285: Chip Clawson on the history of the Archie Bray Foundation
Archie Bray Summer Studio 2019, Chip Clawson giving a tour in the mid 2010’s, Western Clay Manufacturing Company 1951
Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an audio tour of the Archie Bray Foundation with Chip Clawson. Chip worked for the organization for over 35 years and has compiled much of its history from its inception as the Western Clay Manufacturing Company in the 1880’s to the ceramic arts foundation that exists today. On our tour we visit the former brick and tile factories, as well as the beehive kilns that fired the wares. For more information on the Archie Bray Foundation visit www.archiebray.org.
Soetsu Yanagi, Bernard Leach, Rudy Autio, Peter Voulkos, and Shoji Hamada in 1952, Voulkos kicking the wheel for Hamada, Voulkos and Branson building a kiln, Western Clay Manufacturing Co. Aerial View 1956
List of Archie Bray Directors:
Rudy Autio, 1951–1957
Peter Voulkos, 1951–1954
Lillian Boschen, 1951–1952
Gene Bunker, 1957–1958
Ken Ferguson, 1958–1964
David Shaner, 1964–1970
Dave Cornell, 1970–1976
Kurt Weiser, 1976–1988
Carol Roorbach, 1989–1992
Josh DeWeese, 1992–2006
Steven Young Lee, 2006-present
Former directors of the Archie Bray Foundation: Carol Rohrbach, Josh Deweese, Lillian Boschen, David Shaner, Peter Voulkos, Kurt Weiser
Archie Bray Sr. holding a pot by Peter Voulkos and shoveling salt into one of the Western Clay Manufacturing kilns in 1940.
Western Clay Manufacturing Company ruins circa 1980
Community Corkboard, 5/15:
Adam Field is holding a workshop June 17th-20th at the Truro Center for Arts at Castle Hill in Cape Cod, MA. For more information visit www.castlehill.org.
The Community Corkboard is an opportunity for you to share your ceramic event, comment on an episode, or relate other clay-community related news with the Red Clay Rambler audience. To have your event or comment featured on the Community Corkboard, send me an email through the contact link at www.talesofaredclayrambler.com/contact.