The first Ceramics Monthly cover I saw come off the presses as a staff member was the September 1999 issue. One month in, still being trained, someone put an advance press copy on my desk. Jumping off the cover was a large orange jar with an ornate handle on the lid, the likes of which I had never seen before. Then I opened to the article and there was an even more detailed piece—covered with more of the same graphic detail. It wasn’t even the style of work I was interested in making, but there was no denying the dedication and accomplishment in it.
The jar on that cover was made by Ralph Bacerra, and I have always remembered that his work marked the beginning of my tenure here at CM. In June of this year, Ralph Bacerra passed away. While I had the pleasure of meeting him only once, I have always held up the ambition and honesty in his work as an example of what I should strive toward in the studio. Garth Clark, who knew Bacerra better than many in this field, has written a tribute that you can read here. If you didn’t already notice, one of Bacerra’s recent platters graces this month’s cover. It’s a bit of a selfish indulgence on my part—something of a thank-you for the inspiration of that first cover exactly nine years ago—but I think I am not alone in my opinion that his work and his contributions to studio ceramics warrants that placement.
Not least among Bacerra’s accomplishments were those in the classroom. We learned of his passing from several of his former students, all of whom could not say enough about the influence he had, and continues to have, on their work. That kind of impact is amazing. But I don’t think it is uncommon in ceramics.
| I have heard many wonder aloud if studio ceramics will “survive” the
next generation, what with the advent of technological gizmos and
rapid-fire information exchange, but I haven’t heard it from ceramics
instructors. I think this is because they see the promise of the next
wave of artists coming through our institutions, and they have an
encouraging role in the development of these artists. Technology is a
constant force in our world (always has been), and many of today’s
ceramic artists are embracing it in ways that result in work that was
not possible even ten years ago.
In our May issue, we announced the launch of our Undergraduate Showcase
competition, and the editorial staff and advisory board of Ceramics
Monthly have chosen fourteen students out of the hundreds of
submissions to present in print this month. They kick off the features here, and we think the accomplishment and quality of the works
presented speaks well of the future of ceramics.
We also asked Kristen Kieffer and Alleghany Meadows, the jurors for the
2008 NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts) Regional Student Juried Exhibition, to reflect on what they saw in the
works they chose for the exhibition at the Pittsburgh Center for the
Arts.
We are all students in some way, just as we are all teachers in some
way. From well-established artists like Ralph Bacerra to an
undergraduate student just discovering a voice in clay, we collectively
define the direction of contemporary ceramics. I think we have chosen
an exciting direction, and I can’t wait to see what we come up with
next.
Sherman Hall, Editor, Ceramics Monthly
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