Directed and edited by Scott Sterling, 1997.
Produced by Kathleen Garfield.
Length:
150 minutes.
Format:
VHS.
Purchase:
$695 for schools and institutions. Inquire for price for individuals.
Available from:
The Cinema Guild, 1697 Broadway, New York, New York 10019. Telephone 212 / 246-5522.
This is a beautifully produced, directed and edited film in five parts on the emergence of American clay art, with an emphasis on the California clay revolution.
"Part I: The Tradition of No Tradition" opens with the questions, "What is clay? What is a pot?" Answers from artists and critics range from the poetic to the sardonic. Ron Nagle comments: "What is the difference between a pot and a vessel? $5000!"
We follow the evolution of clay as an art medium in the United States, beginning with the Arts and Crafts Movement of the late 19th century as a reaction against the depersonalization of the Industrial Revolution. In dramatic contrast to film footage of assembly line ceramic factories, we see pots and potters at Rookwood, the first enlightened art pottery in the United States. Adelaide Alsop Robineau emerges as the first true studio artist in clay.
The tape concludes with the bold work of the eccentric George Ohr, "the Mad potter from Biloxi."
After a look at the work and contributions of Glenn Lukens, "Part II: The Great Move West" and "Part III: Peter Voulkos and the Otis Group" focus on the radical transformation of American ceramics in the hands of Peter Voulkos.
Reacting against the "dictatorial" Bauhaus teaching methods of Marguerite Wildenhain, Voulkos tore apart the concept of correct technique for throwing and decorating harmonious pots. "He set the different parts of the piece, the form, the surface and the decoration against one another" says Christopher Knight.
After being invited to Black Mountain College, Voulkos saw clay as another art form along with dance, music and painting. He tells us "My pots no longer need to contain food or flowers. They contain the human spirit."
Rare photos and film footage combined with vivid narration by Rudy Autio and Voulkos bring alive the early years at the Archie Bray Foundation, including the visit made by Hamada and Bernard Leach.
Former students at Otis such as John Mason, Paul Soldner, and Mac McClain tell us that in Voulkos' classes there was no formal instruction - and initially no equipment - but Voulkos created an inspiring atmosphere, with no restrictions, where creativity and self challenging could happen. Says Henry Takemoto, "You went beyond what's familiar to you, and I think that is the secret of art."
Through dynamic editing, beautiful choice of music and, most of all, Voulkos' trenchant commentary, these two tapes recapture the excitement of that era.
"Part IV: Robert Arneson and the Davis Group" reveals the career, artistic vision and personality of Bob Arneson through recordings, stills and film footage as well as through interviews that include his wife Sharon Shannonhouse, gallery owner Ruth Braunstein, and artists Robert Brady and Roy deForrest.
Influenced by Pop Art, Arneson, the "bad boy" of clay, made humorous work whose content was provocative and sacreligious and whose form was deliberately "funky" and "casually crafted." Arneson tells us, "I choose myself as subject matter because I can take liberties with my own face that I can't with another model."
But the comic was to take a turn towards the tragic. The outside world impinged with the shooting death of San Francisco Mayor, George Moscone, and the controversy surrounding Arneson's treatment of the pedestal for the Moscone memorial commission.
In 1974 after he was diagnosed with cancer and underwent multiple surgeries, Arneson felt increasingly driven to establish his place in history before his death in 1992.
The fifth and final tape, "The Width of a Circle," showcases four artists with widely different styles and attitudes, who chose to go against ceramic tradition in a conceptual way. We see James Melchert staging performance events whose participants immerse themselves in slip.
Stephen de Staebler sought to free clay from the "pot vernacular" and even the hand of the maker by letting it form archaic landscapes. Clayton Bailey, as his alter ego "Dr. Gladstone", takes Funk Art one step further to "Nut Art."
The work of Adrian Saxe paradoxically juxtaposes the precious and the scatological. He says: "I like to get people engaged through purely sensual appeal then gross them out in order to undermine their assumption of what something is."
This powerful series closes with the reminder that Saxe's marriage of the sinister and the erotic reflects the social concerns of the era of AIDS.
In an telephone interview with executive producer Kathleen Garfield, she told me that this project grew out of conversations with the late Rick Dillingham who introduced her to the California Clay Revolution.
During the 3 1/2 year project, she received generous cooperation from museums, libraries and art institutions who released a wealth of historical material never before seen by the public.
I hope Public Television picks up this video, as its dynamic cinematography makes the subject matter interesting to people unfamiliar with clay.
Garfield says there are plans for further films on other artists and geographical areas. She also said that the unedited footage will be released on the Internet.
Revolutions of the Wheel is a great work and a must see for everyone interested in the history of 20th century clay.
Reviewed by Catherine Merrill. Studio Potter Network Newsletter, Spring, 1998.