Sustainability - Vol. 44 No. 1

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2°C. It could be the difference between a vase that dons a gem of transparent green, perfectly pooled just above its foot, and one that when pulled from the shelf has a sharp, mangled base, leaving its disappointed maker with a shelf to grind and a new addition to her shard pile.

The Tiny Monolith: A Tribute to a Michael Simon Pot

By

Chuck DeWolfe

At four a.m., the dawn was just starting to crest over the Penland hills. It was dark, and cold for late spring, and I was up doing the sunrise wood kiln shift (my favorite).

ReUpped

By

Christa Assad

In writing about my personal philosophy of sustainability, I considered both my twenty-five-year timeline as a studio artist and my recent plight of surviving a house fire and badly broken back.

The Path

By

Jane Herold

My definition of “useful” keeps evolving. I’ve long believed that a pot’s true usefulness lies in its ability to generate caring, to inspire a cook to greater effort, to offer comfort and company in a cup of tea, to cause someone to pause and take note of a particular moment on a particular day.

What’s Really Going on in Nelson County, Virginia?

By

Linda Crowe

Editor's note: See Vol. 13, No. 2, June 1985 for "Potters of the Blue Ridge Mountains" featuring several potters from this article.

The Ethics of Making

By

Natania Hume

As a maker of functional ceramics, I often wonder if my practice is sustainable. Climate change has not only affected how I perceive my work, but it has also shifted the cultural values of many makers; many of us are now aware of our “footprint” and what impact our actions have on the environment.

Beyond the Havana Biennial

By

Paula Sibrack Marian

The Biennial supplied a visible platform for the political drama between Cuba and the United States. The eyes of the art world were on Havana. Held at La Cabaña, the colonial fortress complex in Havana Harbor, the Biennial was in the news daily.

Wicked Meltability: A conversation with Jonathan Mess

By

Jonathan Mess

From the beginning, I figured out a. I don’t want to pay for anything, and b. there’s so much waste everywhere. I feel bad opening up a new bag of Neph Sy or something that was shipped here from California, or wherever.

Sustainability: Clay Objects in a Changing World, Part II

By

Keith Luebke (he/him/his)

Editor's note: Find Part I of this essay in Vol. 43 No. 2, Summer/Fall 2015.

On the Mend

By

Andrew Baseman

If it were not for the proverbial bull in a china shop, I would have nothing to collect or write about.

Preserving Balance

By

Lorie Nelson

In early June, mornings are cool and peaceful as the sun rises over the rich, verdant landscape of Fernwood Farm. Birds harmonize with the whir and clang of early morning chores, yet there is stillness in the air.

The Canadian Mantra: Reuse, Repurpose, and Recycle!

By

Mary Ann Steggles

Four of Canada’s celebrated potters, Harlan House, Kirk Creed, Gordon Hutchens, and Wayne Ngan, have set admirable examples of how to build a sustainable life as a ceramic artist.

Six Pots, or the Meaning of Objects After Death

By

Suzanne Staubach

“You can’t take it with you,” is oft repeated in conversation when referring to other people’s acquisitions. And yet, the majority of us leave behind a raft of stuff, most of it quite ordinary.

Finding Home: Sustaining a Creative Life

By

Frank Saliani

For a long time, the question of sustainability for me was largely a question of how to sustain myself as an artist. After securing the basics like food, water, and shelter, there was always the matter of how to secure the space, the time, and the means to maintain a studio practice.

Remembering Norm Schulman

By

Alan Willoughby

Norm Schulman passed away in October of 2014 in Penland, North Carolina. Norm was an independent thinker, at once rebellious and innovative, engaging, defiant, loving, passionate, a husband, a father, and perhaps most of all, a dreamer.

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