Bennett Bean 4052376 220571206 2008-06-20T14:25:23Z Teapotgeorge 2001020 assorted spelling corrections '''Bennett Bean''' is an [[United States|American]] [[ceramic]] [[artist]]. Although commonly described as a studio [[potter]], some would characterize him as a [[Sculpture|sculptor]] and [[painter]] who works primarily in [[studio pottery]]. Bean resides in [[Blairstown, New Jersey]].<ref>Bischoff, Dan. [http://www.nj.com/entertainment/ledger/index.ssf?/base/entertainment-0/1207717224242350.xml&coll=1 "Jersey ceramics, from six different angles"], ''[[The Star-Ledger]]'', [[April 9]], [[2008]]. Accessed [[May 5]], [[2008]]. "The head liner, as he is almost wherever he shows, is Bennett Bean, here displaying seven pit-fired and gilded ceramic compositions that exude the cool, Modernist, syncopated painted patterning for which he is so well known. Bean, of Blairstown, is no doubt the best-known artist in 'Uncommon Clay,' but his aesthetic does not dominate the show."</ref> Bean is best known for his [[pit-fired]] white [[earthenware]] [[vessels]], especially his collectible, non-functional [[bowls]] and [[teapots]]. His influences have included [[Japanese pottery]], [[Native American pottery]], English pottery in the tradition of [[Bernard Leach]], and modern [[American pottery]], including the work of [[George Ohr]]. [[Image:06-02-12 Bennett.Bean.jpg|thumb|right|425px|Bennett Bean pair of painted, glazed, white earthenware pots with 14k gold leaf]] Bean was born in [[Cincinnati, Ohio]] on [[March 25]], [[1941]]. Bean's father, a medical doctor, was serving in the army at the time of his birth, but went on to become the head of the [[Department of Internal Medicine]] at the [[State University of Iowa]] in [[1949]]. From that point on, Bean grew up in [[Iowa City, Iowa]]. He attended [[Grinnell College]] in [[Grinnell, Iowa]], but transferred to [[Iowa State University]] to pursue his art studies. At the State University, Bean studied both drawing and painting, but he was drawn to the ceramics department, seduced by the technique of throwing and attracted by the university's ceramics faculty. He received his [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree in [[1963]]. After a semester of graduate studies at the [[University of Washington]], where [[Patti Warashima]] was also a student, Bean moved to [[California]] to continue his art studies at the [[Claremont Graduate School]]. At Claremont, he studied under [[Paul Soldner]] and received a [[Master of Fine Arts]] degree in [[1966]]. After graduation, Bean accepted a position teaching ceramics at [[Wagner College]] on [[Staten Island]] in [[New York City]], where he remained until [[1979]]. During this period, Bean and fellow Claremont graduate student (of philosophy), [[Cathy Bao Bean|Cathy Bao]], married. At Wagner College, Bean also tried his hand at [[minimalist]] sculpture, using [[acrylic glass]] and [[cast acrylic]]. The [[Whitney Museum of American Art]] bought one of his [[minimalist]] sculptures in 1967 and included him in its Biennial the following year. Despite this success, Bean refocused his work on [[ceramic]] [[vessels]]. An independent studio artist since [[1979]], Bean also served as an artist-in-residence at Artpark in [[Lewiston, New York]], in 1980 and at the Sun Valley Center for the Arts in [[Indiana]] in [[1981]]. In 1980, he received a [[National Endowment for the Arts]] fellowship. Later, he served on the faculty at the [[Penland School of Crafts]] in [[North Carolina]]. Although he has worked in other media and other forms, Bean gained considerable success with his pit-fired earthenware bowls. In the mid-1960's, Bean developed a Japanese-influenced style for throwing bowls and other [[pots]]. Like other potters of that era, Bean primarily threw simple pots using little surface design other than the spontaneous markings characteristic of the pit-firing technique. Over time, his forms and surface decoration have become more complex, although he has continued to work within the [[vessel tradition]]. For example, he has developed numerous post-firing techniques for decorating the [[pots]]. Since [[1983]], he has typically applied 24 carat gold leaf to the bowls' interiors. Similarly, since [[1982]] he has used [[acrylic paint]]s as well as various [[Ceramic glaze|glazes]] to apply extensive abstract designs to their exteriors. Since the mid-1990's he has typically arranged his bowls in pairs or trios, often painting across them to create the appearance of continuity among separate, independent objects. He has also worked in other ceramic forms and has ventured outside of ceramics to design various other art objects, including pedestals, rugs and garden tools. Bean's work appears in the permanent collections of many museums, including the [[Boston Museum of Fine Arts]] in [[Massachusetts]], the [[Philadelphia Museum of Art]] in [[Pennsylvania]], the [[Smithsonian Institution]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], the [[Newark Museum]] in [[Newark, New Jersey]], the [[New Jersey State Museum]] in [[Trenton, New Jersey]], the [[JB Speed Art Museum]] in [[Louisville, Kentucky]] and the [[Whitney Museum of American Art]] in [[New York]]. ==References== {{Reflist}} == Sources == *James Yood, "Bennett Bean," American Craft, vol. 59 no. 6, (December 1999- January 2000). *Karen S. Chambers, "Not Just Another Pretty Pot," Ceramics: Art and Perception, Issue 29, September 1997. *Michael Monroe, "The White House Collection of American Crafts" (Abrams: 1995). ==External links== *[http://www.bennettbean.com Artist's web site] *[http://www.cathybaobean.com Cathy Bao Bean's web site] <!--[[Wikipedia:Manual of Style (Japan-related articles)#Person_names]]--> {{DEFAULTSORT:Bean, Bennett}} [[Category:1941 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:American potters]] [[Category:People from Iowa]] [[Category:People from Warren County, New Jersey]]