Primarily a women's art, American Indian pottery reflects a heritage of powerful social, religious, and aesthetic values. Even now, modern American Indian women use the clay, paint, and fire of pottery making to express themselves, creating designs that range from dutifully traditional to strikingly original. This book - written in conjunction with one of the most important exhibitions of American Indian pottery ever mounted - provides an in-depth look at a unique North American art form.

This book combines extensive research with interviews granted by three Santa Clara potters. During the interviews, the author recorded and photographed each step -- from clay pit to market -- in the making of contemporary Santa Clara pottery. Collecting and preparing the clay, making slips and paints, modelling various kinds of vessels, sanding, smoothing, slipping, polishing, decorating, firing -- all are described and illustrated so thoroughly that the reader can experiment with the Santa Clara techniques himself if he wishes.

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Beauty will always reside in the eye of the beholder, but what about the fine line between beauty and functionality? Can a purely utilitarian form, such as a simple pot, vase, or plate, truly be considered a great work of art? In The Art of Contemporary American Pottery, author Kevin A Hluch takes up the challenge of addressing this debate. Hluch, who examines pottery from a unique perspective as historian, scholar and connoisseur, finds as much meaning and nobility in a thoughtfully crafted clay vessel as he does in a masterpiece painting. There are many reasons why a good pot is a good pot. Some reasons are obvious. Some are subtle. Some only reveal themselves when you know how to look. With the help of more than 200 beautiful color photos featuring the world of the country's best utilitarian potters, and a lengthy list of artists and galleries, Hluch does more than just talk about how great pottery is made. He talks about what makes great pottery.

Why are people still handmaking utilitarian pottery in the 21st century? Doesn't industrial production take care of all our storage and cooking and serving needs? Yet, in all corners of the US, pottery is being discovered, studied, developed, produced, sold, collected, used, displayed, preserved, and passed down. Answers to these questions are vividly realized in the words of potters themselves--funny, philosophical, intense, and inspiring life narratives captured by Janet Koplos, an award-winning art critic who has followed American studio ceramics for the last four decades. The depth and breadth of this book is unprecedented in American craft history. Fifty individuals or pairs of potters offer their experiences, their thoughts, and their lessons learned. When art is at home in the kitchen, dining room, or living room, as is the case with functional pottery, the impact on our lives can be profound.

Overzicht van de ontwikkeling van Amerikaanse studio keramiek in de twintigste eeuw.