What happens when a painter moves to New York City and begins perusing the shops? He begins buying pots. And more pots. And traveling around the region to buy even more pots.

Painter Robert A. Ellison Jr. did just that. So much so, in fact, that his NYC apartment was soon crammed to the gills with his finds. So much so, in fact, that he has become a very well known collector and has written on George Ohr, the Mad Potter of Biloxi. Ellison has discontinued his own work as a painter in favor of writing on pottery, especially art pottery.

Ellison has also decided to donate 250 of the pieces from his collection to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. The collection will be unveiled on May 19th in the new mezzanine level of the Charles Engelhard Court, when the second phase of the renovation of the museum's American Wing is completed.

Have you ever been asked by someone, "Is it okay to use this pot to cook with?" What do you say in return? How do you know if your pots are okay for use in the kitchen?

Most pottery can withstand some temperature changes, but not the kind of stresses that can be met with in the kitchen. For pottery that is going to be used for baking or in the microwave, you need to use a clay body that can handle the thermal shock. Whether you are buying commercial clay or mixing up your own from scratch, you need an ovenware clay body.

Also, please note: ceramic ware should never be used over an open flame or be in contact with a direct heat source, such as a burner on an electric stove. Alison Sherwood of the Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, WI) learned this the hard way. And she was using a commercially-made crock-pot liner that is made to resist thermal shock!

Do you make pottery for the kitchen? Tell me your experiences and how you handle the specialized needs of ovenware.

Photo © 2009 Beth E Peterson

It's the January Pottery Project! "Pitcher in" and put your pitcher up on the Pottery.About.com wall! Submitting your pitcher pics is easy!

Psst! And just so you know, February is Mug Month! Plan ahead by checking out the 2009 Pottery Monthly Project Calendar!

More Wordless Wednesday Blogs...

Imagine my shock and horrified wonder when I read this morning that a well-known ceramics program is closing...because it takes up too much space. It is beyond words.... The University of Westminster, Harrow has announced that it is discontinuing its BA Hons Ceramics program. And when, oh when, will the last ceramics student finish their degree and step through the closing doors? On the fiftieth anniversary of the program's inception.

Is not the injury enough without the insult?

Incredible. Glasgow already closed down the last university program dedicated to ceramics in Scotland earlier. And why? Why are the British Isles allowing their ceramic arts to wither? A senior manager from the University of Westminster is reported to have said, "the trouble with clay is you can’t store it on a memory stick".

Does clay take up too much room and use too many resources? What about other forms of sculpture and fine art? What of the value of truly crafted objects? What kind of world will this become if we disallow anything that does not fit into a digital framework? What will we become?

Tell me what you think. Leave me your comments and take the poll below.

• Yes, they are a drain on funding and space
• Yes, ceramics are so archaic after all
• Yes, the arts have no value in today's world
• Maybe -- I don't know
• Maybe -- I have no opinion
• No, we stand to lose to much if the arts are lost
• No, education is supposed to be about learning, after all
• No, right-brained processing has more value than we currently recognize
• View Results