David Peters stokes the wood kiln
This is by no means comprehensive, but here are some pictures I took during my residency as an “Edge” artist this past June at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana. I was grateful for the chance to play my hand at being a photographer again for just a little while. Enjoy!
Eric Kao takes out a Christa Assad cup, Andy Brayman types up his Ceramic Library card
Potters as a group are particularly interested in the interaction between the things they make and the people who use them. The Artstream Ceramic Library grew out of a desire to explore this social exchange, rather than the usual monetary exchange. It grew out of wanting to extend and expand what was already happening in the Artstream Nomadic Gallery, a roving ceramics gallery established in 2001 by Alleghany Meadows that sets up its 1967 silver Airstream along city streets across the country. What was happening is that people got to talk directly to the makers of pots. This rare interaction and sharing, is of course, one of the best things about the whole experience on both sides. And people who would never go into a ceramics gallery were unexpectedly introduced and turned on to some of the best handmade pots around.
The Ceramic Library consists of forty cups from a dozen nationally-known potters, many of them current or former Bray residents. Cups can be checked out for up to a week to be used in whatever manner. In exchange, the Library asks that the user document the experience by taking a picture or by making some other piece of art in response. For example, here are pictures taken of my beaver cup. The cups are housed in cushioned wooden boxes made by Andy Brayman and the process of checking out is done with a typewriter and a card catalog, just like in the old days.
Having the Ceramic Library here at the Archie Bray for its 60th anniversary is fitting given the history of social exchange and sharing at the Bray. In some ways, it defines the Bray. From the ubiquitous potluck where nearly every ceramic artist is a devoted cook (or knows that Vann’s is the best place to get a quick contribution of fried chicken), to the sharing of glaze recipes and wood firing shifts, to the almost constant sharing of ideas, the Bray is also “a fine place” to share. The generosity of volunteers from the local Helena community to share their time, energy, and knowledge have been equally fundamental to the Bray experience and its success. Growth as an artist happens as much from these exchanges as it does from focused studio work.
We all have had experience with using something on loan, whether it’s a rental apartment, a leased car, or a cell phone. Most of us though, have never used a handmade object on loan. Because it’s temporary pleasure and relationship, do we appreciate the experience all the more? Is it like falling in love with a cup in a friend’s cupboard and then looking forward to using it on the next visit? Everything we experience in a museum is on loan, so how does it differ when one gets to take a handmade cup home? For James Klein, who has taken out a Lisa Orr cup, “it’s like visiting with an old friend.”
The view at dusk from the summer studio
The Archie Bray Foundation is the oldest and arguably the best ceramics residency in the world. Founded in 1951 and based in Helena, Montana, the Bray is situated on the grounds of a historic brick factory. It‘s a place infused with history, yet boasts state of the art facilities along with the brightest artists in the ceramics world. I’ve been involved with the Bray for fifteen years and my love for it has grown deeper and deeper. While I make an annual trip out here as a board member, I’m back as an artist this time. And as the Bray’s 60th anniversary event approaches, I’ve been reflecting about a few reasons that make the Bray so special.
Andy Brayman and Mark Hall help me figure out how to approach my project
Flexibility
The Bray is really proficient at changing with the times and being open to new ways of thinking, all the while remaining true to its mission of being a “fine place to work”. For the Bray’s 60th anniversary this month, ten artists have been assembled as a think tank to explore the “edge” of digital technologies and ceramics. Artists have brought two ceramic printers and one milling machine to fabricate objects that have been designed on computers, rather than with traditional techniques. It’s interesting coming in as a potter who uses technology more for social outreach and marketing because it’s encouraging me to approach my ceramic work in a different way. As a first project, I’m making a token in Rhino (with the generous help of numerous fellow artists along every step!) that plays with ideas of value and exchange. At the same time that all this is happening, an anagama is being loaded today by a crew of potters who love the richness and ardous process of woodfiring. The flexibility that the Bray embodies by having these two processes running parallel is just one example of what makes the Bray so good.
John Williams and team making homemade ravioli
Trust
In my opinion, one of the most valuable things one person can give to another is trust. It acts as a kind of nourishment that allows people to sprout, grow, take risks and thrive. I’ve seen the Bray adopt this philosophy as in institution again and again, despite changes in leadership, staff, and the resident artist community. The way in which it’s manifested is that residents here are not in a retreat, cut off from the world, but present in the messiness of life. There’s no dorm or set mealtime to artificially structure their lives as it is in other residencies. The Bray has set up residents with what they need as artists and a minimal set of community expectations, after which residents have the freedom to make work in the way and at a pace that makes sense to them. This kind of trust works really well because it relies on the best things happening organically through self-motivation. I’m talking about art work, but it even happens in the kitchen, as evidenced by last night’s spontaneous handmade ravioli dinner made by six and spearheaded by artist John Williams, who just flew in from Italy.
Early Akio Takamori figure and early Steve Godfrey jar
History
Almost ten years ago, the new Shaner Studio and resident artist center were purposefully built on the edge of the ruins of an old brick factory. The massive humped domes of the beehive kilns, the railroad trestle, the hills of discarded brick, and the tool shop in back that literally acts as a window into the past, set the perfect scene. Growing up in New England, I love the closeness of history because it always presents a question about where we are now and how similar we really are to the generations before us. Walking around the grounds is like seeing a timeline of modern studio ceramics come to life. Rows of whole and broken pieces line the walls of the original pottery building and can often be identified as early pieces of this or that now famous artist. As a young potter living here for two years, I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to identify all the shards I saw on a daily basis because it was both a history lesson and a way to connect to those who worked here before me.
The upshot of being surrounded by all this ceramic history is that it acts as a major motivator for many artists in the studio. Having a place in this continuum, wanting to contribute, and moving the dialogue forward are what lead to some of the most exciting experiments and best pieces ever made in ceramic arts. Being among the innovation and passion of the resident artists and the sheer brain power of the “Edge” artists is both humbling and energizing. These three reasons are just a few of many reasons I love the Bray.
