Studio Potter Archive

Studio Potter Archive establishes Etsy.com Gallery

New paths taken at Studio Potter Archive — May 4, 2011

We’re thrilled to announce that Studio Potter Archive has joined the inspirational world of  Esty.com by opening a gallery under the user name: StudioPotterArchive.

The move was made in response to our collector circle asking us to handle works which they wish to pass along to other collectors, or in the case of  our potter friends, direct representation.

Regarding this new venture, we’re also proud to say that 20 years of collecting experience has proved successful in Studio Potter Archive’s exclusive relationship to offer an assemblage of work; collected over some 50 years, by Mikhail Zakin.

Mikhail Zakin’s reputation, as both a potter and sculptress and as a pioneers-woman in the arts, is stellar. 
Her initiative to restore a dilapidated church (back in 1974) into an art school and cultural center has provided countless numbers of artists a place where they can congregate in the name of creativity.  The Art School at Old Church is also the home of Karen Karnes’ 36 year-long curatorial event.

Working along side Ms. Zakin is not only rewarding as an archivist — the knowledge Ms. Zakin possesses is immense — but her collection, over 50 years in the making, is exquisite.  Many works, never previously offered, are now available to StudioPotterArchive.com to place  into other esteemed collections.

We’re also glad to announce that we’ve been given another exclusive in offering the studio collection of potter and sculptress, Lillian Dodson.  Dodson’s work is multi-dimensional and has garnered her a reputation as a “gentle force” within the Long Island, NY arts scene, and as an important East Coast region artist.

Presently, we’re working on cataloging Dodson’s collection and will soon release select works at our new gallery space on Etsy.com.

In addition to specific collectors and potters, Studio Potter Archive offers studio production works  to help underwrite our quest to support the studio potter.   Please see “Articles” for SPA’s first installment of Etsy’s top potter talent.

We thank our members for supporting us with their membership and look forward to bringing our circle of collectors new and exiting works to consider for their curatorial vision.

And yes, visiting our gallery is easy; click any image in this post for a direct path…we’re always open!

A Letter From the Editor

A Letter From the Editor:

In the beginning, I was reluctant to assume the position of Executive Editor for Studio Potter Archive. This reluctance was based on nothing more than being fearful of making the transition from the known into the unknown. However, my spirit of adventure quickly won out, and as I became ever more acquainted with this prodigious studio pottery collection; two decades in the building, I became increasingly aware of just how powerful the draw to pottery can be.

All at once, I was learning more about pottery and potters than I knew there was to know. I found myself digging through boxes, cruising through websites, sharpening my elbows and winging myself through flea markets and rummage sales. All of this for the sake of scoring a tantalizing piece of studio pottery. In time, I began looking at these works differently, and as a result, I see them differently. Instinctively, I began holding them with new hands; my tactile experience becoming sharper. I didn’t see it coming, but I’m hooked.

After taking a step back and assessing the known, I realized that what I had been discovering was urging me to move in a new direction. I thought, words, like clay, are to be molded, manipulated, pinched, painted, glazed, and thrown into form. This is what I do. This job is for me.

I am happy to be a part of actualizing this magnificent archive, and I am happy that you have joined us.

Respectfully,

Malinda Bender
Executive Editor
Studio Potter Archive

From the Desk of the Archivist

October 20, 2010

I have undertaken a labor of love while simultaneously creating a place that feels like home.

For a good while now, I’ve immersed myself into the many facets found within the world of the studio potter.   It started back in my late teens; purchases made on the secondary market that were not only affordable in price, but which afforded a chance to discover the world of the studio potter through persons who respected this art-form in their day, as much as I do, today.

As a young collector, my idea of pottery was what  antiques pricing guides (like Schroeder’s) listed in their pages; production potteries such as Roseville, Weller, and Fulper, and smaller ‘studio’ operations such as Van Briggle and Dedham.  But shortly thereafter, I had become catapulted into the world of studio pottery when befriending a woman who was a collector by default.  It was her collection which revolutionized the idea of what I’d known pottery to be.  I’ll certainly speak more on my friendship with Miriam Duryea over time, but for now, it was her collection that pushed all envelopes and got me thinking.  During that same time period, I opened many of those envelopes while hanging about the ceramic studio of potter and sculptress, Lillian Dodson, of Long Island, New York.

My insatiable need to learn as much information as possible, coupled with a thrill of the hunt when finding pots in the marketplace, heightened my interest in studio pottery.   This mix of education and enthusiasm became the foundation on which the SPA archive collection is built.  Surpassing the tangible object, my true passion within this field is paying homage to the studio potter—it’s the absolute foundation on which StudioPotterArchive.com is built; the labor of love I spoke of earlier.

I look forward to the opportunity to meet new friends; the potters, collectors, and fellow enthusiasts within the world of the studio potter.

Best forward,

Paul Kowalchuk
Senior Archivist
Studio Potter Archive