The Potter's Art (Material Culture)

By Henry Glassie

Book Overview

"Coming into being, the work of art, this very pot, creates relations--relations between nature and culture, between the individual and society, between utility and beauty. Governed by desire, the artist's work answers questions of value. Is nature favored, or culture? Are individual needs or social needs more important? Do utilitarian or aesthetic concerns dominate in the transformation of nature?" --from the Introduction

The Potter's Art discusses and illustrates the work of modern masters of traditional ceramics from Bangladesh, Sweden, various parts of the United States, Turkey, and Japan. It will appeal to anyone interested in pottery and the study of folklore and folk art.

Henry Glassie is College Professor of Folklore and Co-director of Turkish Studies at Indiana University. He has been a Guggenheim Fellow and a Fellow of the National Humanities Institute; he has also served as President of the Vernacular Architecture Forum and of the American Folklore Society.

Material Culture--Henry Glassie, George Jevremovic, and William T. Sumner, editors
(Note: there is an accent egue on the c Jevremovic)

Contents:
The Potter's Art
Bangladesh
Sweden
Georgia
Acoma
Turkey
Japan
Hagi
Work in the Clay
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0253213568
• ISBN13: 9780253213563
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Indiana University Press
• Length: 152 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.9" x 8.9"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

A great work, for professional and layman alike!

Henry Glassie has done it again! Professor Glassie's contributions to the field of material culture studies are well known in the field, and this work is no exception. In this book, Glassie takes a look at pottery manufacturing in 6 regions of the world -- Turkey, Bangladesh, the American Southwest and Georgia (U.S.), Japan and Sweden. However, Glassie does not simply look at ceramic production. Instead, the art and tradition embodied in clay, and the lives of the potters themselves, are at issue for Glassie. In addition to being a great introduction to pottery production in these regions, this book provides marvelous photographs of potters and their craft. This is an excellent book for professionals potters, archaeologists, or anyone interested in pottery, ceramics, or living traditions!