Val Cushing (American, 1931-2013), Large Platter

2007, glazed stoneware with incised mandala decoration, inscribed with artist's signature and date to underside.
Proceeds to benefit the Cynthia & Edwina Bringle Scholarship.

16 5/8 in.

Being sold to benefit Penland School of Craft, Penland, North Carolina

Penland’s scholarship program exists to make their workshops accessible to those who are not able to participate without financial assistance and to create educational opportunities for people who have been underrepresented at Penland and in the craft world. Proceeds from this auction will help fund existing scholarships, with some proceeds designated towards specific scholarships as noted in the listings.

Val Cushing is a functional potter, a firm adherent of the wheelthrown, utilitarian vessel. Unlike many of his peers, he has not rejected function in favor of more purely sculptural concerns. He has deliberately chosen to work within the limitations imposed by such conventional formats as bowls, pitchers, casseroles, and storage jars. Respecting function and the traditional materials and processes of ceramic art, he has created a body of work that is artistically fresh and adventurous—an invigorating infusion of the visual and the tactile.

Cushing was born in Rochester, New York, and received his BFA and MFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. He has taught pottery at Alfred since 1957 and, in 1962, was a founding member of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts. His work has been exhibited widely in the United States and he has been the recipient of a Fulbright grant and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship.

Bio Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Good condition; glaze and firing anomalies as made.