The Dictionary of American Ceramics, 1945 onward
Dictionary of American Ceramics, 1945 onward
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Terry Gess
1954 Born Milwaukee, Wisconsin
EDUCATION
1991 BFA Ceramics and Drawing, Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
1994 MFA Studio Arts with concentration in Ceramics, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, Edwardsville, Illinois
RESIDENCIES
1990-1991 Artist-in-Residence, Holden Village, Lake Chelan, Washington
1995-1998 Resident Artist, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
1998 Resident Artist, Chateau de La Napoule: La Napoule, France
2004 Resident Artist, Cill Rialaig Arts Center, Ballinskelligs, Ireland
WORK EXPERIENCE
1995 Studio potter
1989 Workshop Instructor, John C. Campbell Folk School, Brasstown, North Carolina
2003 Workshop Instructor, Arrowmont School of Crafts, Gatlinburg, Tennessee
2006 Workshop Instructor, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass Village, Colorado
2007 Workshop Instructor, Peters Valley Craft Education Center, Layton, New York
2007 Workshop Instructor, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, North Carolina
2009 Workshop Instructor, Appalachian Center for Craft, Smithville, Tennessee
2009 Clay Instructor, Haywood Community College, Clyde, North Carolina
BIOGRAPHY
Terry Gess makes tableware, distinctive in its surface technique brushwork, layered slips and glazes. The work is wheel thrown, hand-built, or a combination of the two. Gess applies slip and glazes onto bisque ware through overlapping, dipping, layering, pouring, and often using wax resist to create complex, graphic surfaces on his pots. For most of his career, Gess has worked with salt-fired white stoneware.
Terry Gess first studied ceramics in his hometown of Milwaukee under studio potters Abraham Cohn and Greg Miller. He also sought out workshops in ceramics and book arts at Penland School of Crafts between 1978 and 1990. Gess quickly established his goal to be a full-time studio potter. After Gess’s residency at Penland School of Crafts (1995-1998) he set up his studio in the area.
Description of Marks:
Terry Gess has used a square stamp of his last name (“GESS”) since 1990. He occasionally signs his last name.
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Asheville Art Museum, Asheville, North Carolina
La Napoule Art Foundation, La Napoule, France
Mint Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina
Racine Art Museum, Racine, Wisconsin
Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, Department of Art, Edwardsville, Illinois
Yixing Factory #3 Teapot Collection, Yixing, Jiangsu Province, Peoples Republic of China
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Adamson, Glen & Davira S. Taragin. Tea, Anyone? The Donna Moog Teapot Collection. Racine, WI: Racine Art Museum, 2003.
Gess, Terry. “Doug Gates and the Cult of the Slow Wheel.” Clay Times (March, 1999).
_________. “How Do You Cook the Moon? The First Yixing Symposium for Western Potters.” Ceramics Monthly (June, 1997).
_________.“My Work as a Potter.” Ceramics Monthly (January, 1996).
_________. “Watershed.” Cleveland Institute of Art Literary Magazine, (May, 1991).
Schultz, Katey. “Graphic Power: Terry Gess Makes His Mark.” Ceramics Monthly (November, 2009).
WEBSITE(S):
http://www.terrygesspottery.com/
 | Southern Highland Craft Guild |
 | Center For Craft |
Citation: "The Marks Project." Last modified May 25, 2024. http://www.themarksproject.org/marks/gess-0
