The Alfred Ceramic Art Museum last week celebrated Alfred University’s rich history of ceramic art with its exhibition "History: a Legacy in Motion, Alfred Ceramic Art 1900–2025."
The Alfred Ceramic Art Museum last week celebrated Alfred University’s rich history of ceramic art with its exhibition "History: a Legacy in Motion, Alfred Ceramic Art 1900–2025."
The exhibit displays ceramic art by Alfred University faculty members beginning with Charles Fergus Binns, the founding director of the New York State School of Clay-Working and Ceramics at Alfred University. The College has evolved into the New York State College of Ceramics and is celebrating its 125th anniversary.
While the exhibit represents the work of more than two dozen ceramic artists, it centralizes the pottery of Binns with 25 of his pieces occupying literally the central area of the museum.
“We wanted to start with Binns,” said ACAM Director Wayne Higby, who curated the show together with Assistant Director Benjamin Evans. “The New York College of Ceramics started from a pot. The whole school started because Binns was a potter and, as a result, he was a person who knew ceramics materials and ceramic science.”
“Contemporary ceramics,” Higby said, “is influenced by Binns and Alfred University.”
Higby’s sculpture is included in the exhibit along with pieces by: Marion Fosdick, Charles Harder, Don Schreckengost, Daniel Rhodes, Ted Randall, Val Cushing, Robert Turner, Wallace Higgins, William Parry, Tony Hepburn, Tom Spleth, Anne Currier, John Gill, Andrea Gill, Doug Jeck, Walter McConnell, Linda Sikora, Matt Kelleher, Linda Sormin, Yonatan Hopp, Jason Green, Stephanie Hanes, Paul Briggs, and Nicki Green.
Higby noted many of the pieces had not been on display in recent years, and their presence in an exhibit representing the historic sweep of ceramic art created in Alfred forms a legacy handed down “from artist-teachers” who worked initially at the School of Clay-Working and Ceramics and then the College of Ceramics, which now includes the Inamori School of Engineering and the School of Art & Design.
