Warren MacKenzie

What more can be said about esteemed Minnesota potter Warren MacKenzie? For over half a century, Warren has served as an inspirational model, teacher and mentor while maintaining his Stillwater studio, for decades a destination for clay devotees from all over the world.

In his own words:

As a functional potter I make about 5000 individual pieces of pottery every year. To think of them as works of art is foolish, but I do hope that they communicate something of what I feel regarding personal expression in pottery. My main interest is in the form, surface and gesture of making. I am working with some of the same elements that a painter or sculptor uses but the results are completely different. A potter first attracts the eye through form, color, textures, gesture and possibly decorative devices. Eventually, due to the nature of the work, such things as weight, balance, tactile reactions and suitability to function begin to engage us.

Out of a kiln load of hundreds of pots, only a few reach out strongly to the user. Out of this small number, even fewer will continue to engage the senses after daily use. These seem to tap a source beyond the personal and deal with universal experience. They are not necessarily amenable to intellectualanalysis, and in fact that analysis can destroy a person’s real appreciation and understanding of a piece. Some pots just feel right, and a person who is open will know them. If given time to absorb the inner nature of the work and its maker, this person can share in the creative act that produced the piece.

Biographical Information:

Born – Kansas City, MO 1924

Apprenticeship – Studio of Bernard Leach; St. Ives, England 1949-1952
Graduate – Art Institute of Chicago, 1947
Instructor – St. Paul Gallery and School of Art 1948-50, 1952-53
Instructor/Professor – University of Minnesota 1953-90
Named Regents Professor Emeritus – University of Minnesota 1990
Instructor – workshops and master classes in the United States, England, Norway,                                   Venezuela, Chile, Japan, Canada
Studio – Stillwater, MN 1953-present

Exhibitions Include –
            Gallery Shun, Tokyo
            Babcock Gallery, New York
            Craftsman’s Potters Guild Gallery, London
            Retrospective: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

Collections Include –
            Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
            Bernard Leach Study Collection; Bath, England
            Smithsonian Museum, Washington DC
            Chunichi Shimbroom Collection; Nagoya, Japan

Honors Include –
            McKnight Distinguished Artist Award, McKnight Foundation
            American Crafts Council Gold Medal
            Lifetime Achievement Award, Minnesota Crafts Council
            Minnesota Governor’s Award in Contemporary Craft
            Honorary Fellow, National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts