Esoteric Survey

Discovering Saar Ceramics Curated by Jo Lauria, AMOCA Adjunct Curator
Richard Saar (1924 – 2004)
To be honest, although I know I've seen Saar's work around, it never really registered with me. The only Saar I was familiar with was his ex-wife Betye Saar. They were married from 1952-70. 
After serving in the Coast Guard in World War II, Richard moved to Los Angeles to finish his arts education. In 1949 he started a ceramics business will his brother William. It operated until 1962. This exhibition includes an overview of his work.
Source: Richard Saar
Early studio production.
Most of the output by Saar Ceramics consisted of production slipware from molds, cast from handmade originals.


The ephemera wall



I know you saw that lantern hanging back there. In the late 1940's Richard went to school with Malcolm Leland at Jepson Art Institute in Los Angeles.
Richard was also associated with The Ackermans. 
The exhibition runs until September 16th

Stan Bitters "Visuals in Clay" at Mohawk West, with Ten 10

The installation is always tight with Ten 10.


A lot of folks showed up for the opening.  The garden at Mohawk West was the perfect venue and they hosted a great party. The exhibition runs until July 28th.

Jun Kaneko at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix
The exhibition includes a series of monumental sculptures by Kaneko.





Sun Dial with a Soleri bell


The Kaneko exhibition runs until May 18th

The Good Making of Good Things: Craft Horizons Magazine 1941–1979
During its nearly 40 years in print, Craft Horizons documented the craft movement as it happened. This exhibition pairs works from ASU Art Museum’s collection that were made by artists featured in the magazine with articles, reviews and letters from readers to illustrate the essential role Craft Horizons played in the development of craft in the United States from 1941–1979.
This exhibition is curated by the 2017 Center for Craft Curatorial Fellows Elizabeth Essner, Lily Kane and Meaghan Roddy and was originally organized by the Center for Craft. It is supported by the Windgate Charitable Foundation as part of the Windgate Contemporary Craft Initiative at ASU Art Museum. 
That was the official description above. The real scoop is that Meaghan, one of the curators, is a good friend and I've been very excited to see this exhibition. So much so, that I jumped the gun a little and saw it before it was fully installed. Be t…

The Museum of Contemporary Crafts
The American Crafts Council - Portable World exhibition October 5, 1973 to January 1, 1974



Source: American Craft Council

 I was able to catch the last few presenters at LACMA's symposium, New Narratives for “Living in a Modern Way”: California Design at Mid-Century I'm bummed I missed the rest.
Staci Steinberger from LACMA did a presentation on African-American designers and craftspeople  in Los Angeles, which included information on Tony Hill, John Smith and Doyle Lane (slide above).   The ads for Tony Hill's ceramics are all over Arts & Architecture magazine. It was good to get some information on him.

Individualism vs. Capitalism
Craft geek guru Glenn Adamson from the Victoria & Albert Museum ended the symposium with a thought provoking presentation on California Design after 1965.
Adamson used this California Design 8 photo of a Sam Maloof executive chair, with its back to  the camera in a tree grove, to illustrate the uncomfortable position of the individual craftsman in a modern  capitalist society at mid-century.   An underlying theme throughout the presentation was the notion  that mid-c…