The Dictionary of American Ceramics, 1945 onward
Dictionary of American Ceramics, 1945 onward
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Tony Marsh
1954 Born New York, New York
EDUCATION
1978 BFA California State University, Long Beach, California
1988 MFA New York State College of Ceramics, Alfred University, Alfred, New York
APPRENTICESHIPS AND RESIDENCIES
1978-1981 Apprentice, Shimoaka Pottery, Mashiko, Japan
PRIMARY WORK EXPERIENCE
1989— Head of Ceramics Program, Faculty, California State University, Long Beach, California
BIOGRAPHY
Tony Marsh is best known for iconic pieces which begin as functional ceramic vessels. He then sets about perforating the form resulting in non-functional, functional vessel forms. Regardless of their uselessness the vessels pay homage to pottery and what it is expected to do, hold, preserve and store. Marsh often fills the bowls with simple ceramic forms which are also perforated.
The surfaces of the pieces are coated with between 4 and 6 coats of vitreous engobe. Marsh uses soft subtle colors for the containers and their contents; white is the most common color. In a departure from his minimalist mono color vessel forms he created a series of wall pieces. Each piece is composed of many brightly colored pieces. These pieces are enclosed in a frame, not unlike the way children’s colored blocks can be made to fit into their box.
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Alfred Ceramic Art Museum, Alfred University, Alfred, NY
Arizona State University Art Museum Tempe, Arizona
Cranbrook Museum of Art, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Daum Museum of Contemporary Art, Sedalia, Missouri
Foothills Art Center, Golden, Colorado
FoshanMuseum of Contemporary Art, Foshan, China
Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Honolulu Museum of Art, Honolulu, Hawai’i
Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, California
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York
Minneapolis Institute for the Arts, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Museum of Arts and Design, New York, New York
Museum of Contemporary International Ceramic Art, Incheon, South Korea
Newark Museum, Newark, New Jersey
Oakland Museum of Art, Oakland, California
Racine Art Museum, Racine, Wisconsin
San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, California
Taipei Ceramics Museum, Taiwan
Takumi Folk Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cavener, Jim. “Exhibition Review,” San Gabriel Valley Weekly, (January 26, 1996).
Clark, Garth. The Artful Teapot. London, England: Thames & Hudson, 2001).
Colby, Joy Hakanson. “Exhibition Review,” The Detroit News, (March 8, 1991).
Del Vecchio, Mark. Postmodern Ceramics. New York, NY: Thames & Hudson, 2001.
Deragon, Rick. “Tony Marsh,” American Ceramics 11, no. 4 (1995).
Hohenboken, Steve. “Tony Marsh,” The New Art Examiner (Summer 1996).
Lagorio, Irene. “Review,” Monterey Peninsula Herald (August 14, 1983).
Lauria, Jo. “Dialogues in Clay: A Conversation between Tony Marsh & Kurt Weiser,” Ceramics Art and Perception (December 2002).
_____ Jo. Color and Fire – Defining Moments in Studio Ceramics, 1950–2000. New York, NY Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Rizzoli International, 2000.
Lynn, Martha Drexler. Clay Today: Contemporary Ceramists and Their Work. San Francisco, CA: Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Chronicle Books, 1990.
Mansfield, Janet. “Exhibition Review,” Ceramics: Art and Perception (1998).
Marsh, Tony. “Juror’s Statement,” Ceramics Monthly (November 1991).
Melrod, George. "Tony Marsh Profile,” Art Ltd.: West Coast Art + Design (March 2007).
Merino, Tony Dubis. “Tony Marsh’s Puzzling Narratives,” Contact, (Spring 1998).
Peterson, Susan. Contemporary Ceramics. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications, 2000.
WEBSITE(S):
http://www.tonymarshceramics.com/
Materials: Earthenware
Method: Thrown and Altered
Dimensions: H. 6 x W. 12 x D. 12 inchesSurface Technique: Engobe, Overglaze
Citation: "The Marks Project." Last modified July 23, 2023. http://www.themarksproject.org:443/marks/marsh
