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RESUME
RAGNAR NAESS
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D.B.A. North River Pottery
107 Hall Street, Brooklyn, NY 11205-2506
WEB SITE: RAGNARCLAY.CITYMAX.COM
Telephone: (718)636-8608 email: RAGNAE@aol.com
Born: April 16, 1942, Morristown, NJ USA
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HIGHLIGHTS
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Pages 2-3
EXTENDED ENGAGEMENTS
EXHIBITIONS: ONE TIME SHOWS AND MISCELLANEOUS
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EDUCATION, TEACHING, PUBLICATION: ARTICLES
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PUBLICATION OF EXHIBITIONS & PROJECTS
SOME OF WORK USED FOR ILLUSTRATION WITHOUT ATTRIBUTION
MISCELLANEOUS
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HIGHLIGHTS
MUSEUM COLLECTIONS
Arizona State University Art Museum
Newark Museum NJ
Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Washington DC: “Craft Multiples”
Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taiwan, ROC
Luther College, Iowa: Ripples Collection, Marguerite Wildenhain and Her Students
Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento CA
SELECTED SPECIAL SHOW HISOTRY
American Craft Museum: “The Tea Party” “Banquet”
Atlantic Gallery: Solo Shows, Group Shows: Traffic, Trash, Water, Eat/Art
Channel 13 Collections
Cooper Hewitt Museum: Tea Show
Delaware Art Museum
Guggenheim Museum: Works & Process: EarthSound Performance
Instituto de Allende: Maestro Show
NABISCO Brands Collection
Newark Museum: Great Pots: Contemporary Ceramics from Function to Fantasy
NY Public Library for the Performing Arts: EarthSound Instruments Exhibition
Numerous Private Collections
SELECTED GALLERY HISTORY
America House NY/NJ, Atlantic Gallery NYC, Craftsman’s Gallery Scarsdale, NY, Detroit Gallery of Contemporary Crafts MI; Departure Gallery NYC, Elements Greenwich, CT, Elaine Potter Gallery SF, CA, Franz Bader Gallery Washington DC, Ten Arrow Gallery Cambridge, MA, The Clay Pot Brooklyn NY, Wallengren USA NYC, Wheeler-Seidel NYC
OTHER HISTORY
Participation in many annual craft fairsincluding ACC, WBAI, Lincoln Center ACAC
Books including work: American Crafts: A Source Book for the Home, Pearson; Claywork: Form & Idea in Ceramic Design, Nigrosh; Decorative Arts & Modern Interiors, London; From Mud to Music, Hall; Marguerite Wildenhain and the Bauhaus Dean & Geraldine Schwarz; Great Pots: Contemporary Ceramics from Function to Fantasy The Newark Museum; The Vase and Beyond, Daniels and Lynn
Teaching: NYC 92nd St. Y, Banff, San Miguel de Allende, The Clearview School
EarthSound: A System of 85 ceramic Instruments created with composer Tan Dun
with a grant from the Guggenheim “Arts and Process”
Musical Teapotcommissioned by Pianist Margaret Leng Tan
“Ancient” Teabowls: Project for Eido Roshi, Zen Studies Society of NY
“Water Sculpture” Commissioned by Private Client
“Low Relief Mural” Commissioned by Private Client
EDUCATION
The Putney School, Stanford University (AB History),
U. of Santa Clara (CA Secondary Teaching Credential)
Pond Farm Pottery with Marguerite Wildenhain
REPRESENTATION
Atlantic Gallery, Chelsea, NYC
By Appointment
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EXHIBITION : EXTENDED ENGAGEMENTS
ACC BENNINGTON: ‘72
ACC RHINEBECK: ‘73, ‘75 through ‘78
ACC WINTERMARKET BALTIMORE: ‘77, ‘78
ACAC LINCOLN CENTER: ‘77 through ‘87, ‘89 through ‘02
AMERICAN CRAFT MUSEUM: ‘91, ‘93 “The Tea Party” ‘95 “Banquet”
ARTRIDER: ’00, 01,02, 03
ATLANTIC GALLERY: Soho, NYC: Annual Group Shows 1996-2012
Solo shows: ’96-’12; 2008: “40th Year, Looking Ahead” ; 2010: Stoneware Sculpture- Plant and Space Forms; 2012 Green Men and Botanicals +
BENCHMARK GALLERY: Washington DC: ‘83, ‘84 (rep. till gallery closed)Table Art Invitational; ‘84: Three Potters: Naess, George Peterson III, and Malcolm Wright
THE BERKSHIRE CRAFT FAIR: ‘76, ‘95, ’96, 97, 98(Special Recognition Citation ‘95)
BROOKLYN MUSEUM: ‘79, ‘81 Clinton Hill Arts (group show: Pratt Inst. and Clinton Hill Society
CHANNEL 13 COLLECTION: NYC: ‘79, ‘80, ‘81, ‘82, ‘83, ‘84
THE CLAY POT: Brooklyn ‘78-’90; ‘80 Collector’s Invitational, ‘81 Solo Show; ‘88 Teapots
CRAFTS IN SOHO: ’95, ’96, ’97, 98 NYC
CRAFTSMAN’S GALLERY: Scarsdale NY: ‘77-’95; (rep. till gallery closed)Special Shows: Art Deco Influence, Southwest Influence; ‘87-’94: Celebration, Bride & Groom Col.
