University Libraries Promotion and Tenure Recognition

This book represents the permanent collection of the Museum of Ceramics in Montelupo, Italy. I visited the museum and was impressed with the work for a few reasons. Everything was made for everyday use. Food and the body defined the aesthetics of every piece. There was a familiarity and celebration inherent in every pot. The pottery of Montelupo spoke to my sincere interest in the overlap between art and life. Every piece in the museum was broken, cracked, or a shard (the result of an active life) and yet it was still displayed with great respect.

I have returned to my copy of this book innumerable times. I have seen the pieces and as a result I can imagine their weight, surface, and eagerness to help out in the kitchen. As a potter and academic I often remind my students that pottery offers the great opportunity to make artwork that lives with people, from the kitchen to the table to the center of their livelihood...their stomachs and in this domestic arena is where a good pot is shared with others.