide-ranging background informs the increasingly sculptural vessels and objects that Etty Anderson creates, as discussed by Lysanne Larose. Their domestic objects made in clay prompt examination of queerness, class, environment, and craft.
Tim Saunders provides a candid glimpse into the studio of a potter with a career spanning decades. Walter Keeler has honed his skills and continues making pots because of his unyielding, driving curiosity.
Outlining the steps it takes to construct, glaze, and fire his signature form, Samuel Newman underscores the endless possibilities and fluidity of the ubiquitous mug.
Andrew Castañeda hosts workshops that encourage participants to Reclaim the Cup—to think beyond the norm and investigate the vessel through nontraditional materials, joinery, functionality, and results.
No matter the type of objects you create, pots or otherwise, I hope the artists in this issue inspire you to examine the meaning and role of function in the work you make and the work you use. Enjoy!
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What’s the job of a cup? In my home, cups do the usual workhorse tasks of conveying a variety of beverages from source to mouth, but they also hold plants, toothbrushes, hairpins, and pens; rest damaged on shelves, holding memories; sit forgotten in boxes, marking explorations and acquisitions past; wait for a toast, their use narrowed to significant moments. In my own practice, I embrace a flexible view of function—any given object or indeed the job I’ve assigned it could shift or stretch. However, I do insist that a thing does its job well. A traded tumbler from my first wood firing eventually cracked due to heavy use toting iced coffee to and from the studio. It now sits in a place of honor on a high kitchen shelf, no longer watertight but still beautiful and reminiscent of a favorite professor who encouraged my start in clay. Its function now is sentimental, and it does this well. In this issue, we see how a number of ceramic artists make functional pottery and interpret function according to their goals and conceptual concerns.
Samuel Johnson, whose wood-fired vessel is shown on the cover, discusses his multifaceted studio practice of drawing, painting, and making pottery. His training included an apprenticeship and immersive travels to studios deeply rooted in pottery traditions.
Working potter Peter Jadoonath describes the evolution of his ceramics: “My goal, all along, was to make pots that are drawings and drawings that are pots. Images that blossom appendages and forms that smear into imagery.” Through a practice centered on community, persistence, and learning, he accomplishes just that.
Adam Posnak presents the work and practice of Frederick Ebenezer Okai, a prolific Ghanaian ceramic artist whose installations merge cultural traditions and original concepts surrounding pots.
One such installation displayed pieces made by regional women potters with his own in order to challenge divisions and reflect on artistic individuality versus community.
A wide-ranging background informs the increasingly sculptural vessels and objects that Etty Anderson creates, as discussed by Lysanne Larose. Their domestic objects made in clay prompt examination of queerness, class, environment, and craft.
Tim Saunders provides a candid glimpse into the studio of a potter with a career spanning decades. Walter Keeler has honed his skills and continues making pots because of his unyielding, driving curiosity.
Outlining the steps it takes to construct, glaze, and fire his signature form, Samuel Newman underscores the endless possibilities and fluidity of the ubiquitous mug.
Andrew Castañeda hosts workshops that encourage participants to Reclaim the Cup—to think beyond the norm and investigate the vessel through nontraditional materials, joinery, functionality, and results.
No matter the type of objects you create, pots or otherwise, I hope the artists in this issue inspire you to examine the meaning and role of function in the work you make and the work you use. Enjoy!
Unfamiliar with any terms in this article? Browse our glossary of pottery terms!
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