Mystery Pot 42 Maker, Wayne Higby

"I strive to establish a zone of quiet coherence – a place full of silent, empty space where finite and infinite, intimate and immense intersect." -Wayne Higby

Wayne Higby is an acclaimed ceramic artist, beloved Professor of Ceramic Art at Alfred University, and Director of the Alfred University Ceramic Museum.

Wayne Higby was born in 1943 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He received his BFA from the University of Colorado/Boulder in 1966. The landscapes of his youth were a lasting influence in his life and work. But eastward bound he was, receiving his MFA from the University of Michigan in 1968. By 1973, he was a Professor at New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University where he remains to this day.

The body of work that Higby has created in the past fifty years is cohesive; his creative vision has grown and built upon itself. His panoramic western vistas on bowls and covered boxes, like our Mystery Pot, are simply exquisite. The white mesas rest the eye while you follow a blue ribbon of river through a canyon. Both the exterior and the interior surfaces of bowls are so carefully considered to create a unified landscape.

Temple's Gate Pass, 1988, Wayne Higby

Five covered vessels, glazed earthenware, raku fired

from the Smithsonian American Art Museum

Higby applied his concepts, not only to vessel forms, but also to tiles, sculptural works, and architectural installations. Over a period of ten years, he created EarthCloud, the largest porcelain installation in the world. It is installed in the Miller Performing Arts Center at Alfred University.

He began traveling to China in 1991; it was the beginning of a great collaboration that still continues. Honorary Professor of Art at Shanghai University and the Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, a faculty member of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, and Honorary Citizen of the “porcelain city“ of Jingdezhen are all recognition of the respect the Chinese have for Wayne Higby. The accolades over his career from American art organizations are too many to list. His work is in major museums and collections all over the world.

EarthCloud, Wayne Higby

Porcelain Tile Installation

Wayne Higby working on

EarthCloud

This amazing artist, philosopher, and educator generously shares his passion and knowledge with his students and the ceramic world through his books, lectures, workshops, and his amazing work. Follow these links to learn more about Wayne Higby, Ceramic Legend!

PBS Art in Focus Video: Wayne Higby

https://www.pbs.org/video/arts-infocus-wxxi-arts-infocus-episode-110-wayne-higby/

In this edition of Arts InFocus, a ceramic artist explores concepts of infinite space. An exhibit displays both the history and art of war and we take a look at climate change through the eyes of an artist.

Watershed Ceramics Conversations with Legends: Wayne Higby

https://www.watershedceramics.org/higby/

During this conversation with Julie Burstein, Higby welcomes us into the intimate details of his creative practice. He shares the inspirations for some of his earlier works and reflects on a time filled with loss and transformation when he was making his monumental installation, EarthCloud.

White Mesa, 1975

Return to White Mesa, 1978

Stone Gate, 2007

Wayne Higby, Director of the Alfred University Ceramic Museum

with Jim Bailey at the Museum's opening celebration in 2016

Mystery Pot 42, Wayne Higby

Landscape Series Bowl

from the Bailey Collection

October 7, 2020 | View: 1257 | Categories: Mystery Pot | Tags: Clay, Handmade Pots, Favorite Pots, the Bailey Collection, Mystery Pot, Ceramic Art Museum, Alfred University, ceramic legend, ceramic artist, ceramic sculpture, Ceramic Tile, Raku Firing | By: Bailey Pottery