Northwest Ceramics

The Pacific Northwest has long been a center for ceramic innovation. In the spring of 1951, arts patron Archie Bray turned an old brick factory in Helena, Montana, into a center for the ceramic arts and revolutionized the tradition in the Northwest. An important workshop at the Bray Foundation in 1952 with potters Shoji Hamada (1884–1978) and Bernard Leach (1887–1979) showed other Northwest potters clay’s potential as a medium beyond the functional.

The acclaimed ceramics program at the University of Washington also was launched in the 1950s and celebrated for innovations in figurative ceramics and for encouraging experimentation among its students. Its current faculty continue to play a pivotal role in the rapidly evolving field of contemporary ceramics.

This portfolio includes the works by Northwest ceramists in TAM's collection, both functional and sculptural forms.