A century of ceramics in the United States, 1878-1978

From the Inside Cover: The history of American ceramics from the celebration of the Centennial (1876) to the present day is rich, varied, and relatively undocumented. It is a period studded with men and women of genius, uncompromising ethical standards, and engaging eccentricity. The purpose of the exhibition at the Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, New York, and this book based on it is to present the history of American ceramics, its aesthetic and its influence, and so provide a perspective. Comprised of over 400 pieces, the majority of which are illustrated in this book, the exhibition and book span one hundred years of creative endeavor. In the decade-by-decade presentation, a variety of styles, philosophies, and techniques of ceramic artists is shown in this first study focusing on the role of ceramics in the modern, decorative, and fine arts of the United States. The journey of self-discovery and purpose that is surveyed here is an extraordinary one. It takes the ceramic medium in the United States from an imitative, exploratory stance in the late nineteenth century to a vanguardist role in the 1950s and beyond. The achievement is twofold. On the one hand, the American ceramists had established a beachhead for a traditional craft medium in the fine arts, redefining the vessel aesthetic and presenting ceramic sculpture as an intimate and meaningful alternative to the cerebral quality of postwar metal sculpture. More broadly, however, it reflects the triumph of a nation that has been able to achieve a cultural voice and identity through the arts in the brief space of one hundred years.