•covers ceramic art exclusively

• It is a quarterly magazine

• Covered in the form of, interviews, articles about an artist or artwork, curatorial news, historic papers, ceramic groups and trends, show reviews of exhibitions.

•There are many frequent writers and always a changing roster for the short review section.

Form Analysis

“American Ceramics is a distinguished art magazine founded to enhance the preservation of the rich heritage of ceramics and to document contemporary developments in the field. Introducing today’s most promising talent, the magazine at the same time chronicles the achievements of the early pioneers who transformed ceramics into a genuine art form.”(American Ceramics Magazine website: http://www.amceram.org/home.html)

“Earning a gold metal from the Society of Publication Designers for its classically elegant yet modern design, American Ceramics reads as well as it looks, with articles written by recognized critics, curators and writers such as Janet Koplos, Peter Plagens, Robert Morgan, Donald Kuspit, David McFadden, Cynthia Nadelman, Arthur Danto and John Perreault” (American Ceramics Magazine website: http://www.amceram.org/home.html)

We rely on writings by recognized authors to validate ceramic arts and elevate its status in relation to the art world.

Goals of Magazine:

THESIS

The magazine focuses largely on education and on elevating the status of ceramic art in relation to the contemporary arts scene. The writer, critic or curator is the voice of authority in this magazine, interpreting artists work to suit the goals of the publication.The writers celebrate and commend ceramic artists sometimes fawning over them a little too much. The writer serves the purpose of validating the worth of ceramic arts in relation to the craft vs high art discussion.

Constantly noting prestige and ties to the fine art world

For whom this publication is written?

Artists (mainly ceramics artists), educators, museums employees, curators, dealers, galleries, folks with an avid interest in the arts, and folks that like fancy magazines and are attracted to the cover image and all of the pretty things inside.

Cover Image from 2004, Issue 4, Ken Price “Pearleen”(2002), 15” x 14 ½” x 12”, acrylic on fired ceramic

Publisher: Harry Dennis- “the founding publisher of American Ceramics. Educated in the United States and Sweden, he has worked for the U.S. State Department in Asia, Latin America and Europe. In addition to his work in the print media, Dennis currently is preparing to launch the Art Catalog Index, a digital search program for libraries” (http://www.amceram.org/home.html)

Editor: Ronald Andrew Kuchta- “the editor of American Ceramics, is one of the most notable authorities on ceramics worldwide. For nearly two decades, he served as the director of the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York. Kuchta is also a curator and writer whose articles have appeared in magazines, books and catalogs throughout the world” (http://www.amceram.org/home.html)

Editorial Advisory Board: Jack Lenor Larsen “internationally known textile designer, author, and collector, is one of the world's foremost advocates of traditional and contemporary crafts”(http://www.longhouse.org/larsen.ihtml)Lawrence GrossmanMark Mennin (stone sculptor)Derek Ostergard (curator)Susan Peterson (artist, teacher, curator and author)

Senior Editor: Renee TannenbaumArt Directors: Walter Bernard, Milton GlaserCirculatory Manager: Marian HiedaIntern(2004 issue 1): Burcak Bingold

Categories (In Order they Appear )

• Dialogue/Interview

• Features-Broken up by artist or

summarized by larger grouping Additional irregular categories that may be added in this location

• Critical Opinion• Historic

• Curators Choice• Commentary• Reviews/Exhibitions

Interview/Dialogue- One of the few places where the artists voice is present.

Features section- usually about individual artists and how the author situates the artists work in relation to previous work, other ceramic artist work, part of the world and ceramic history or tradition, current events, the craft vs art dialogue. -Sometimes many artists are grouped by region or city into larger articles by one author who will comment on the grouping as a whole and then individually. - There is a strong presence of the critics voice, as an authority on the matter, interpreting the work of the artist. Very little of the artists voice.

Curators Choice: Written by a curator about recent acquisitions, selecting an artist. Commentary: Big picture articles relating ceramics to the current art scene.

Reviews: Short reviews of ceramic exhibitions by varying authors 5 pages

“the author explores the humanizing effect of color in Kaneko’s work and interprets the title names selected by the artist”(14/1 pg5)

“It is as though the artist were attempting to recreate the “dance of life” on a luminous and ever widening terrain, opening out into a place of hope and deep nostalgia.”(American Ceramics 14/4 p.20)

“painted with rural scenes depicting men and women going about their lives, untroubled and free.”(American Ceramics 14/4 p.20)

Viola Frey. Fire Suit, 1983.

“as is evident in many of her sculptures, frey possessed great faith in the human condition and man’s ability to overcome the travails of modern living with all its pitfalls and ever consuming industrial concerns”(American Ceramics 14/4 p.20)

Viola FreyFamily Portrait, 1995

“while Frey;s larger than life men and women appear as ordinary, concerned, thinking, capable beings whose outward gaze connotes a deep sensitivity, they reveal an inner life marked by deep thinking and keen perception” (20)

“ The New York school of ceramics is not about having a common style…The first common denominator is high ambition and the second is an easy interface with the art world proper: Ceramic artists in New York keep their eyes on what’s going on, know artists other than ceramicists, are—in their minds at least—competing with the heavy weight painters and sculptors of the moment, rather than just with each other. The high stakes encourage high risks.” (American Ceramics 14/2 p.42)

Five pages at the back of each issue are devoted to ReviewsAlways different writers

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