Esoteric Survey

  Magdalena Suarez Frimkess Dorothy Schindele and Ed Ruscha Marg Loring, Peter Shire, Sandra Johnstone, David Stewart and Heino Miscellaneous, with some Heath and Quistgaard  I don't know what this stone sculpture is but I like it

  Breaking Ground: Women in California Clay at AMOCA , celebrating 44 artists who have defined—and redefined—ceramics over the past 100 years. Many of the Golden State’s most innovative and impactful ceramic artists in the 20th and 21st centuries are women who faced adversity due to gender inequality and were often ignored or overlooked in favor of their male counterparts. These incredibly determined women pushed forward, driven by creativity and tenacity. The exhibition is co-curated by Beth Ann Gerstein (Executive Director), Jo Lauria (Adjunct Curator), and Edith Garcia (Professor, California College of the Arts and University of California, Berkeley). The exhibition is arranged chronologically, with the first group named "breaking ground." This includes Vivika Heino. A pretty great Heino. Heino glaze tests. I love this. Marguerite Wildenhain Wildenhain's production porcelain airplane cup from her Bauhaus days. Laura Andreson Another Andreson piece. Ruth Rippon Elaine K...

I went on a field trip to Scripps College, Claremont to see their amazing collection of post-war American ceramics. With me were  Eric Huff and Tom McMillin (yes the ceramicist). Kirk Delman, the Collections Manager and Interim Director at the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery at Scripps College gave us the tour.   Tom (left) is a legend in California ceramics and added so much to the experience. Not only did he know many of the artist in the collection, his technical knowledge of glazes and ceramics was a great insight to have. Kirk has been at Scripps for 37 years so he knows the collection better than anyone else. He also knew many of the artists personally and shared some great stories about them. This was a major craft geek experience for me and Eric.    The bulk of the Scripps ceramic collection came from Fred Marer. He was a math teacher at LA City College, so far from a rich guy. He built an amazing collection that began in 1954 when he went to an exhibit...