March Issue 2001
Why Collect Figurative Clay?
by Ron Porter, one of the owners of the collection along with Joe Price
Simple Question, right? Well, maybe. "Why collect"? is simple; there was no other choice. I believe that collectors are born and not made. I certainly had no choice in the matter, although I consider it a Godsend rather than a curse. The standard cliches apply: passion, driven, obsessed, etc. I recognize that there are individuals who make a conscious decision to acquire (and some do it rather well) but that simply does not apply to me. In simplest terms, I represent the collector as pack rat.
Our collection just happened. An object or painting appeared that demanded a place in our everyday lives. The addition of one after another constituted a collection that continues to this day. No space on the wall or empty corner of a room dictated a certain object's future home. The object dictated its inclusion. If it helped with cohesion, great; if not, it still had equal importance.
Our collections are not academic or "important" in an art historical sense. However, they are extremely important personally, for they add richness to our daily existence and complete us as people.
Why clay? Somewhat simple; the material is seductively malleable and takes on infinite possibilities of form, volume and surface at the hands of its maker. It is truly an elemental art form requiring earth, water, fire, and air to be completed successfully. It can be utilitarian or purely decorative and has been an expression of man's existence since unrecorded time. So much for pat answers; why is it important to me? That is a more difficult question that I am not sure I can adequately answer. I have played with clay for a long time; not professionally or consistently, but with gusto when the need arises. This has allowed me to appreciate not only how forgiving the medium is to even the most unskilled of us, but also how ethereal it may become at the hands of gifted, creative artists.
After seeing Craft Today, Poetry of the Physical, and American Ceramics Now in the late 1980s, I was astounded by the achievements of contemporary ceramic artists. Yes, I said artists, because regardless of the age-old-waste-of time issue of art versus craft, clay can present form and content which holds its own with any "fine" art
Finally, why the figure? This stumps me. I think the same gene that demanded I become a congenital collector dictated a focus on the figure. Again, since our beginning, we have been representing ourselves and others in our creative endeavors. The caves of Lascaux do not just contain images of horses and horned beasts. Every culture, race, and gender has represented itself to the world in its own image and during its lifetime. It has always been important to surround ourselves with ourselves. Why so important as to have begun in our infancy I must leave to scholars, historians, or regular Joes more enlightened than I. However, I do know that having the figure, both animate and inanimate, around me is incredibly important. These pieces of art add a dimension to my life that cannot be overstated; each speaks a language that only we may have in common; tells a story that may amuse or sadden; represents a part of me that I keep from others, either intentionally or not; and therefore completes me as a human being. Despite slogans to the contrary, I do not believe that we can be all that we can be without this contribution from art.
I hope you will spend some time with these figures and allow them to share their secrets with you. If you do, you will be a different person than before the experience. And you will be convinced of the importance and necessity of their existence in our time.
For a copy of this exhibition catalogue call Mana Hewitt at 803/777-7480.
Mailing Address: Carolina Arts, P.O. Drawer
427, Bonneau, SC 29431
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Carolina Arts
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Copyright© 2001 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston
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