Much of what we know today about ancient cultures has been interpreted from ceramics uncovered many centuries or even millennia after the people who made them are gone.

Because pottery has been made in so many places for so long, archeologists can use broken pieces-- often with distinctive patterns -- to determine what culture lived where and at what time. The shards below are from Egypt, ...

... from Persia, ...

... from Spain, ...

... and from North America.

Many contemporary ceramists still incorporate patterns into their ceramic artwork. Patterns can decorate a ceramic piece and they can also express feelings and ideas.

Karen Kolbitz uses patterns to enrich her celebration of a Jewish tradition.

Karen Koblitz, United States, Judaica Still Life, 1990, low-fire clay and glaze, 42 x 61.875”

The use of pattern in ceramic vessels can express many different feelings and ideas, from energy to order, from gentleness to power, from precision to informality.

What do these patterned vessels express to you?

Andrea Gill, United States, Persian Ornament, 1996, earthenware, 47 x 21.5”

Susan Peterson, American, bowl, ceramic, 4” by 12”, courtesy of the artist, Arizona State University Art Museum

Elsa Rady, American, “Step Up”, porcelain, 10 3/4” by 9”, museum purchase, Arizona State University Art Museum

Warren Mackenzie, American, vase, stoneware, 10 5/8” by 8 1/4”, gift of Sara and David Lieberman, Arizona State University Art Museum

There is a pattern to our days (things we do each day), to our years (school, work, travel), and even to our lives (birth, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age). In an era when metals and plastics have replaced many traditional functional uses for pottery, artists continue to produce ceramics that express the patterns of our lives. Some contemporary ceramists use patterns; others do not. Some follow ancient functional traditions; other seek to meet other criteria, such as expressiveness, technical excellence, or intriguing form. The best work made through this ancient process of working with earth, water, and fire celebrates the diversity and richness of human existence.

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