Art Pottery from Dakota Pottery
Art pottery and crafts utilizing North Dakota clay were produced by a number of private companies, North Dakota federal programs and the School of Mines Ceramics Department at the University of North Dakota. Bowls, jugs, jars, decorative pieces, vases and other ceramic art pieces fashioned from North Dakota clay can enhance an American Art Pottery collection.
What is University of North Dakota Art Pottery?Dean Babcock surveyed North Dakota’s clay deposits and learned that the state had deposits of high grade potter’s clay, some of unusual purity. Babcock sent clay to several American art pottery concerns, and American Art Pottery made from North Dakota clay made its debut at an art exhibit at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. In 1910, a ceramics department headed by Margaret Kelly Cable, an experienced American art potter, was established at the University of North Dakota. Cable and her students immediately began making bowls, brick, jugs, jars, decorative pieces, tile, tea and tankard sets, plates, trays, tobacco jars, vases and more. By 1913, the UND Ceramics Department had made a name for itself on the American Art Pottery and crafts scene and established a distinctive seal. The university has since trained many giants in North Dakota pottery and crafts, such as Charles Grantier and Laura Taylor.
Which clays are used in Dakota art pottery?- Dickinson
- Beulah
- Hebron
- Mandan
- Weigel
- Red and grey ross
- McCurdy
- Hettinger
- Bentonite
- Colonial blue and white ware
- Buttermilk with dark green and rust
- Clear black and tan pseudo salt ware
- Contemporary multicolor
- University of North Dakota Pottery: produced by North Dakota School of Mines in Grand Forks, North Dakota from 1910 to the present
- Dickota Pottery: produced by Dickinson Clay Products Company in Dickinson, North Dakota from 1934 to 1937
- Turtle Mountain Indian Pottery: produced by Turtle Mountain School in Belcourt, North Dakota from 1936 to 1942
- WPA Ceramics Project: produced by the Work Progress Administration in Dickinson and Mandan, North Dakota from 1936 to 1942
- Rosemeade Pottery: produced by Wahpeton Pottery Company in Wahpeton, North Dakota from 1940 to 1961
- Ceramics by Messer: produced in Bowman, North Dakota from 1952 to 1956
- Little Heart Ceramics: produced by L & H Manufacturing in Manden, North Dakota from 1959 to 1968
- Three Tribes Stoneware: produced by the Rural Area Redevelopment Project in New Town, North Dakota from 1967 to 1975