The Dictionary of American Studio Ceramics, 1946 Onward
The Dictionary of American Studio Ceramics, 1946 Onward
Printer-friendly version 
Printer Friendly Version
Roberta Jean Griffith
1937 Born Hillsdale, Michigan
EDUCATION
1960 BFA Chouinard Art Institute, Los Angeles, California
1962 MFA Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois
APPRENCICESHIPS AND RESIDENCIES
1962-1964 Fulbright Grant, Barcelona, Spain, work with Josep Llorens Artigas, research folk ceramics
PRIMARY WORK EXPERIENCE
1964 Drawing Instructor, the American School, Barcelona, Spain
1965-1966Ceramic Designer, Design Technics, Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
1966-1972Assistant Professor of Art, Hartwick College, Oneonta, New York
1972-1975 Associate Professor of Art, Hartwick College, Oneonta, New York
1973 Chairman, Art Department, Hartwick College, Oneonta, New York
1975-2008Professor of Art, Hartwick College, Oneonta, New York
1979-2008Arkell Hall Foundation Endowed Chair of Art, Hartwick College, Oneonta, New York
2008—Professor Emerita of Art, Hartwick College, Oneonta, New York
BIOGRAPHY
Roberta Griffith is best known for small and large ceramic installations, both thrown and hand built ceramic sculptures fired at both low and high temperatures. The latter are made in series, many based on variations of a form incorporating wheel thrown shapes, hand formed bisque molds, or plaster press molds.
Since the 1970's the majority of Griffith’s series and installations have been evocative of her associations of places and their cultural manifestations, with an underlying theme reflecting mortality, universal shortcomings, and both natural and man-made disasters.
Griffith first studied ceramics with J.T. Abernathy and Marie Woo at the University of Michigan and later with Vivika and Otto Heino at Chouinard. Nicholas Vergett was her Master of Fine Art advisor. Griffith was a Fulbright Grant scholar (1962-1964) in Spain, mentored by ceramist Josep Llorens Artigas at L'Escola Massana School of Art and Design in Barcelona. This was during the height of the Artigas and Juan Miro ceramic collaboration. Upon return to the USA (1965), Griffith worked as ceramic designer at Design Tecnics in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania where she learned production techniques for hand crafted objects.
Griffith joined the faculty at Hartwick College in 1966. She was named chairman of the Department of Art in 1973. In 1979 she was named permanently to the Arkell Hall Foundation Endowed Chair Professor of Art. Griffith taught both ceramics and painting at Hartwick for 42 years when she retired from teaching as Professor Emerita in Art in 2008. She maintains studios in Otego, New York and Princeville, Kauai, Hawai'i. She has been North American correspondent to Revista Cerámica, Madrid, Spain since 1975.
Public Collections
American Museum of Ceramic Art, Pomona, California
Arizona State University Art Museum, Tempe, Arizona
Daum Museum of Contemporary Art, Sedalia, Missouri
East Stroudsburg State University Gallery, East Stroudsburg, PA.
Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY
First Albany Corporation, Albany, New York
Honolulu Museum of Art, Honolulu, Hawai'i
Instituto de Estudios Norte-Americanos Gallery, Barcelona, Spain.
LaGrange Art Museum/Lamar Dodd Art Center, LaGrange, Georgia
L'Escola Massana School of Art and Design, Barcelona, Spain
Museù de Cerámica, Barcelona, Spain
Munson-Williams-Proctor Art Institute Museum, Utica, New York
Museum of International Ceramic Art, Grimmerhus, Denmark
Roberson Museum and Science Center, Binghamton, New York
University Art Gallery, State University of New York, Albany, New York
University of Michigan School of Art Gallery, Ann Arbor, Michigan
University of Southern Illinois Art Museum Gallery, Carbondale, Illinois
Yager Museum of Art and Culture, Hartwick College, Oneonta, New York
Bibliography
"A Sense of Place: Roberta Griffith." Cerámica no. 78 (2001).
Artigas, Josep Lloréns, Luis Maria Güell, and José Vallés Rovira. Roberta Griffith. Sala del Prado del Ateneo. Madrid, Spain: Publicaciones Españolas. Cuadernos de Arte, .March 1964.
Barrett, W. J. Craftsmen USA 66. New York, NY: Museum of Contemporary Crafts, June-September 1966.
Bremer, Charles and Martha Bremer. The Adobe Series, Earthworks. Otego, NY: Martha & Charles Bremer Farm & Galleries, September 1997.
Brown, Glen R. and R. Glowen. Roberta Griffith: Beyond the Physical: Substance, Space & Light. Charlotte, NC: University of North Carolina Galleries, March 2001.
Brown, Perry B, G. Kreisher and K. Stahler. Roberta Griffith: A Retrospective, Otego, NY: Artworks Publications, 2003.
Campbell, David R. Young Americans 1962. New York, NY: Museum of Contemporary Crafts,
May-September 1962.
Corredor Matheos, José. Ceramistas de la Escuela Massana [L'Escola Massana]. Caja de Ahorros y Monte de Piedad de Barcelona. Barcelona, Spain. 1976.
D'Ambrosio, Anna, Bryan McGrath and Mary E. Murray. Crafts in the '90s: Challenges and Traditions the 55th Annual Exhibition of Central New York Artists. Utica, NY: Museum of Art,
Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. March-May 1993.
De Waal, Edmund. Design Sourcebook Ceramics. London, England: New Holland Publishers Ltd., 2000.
Fairbanks, Jonathan, Angela Fina, and Christopher Gustin. The Contemporary Potter. Gloucester, MA: Rockport Publishers, 2000.
