The Scripps College Ceramic Annual – the longest running exhibition of contemporary ceramics in the United States – opens Saturday, January 24, 2004, at the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery on the Scripps campus. In conjunction with the exhibition, scholar and writer Jo Lauria will give a lecture at the Scripps Humanities Auditorium at 4:30 p.m. The opening reception will take place from 7-9 p.m. and will include live music. Admission is free and open to the public. The exhibition continues through April 4, 2004.
This Ceramic Annual is organized in honor of Professor Emeritus Paul Soldner, who for thirty years taught at Scripps and organized many Ceramic Annual exhibitions. The success of the exhibitions, now in their 60th year, is rightly attributed to Paul’s creative leadership. The presence of the renowned Marer Collection of Contemporary Ceramics on this campus is, likewise, a tribute to Paul – the result of his friendship with the Marers and their recognition that his presence has made Scripps College >an internationally recognized center for the study of ceramics in the United States.
The 60th Ceramic Annual presents the work of more than 100 contemporary artists who have had a major impact on the field of ceramic art including Laura Andreson, Rudy Autio, Ralph Bacerra, Bennett Bean, Phil Cornelius, Val Cushing, Michael and Magdalena Frimkess, Otto Heino, Wayne Higby, Karen Karnes, Ryoji Koie, Tony Marsh, John Mason, Harrison McIntosh, Jim Melchert, Ron Nagle, Elsa Rady, Jerry Rothman, Kathleen Royster, Adrian Saxe, Richard Shaw, Henry Takemoto, Irv Tepper, Peter Voulkos, Patti Warashina, Paula and Robert Winokur, and Betty Woodman.
This exhibition is accompanied by an illustrated catalogue including essays by Garth Clark, President and Director of Garth Clark Galleries in New York and Long Island; Susan Peterson, Professor Emeritus at Hunter College and author of numerous books on ceramics, including Working With Clay (Prentice Hall); and Mary Davis MacNaughton, Director of the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery, who organized the exhibition and catalogue, Paul Soldner: A Retrospective (1991).
The catalogue Standing Room Only: The Scripps 60th Ceramic Annual is produced by Perpetua Press, and is supported in part by a grant from the Pasadena Art Alliance. Additional support comes from Skutt Ceramics, Inc., Bill and Francine Baker, Sonny and Gloria Kamm, and W. R. Welty.
In conjunction with the 60th Scripps Annual, we are pleased to announce a campaign to raise $1,000,000 to create the Paul Soldner Endowment. The income from this endowment will support the Scripps Ceramic Annual; establish a Visiting Artist Program featuring leaders in the ceramic community; and enhance our student outreach program to include primary and secondary schools. Donors include Diane and Igal Silber, Lynn and Jerry Myers, Connie and Michael Layne, Joe Soldate, and Victoria Andrew Williamson.