WHEN IS A MUG ART?

WHEN IS A MUG ART?

By Jayne E. Shatz, PhD
www.jayneshatzpottery.com--FREE Ceramic History presentations and GALLERY of artwork.

Each morning I begin the daily rituals of coffee making. I grind three types of beans, creating various proportions between glorious decaffeinated flavors. My carefully integrated blend is like a fine varietal wine. I reach in the refrigerator for my pitcher of milk while I breathlessly await the intoxicating brew. As the aroma of freshly brewed coffee waifs thorough the air, I go to my mug rack and ponder the first most important decision of the day. Which mug! Now the mugs in the front row are my favorites, leaving those in the rear to linger until the front row has been vacated. The day after unloading the dishwasher is my favorite day, because then my much-loved mug will be ready for the grab. It’s that blue one-it’s similar to the brown one, but its better. The shape is so geometrically round, it could contain the world in my hand. And that rim! It’s delicately rounded so as my lips touch it, they glide along its surface. The handle came out perfectly. It has just the right rise on the grip and my hand fits so nicely, no pinching or curling of the fingers when holding this mug! It’s so similar to that brown one, but it’s the blue one, and the glaze came out flawlessly. All the beauty of that glaze that took so many firings to achieve is right there on that small piece. So you see, that mug is a representative of my body of work, or shall I put it more academically, it is indicative of an artist’s oeuvre.

So what makes a mug just a mug and when is it art? I have taught ceramics at all levels for the past thirty years. My students have laid out slop, mixed glazes, constructed large architectural wall murals, tables and sculptures. They have thrown, coiled, pinched, and rolled out thousands of slabs. They have chiseled kiln shelves, loaded kilns, and anxiously waited for me to say, “yes, you can unload now.” They have fired raku, sawdust, pit firings, cone 10, cone 6, cone everything. Some of them have become teachers and some have become studio potters. And while we made all those pots, we always talked about them. Verbal critiques have always been the estuary to expansion.

I always began a class by introducing the concept of the vessel. I define a vessel as “ceramics that is architecturally constructed with the methods of pottery making, but is viewed as sculpture”. Already they understand that this vessel is something other than “just a bowl”. I continue saying “a vessel is non functional, while pottery is functional”, and so, “the vessel’s main function is to be looked at, and not used”. We then spend our time making all kinds of artistic endeavors. Finally, when all the work is glazed, we set the pieces on the table and have our formal critique. We discuss the vessel’s aesthetics and all its virtues. And when it is all over, I bring out my favorite mug of the day, and put it on the table. Then we critique that mug as a vessel; it is a piece of art, not a functional item in which I drink my cherished coffee. Where is the difference? Art is in the eye of the beholder, or should I say, in the beholding.
Once at a raku party I had the good fortune to drink tea out of one of Hamada’s tea bowls. Was that “just a bowl” or was that art? My friend next to me drank her tea out of one of her tea bowls. Was her piece ‘just a bowl” or was it art? Now, Hamada’s tea bowl would cost several thousand dollars, while hers could be procured for a real bargain at $25.00. So then, does the maker define art?

If Hamada himself could have been a part of this discussion, he would have put us all to shame. His belief in the “Unknown Craftsmen” was so vital to his artwork and principles, that there was no division between art and craft for him. It was all the same for him, as it is for me. And that is how I have always taught this wonderful art form.

Verbal discussions about art provide the pathways towards assimilating the unique attitudes within an artist’s objective, as well as providing a base for aesthetic awareness. The discussion of art can never supplant the visual sensibilities of art. Art stands on its own merits, with a life force that conquers time and influence. Because in the end, it all occurs in the gut, you either like the piece, or you don’t.

So now you understand my dilemma. Which mug do I grab for my morning coffee!