Becoming Peter Voulkos: Works from the 1950s
September 28 – December 21, 2024
The Maribeth Collins Lobby
Image to left: Peter Voulkos, “Striped Vase,” 1953, glazed stoneware, Museum of Contemporary Craft collection, Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Willamette University, Salem, OR, gift of Ruth Halvorsen, photo by Dan Kvitka. Background image: detail of same.
Becoming Peter Voulkos: Works from the 1950s showcases twelve works by the legendary ceramicist Peter Voulkos, focusing on his early career in the 1950s when he became nationally recognized as a master of wheel-thrown functional stoneware. The exhibition culminates with a single piece exemplifying Voulkos’ revolutionary shift which pushed ceramics into the broader conversation taking place in contemporary art during the mid-20th century.
This exhibition holds particular significance as it marks the first time an HFMA exhibition has been curated entirely from the former collection of the Museum of Contemporary Craft (MoCC). Originating in 1937 as the Oregon Ceramic Studio, MoCC operated in Portland until its closure in 2016, when it transferred its collection to the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA). Following the 2021 merger between Willamette University and PNCA, the collection became part of HFMA’s permanent collection. The MoCC collection comprises nearly 1,300 modern and contemporary craft objects, including works in clay, fiber, glass, metal, and wood by artists and artisans of regional, national, and international renown.
Jonathan Bucci, the exhibition curator, remarks, “Voulkos seemed like the perfect artist to begin exploring the MoCC collection. He had an early and influential relationship with the Oregon Ceramic Studio—a precursor to the MoCC—in the1950s. Voulkos played a pivotal role in breaking down the barriers between traditional craft and contemporary art and the Hallie Ford Museum of Art is thrilled to share these rarely-seen early works with the public. We look forward to showcasing more from the MoCC collection in future exhibitions.
Financial Support
This exhibition is supported by the HFMA Exhibition Fund, the Maribeth Collins Art Exhibition Fund, and general operating support grants from the City of Salem’s Transient Occupancy Tax funds and the Oregon Arts Commission.
