Vase
Item
Title
Vase
Creator
Kenneth R. Beittel
American, 1922–2003
American, 1922–2003
Materials
Native clay with a feldspathic matte glaze over white and black slip decoration
Measurements
3-1/4 x 3-1/4 x 3-1/4 in. (8.2 x 8.2 x 8.2 cm)
Description
While in Japan, Beittel focused his study on the mingei (folk art) movement, which valued the work of individual craftsmen making functional objects representative of the region where they were produced. Beittel’s work shared these values. This vase is made out of clay native to central Pennsylvania—perhaps from the Alan Seeger Natural Area, in Rothrock State Forest, where Beittel took his students for clay digs—and decorated with a glaze derived from feldspathic rocks over a black and white slip (liquefied clay). In Zen and the Art of Pottery, Beittel explained, “In an age when everything is a packaged commodity that money can buy, digging and preparing a local clay can be a purifying and unifying act.”
Source
Palmer Museum of Art, The Pennsylvania State University, Gift of Mrs. Edwin Zoller.
Identifier
77.59
Rights
This image is posted publicly for non-profit educational uses, excluding printed publication. Other uses are not permitted.