This year’s Symposium helped celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the opening of the Museum. Included in the presentations was a review of the history of the Museum by current curator Lauren Hansgen. Archival images of the Opening showed the attendance of founding CPMA member Joanne Calkins who was with us at the 2018 Symposium having missed just one of 28.
Other highlights included a presentation on the history and for plans for Everson Museum and its ceramics collection by D J Hellerman, Curator of Art and Programs.
Seth Nagelberg, Professoer and and Chair of Ceramics at Cleveland Institure of Art discussed “Art, Design and Craft”, illustrating the intersections of Art and Technology which are very much in the tradition established by R Guy Cowan.
As usual the traditional “Show and Share” session was a lively one. Author and educator Mark Bassett’s expertise was called upon for guidance on the dating and production locale of several hand-signed RGC pieces submitted by attendees. Grace Cowan, Great Granddaughter of RGC, brought along the actual Logan medal awarded to Cowan in 1924 in the juried competition at Art Institute of Chicago.
The Symposium was also addressed by William Johnson, this year’s recipient of the R Guy Cowan Scholarship in ceramics at CIA, which is funded annually by CPMA. William showed some of his current work including pieces fired in CIA’s outdoor wood fired kiln.
