Peter Voulkos - A Revolution in Clay
In the second of two episodes, Stephanie Rozene and Paul Greenhalgh follow Peter Voulkos through the explosive years that transformed him from master potter into one of the most radical figures in modern ceramics.
From the experimental studios of Otis and Berkeley to his monumental Blackwares, stacks and platters, Voulkos tears, cuts, pounds and rebuilds clay, pushing it far beyond the traditional vessel. His performances become legendary, while a generation of students go on to reshape American ceramics themselves.
But behind the charismatic “wild man” lies a more complicated story of addiction, recovery and relentless creativity. Stephanie and Paul explore Voulkos’s later years and the extraordinary legacy of an artist who changed not simply how ceramics looked, but what clay could be.
Featured Images:
Rocking Pot, 1956, Peter Voulkos.
Pot Shop, UC Berkeley, c. 1960s, Jim Melchert.
Last Temptation of Ming, 2015, Ron Nagle.
Blue Face with White Stripe, 1971, Stephen De Staebler.
Looking at Pictures, 2016, Mary Heilmann.
Installation View of “New Talent XIII”, 1960, Peter Voulkos.
Peter Voulkos at Work in the Faith and Charity in Hope Gallery, 1984, Peter Voulkos.
Sunset Rip, 2008, Mary Heilmann.
Paul Soldner’s MFA Show, 1956, Paul Soldner, Peter Voulkos and John Mason.
Arlene Schechet in the Jewish Museum, 2018, Sara Wasserman.
Peter Voulkos at Work, by Stephanie Rozene
Installation View of Voulkos: The Breakthrough Years, [date unknown], Butcher Walsh.
Untitled Chicken Pot, 1958, Peter Voulkos. The New York Times, 2021.
Little Big Horn, 1959, Peter Voulkos.
ientos, 1959, Peter Voulkos.
Sitting Bull, 1959, Peter Voulkos.
Annon, 1959, Peter Voulkos. Photograph by E. G. Schempf, Museum of Arts and Design.
Pauline Annon, circa 1950, Estate of Pauline Anon
Peter Voulkos at Work, c. 1960s,
Pinatubo, 1994, Peter Voulkos.
Ice Bucket, [date unknown], Peter Voulkos.
Bronze Ice Bucket, 1986, Peter Voulkos.
Iron Head, 1979, Peter Voulkos.
Selfies at the V and A, Stephanie Rosene and Paul Greenhalgh
Professor Paul Greenhalgh is a specialist on the art and design of the Modern period. He has written widely on Art Nouveau and curated several exhibitions including the major survey Art Nouveau 1890-1914, which toured internationally (2000-01). His books include Ephemeral Vistas (1988), Modernism in Design (1990), Art Nouveau 1890–1914 (2000), The Modern Ideal (2005), Fair World (2011), L’Art Nouveau: La Revolution Decorative (2013), Ceramic Art and Civilisation (2021) and Pablo Picasso: The Legacy of Youth (2022). He has held positions as Head of Research at the V&A Museum, London; President and Director at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington DC; Director of the Sainsbury Centre, Norwich; and Inaugural Director of the Zaha Hadid Foundation, London. He was born and raised in Bolton, and is a proud Lancastrian.
Stephanie Rozene is a ceramic artist, Professor of Art, and the Ceramics Program Coordinator at Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York she has been teaching, writing and making art since 2004. At Hartwick she's been honored with the Wandersee Scholar in Residence award twice, along with the Teacher Scholar Award. Stephanie's research uses historical ornament and porcelain as a visual language to critique contemporary political rhetoric, and she also explores the history of clay as a cooking tool. Her work has been shown extensively both nationally and internationally. She is a member of the International Academy of Ceramics and is the Vice President of the board of trustees for the Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts in Newcastle, Maine, and was educated at NSCAD University in Nova Scotia, Canada and the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University.
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