Fairbanks, Jonathan and Angela Fina. The Best of Pottery. Rockport, MA: Quarry Books, 1996. "Forms Invitational, Fiber-Clay-Metal." Exhibitions Craft Horizons (November 1972).
"Forms Invitational, Fiber-Clay-Metal." Exhibitions Craft Horizons (November 1972).
Giral, María Dolors. Roberta Griffith. Museu de Ceràmica de Barcelona. Palau Real de Pedralbes, Barcelona, Spain: Ayuntament de Barcelona. March 1999.
Griffith, Roberta. Roberta Griffith Installations 1988-1998. Roxbury, NY: Dzign Associates, 1999.
“Roberta Griffith.” American Ceramics 14, no. 2 (2003).
“Roberta Griffith.” Ceramics Monthly. March (2003).
“Roberta Griffith.” Cerámica. Gallery. Madrid, Spain no. 86 (2003).
“Roberta Griffith, Upfront.” Ceramics Monthly (May 2003).
“Roberta Griffith.” American Craft (April/May 2003).
"Roberta Griffith, Museu de Ceràmica." American Ceramics13, no 3 (Spring 2000).
"Roberta Griffith." Up FrontCeramics Monthly (January 2000).
"Roberta Griffith." American Craft. (August/September 1999)."Roberta Griffith de Nuevo en Barcelona." Cerámica no. 69. (1999).
"Roberta Griffith." Cerámica no. 52 (1999).
"Roberta Griffith." Up Front Ceramics Monthly (March 1995).
"Roberta Griffith." GalleryAmerican Craft (October/November 1994).
"Roberta Griffith." Up Front Ceramics Monthly. (April 1993).
"Roberta Griffith." Up Front Ceramics Monthly (January 1992).
"Roberta Griffith." News and Retrospect Ceramics Monthly 37, no. 9 (November 1989)."Roberta Griffith." Cerámica. (1985).
"Roberta Griffith." News and Retrospect Ceramics Monthly (May 1983).
"Roberta Griffith, Exposiciones Clayworks & Drawings." Cerámica no.15 (1983).
"Roberta Griffith." Gallery American Craft (December/January 1982)
"Roberta Griffith." Gallery American Craft (February/March 1982). "Roberta Griffith." Exhibitions Craft Horizons (June 1977).
"Roberta Griffith." CeramActivities Ceramics Monthly (May1977).
"Roberta Griffith." CeramActivities Ceramics Monthly (February 1975).
"Roberta Griffith. Exhibitions Craft Horizons (August 1974)."Roberta Griffith Exhibition in Spain." CeramActivities Ceramics Monthly (April 1974).
"Roberta Griffith." Exhibitions Craft Horizons (February 1975).
Hua, Yilong, ed. Works by Ceramic Artists from Around the World. Shanghai: Shanghai Fine Arts Publishers, 2006.
Latka, Tom and Jean. Ceramic Extruding. Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2001.
Marsa, Angel. Roberta Griffith. Barcelona, Spain: III Salon Feminino de Arte Actual, September-October 1964.
Nelson, Glenn C. Ceramics: A Potter's Handbook. Fort Worth, TX: Holt Reinhardt and Winston,
1984.
Nigrosh, Leon I. Claywork: Form and Idea in Ceramic Design. Worcester, MA: Davis Publications, 1975.
Nigrosh, Leon I. Sculpting Clay. Worcester, MA: Davis Publications, 1992.
Perry, Barbara. American Ceramics: The Collection of the Everson Museum of Art. New York, NY:
Rizzoli International Publications, Inc., 1989.
Peterson, Susan. Contemporary Ceramics. New York, NY: Watson-Guptill Publications, 2000.
Riu de Martin, Maria del Carmen. "Roberta Griffith." Cerámica 5, no. 37 (May 1999).
Rodriguez Aguilera, Cesareo. Nuevas Cerámicas de Roberta Griffith. Barcelona, Spain: Camarote Granados,
March 1973.
Rodriguez Cruells, M. Exposición de Artistas Becarios Fulbright. Madrid, Spain: Ayuntament de Madrid. 1963-64. Serie Devulgación.
Sanchez-Pacheco, Trinidad. Roberta Griffith. Museu de Ceràmica de Barcelona. Palau Nacional de Montjüic. Barcelona, Spain: Ayuntament de Barcelona, May 1981.
Stovall, Sue, “Artspace.” Catskill Mountain Region Guide 16, no. 4 (April 2003).
Torroella, Santos. Roberta Griffith en Los Estudios Norteamericanos. Barcelona, Spain: Los Estudios Norteamericanos. April 1964.
Vallés Rovira, José. Roberta Griffith, Pintura y Cerámica. Spain: Sala Icaria, Figueras [Figueres],
November 1963.
Vivas, Jose Antonio. "Fibras y Cerámica." Cerámica no.127 (2012).
Wesley, Marilyn C. "Roberta Griffith's Life Masks: Facing Identity." Ceramics: Art & Perception (March 2001).
Zakin, Richard. Ceramics, Mastering the Craft. Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2001.
Zakin, Richard. Hand-Formed Ceramics, Creating Form and Surface. Radnor, PA: Chilton Book Company, 1995.
Zakin, Richard. Ceramics, Mastering the Craft. Radnor, PA: Chilton Book Company, 1990.
CV or Resume: Click Here to Download
Source: College Archives, New York State College of Ceramics
Website(s):
Materials: Ceramic
Method: Mixed Methods, Hand-Built
Surface Technique: Glaze, Transfer or Decal Decorated
Citation: "The Marks Project." Last modified June 5, 2023. http://www.themarksproject.org/marks/griffith