CRAFTS ON STAGE: State University of NY at Purchase, NY: ‘93, ‘94, ‘95
CREATIVE ARTS WORKSHOP: New Haven CT: Celebration of Am. Crafts: ‘83, ‘90-’95, ’97,’98
Featured Artist April/May ‘98
DESIGNER CRAFTS: NYC: Fifth Ave Shows ‘92- ‘96, Lex.Ave. Shows ‘96-’00, Puck Bldg. ’97,’98
DEPARTURE GALLERY LTD.: NYC: ‘83 through ‘90 (rep. till gallery closed) “85 Three Potters:
Rob Barnard, Carolyn Chester & Naess”; ‘86 Patrick Minervini & Naess
FINE ARTS AND CRAFTS IN SOHO: ’94, ‘95, ’96,’97
FRANZ BADER GALLERY: Washington D.C.: (rep. till gallery closed)
‘87 Ragnar Naess: Ceramic Sculpture and Functional Objects: Solo Show
‘88 Ceramic Sculpture and Functional Objects: Ragnar Naess and Otto Natzler
FULL CIRCLE: Alexandria VA: ‘74-’84; Solo Show ‘77
GREEN MEADOW POTTERY SHOW: Waldorf School, Spring Valley NY: ‘90, ‘91, ‘92, ‘93, ‘95
GUILFORD HANDCRAFTS EXPOSITION: ‘96
HENRI BENDELS: NYC: ‘81-’84 Dinnerware shown and sold by Frank MacIntosh
MEMORIAL GALLERY: U. of Rochester, NY: Group Shows:
79 Teapot Show; ‘80 Kitchenware Show; ‘82 Container Show
MILLBROOK CRAFT FAIR: Millbrook, NY: ‘88, ‘89, ‘91, ‘92
MORRISTOWN CRAFT SHOW: Morristown NJ: ‘83, ‘84, ‘95
MUSEUMS AT STONYBROOK: Stonybrook NY: Holiday Festival ’95-’00.
NORTH RIVER POTTERY: Annual December Studio Open House 1978 through 2000.
ELAINE POTTER GALLERY: San Francisco CA: (group shows) ‘84, “Contemporary American
Heritage” ; ‘85 “Practically Art”; ‘86 “East/West”
ROCHESTER FOLK ART GUILD: Middlesex NY: Guest Artist: ‘91, ‘93; Summer Show ‘95
SONYA 199-2009 Annual Brooklyn artists South of the Navy Yard Open Studios
SURROUNDINGS GALLERY: Soho NYC: (rep. till gallery closed) Solo Shows ‘81, ‘82
TEN ARROW GALLERY: Cambridge, MA: (rep. ‘72-’84) ‘79: Group Show: Bringle, Glick, Lind, Weissman & Naess; ‘80: Collectibles: Glass, Metal and Ceramics
YAMATO HOUSE: Lenox, MA: ‘73-’83(rep. till gallery closed) Solo Shows: ‘80,‘ 81,‘ 82
WALLENGREN USA: NYC: Solo Show ‘88. (rep. till gallery closed)
WBAI HOLIDAY CRAFT FAIR: NYC: ‘77, ‘79 through ‘87, ‘89 through ‘93;SPRING FAIR ‘85,’86
WHEELER SEIDEL GALLERY: NYC: ‘90 Inaugural Show: Joy Brown, Alfred Green, Naess;
ZEN ART SALE: Zen Studies Society, NYC: ‘78 through ‘87 (Show Director and Participant)
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EXHIBITION: ONE TIME SHOWS AND MISCELLANEOUS
1976 Renwick Gallery: Crafts Multiples, Washington DC
1977 Ellie Conason: White Plains NY: 24th Annual Handcrafts Exhibition
1978 Delaware Art Museum: 22nd Annual Contemporary Crafts Exhibition
Brockton Art Center: MA (Group Show): Form follows Function
1980 Horizon Gallery: Mill Valley CA: 2nd Annual National Teapot Show
Scalamandre Silk Co: Used Naess work in showroom window display
1981 Following Sea Gallery: Honolulu, Hawaii: New York Inspiration: Tabletop
Detroit Gallery of Contemporary Crafts: Teapot Show
1983 America House: Tenafly, NJ: 10th Anniversary Retrospective
Quail Hollow Show: Ulster County NY
Craft Alliance: St. Louis MO: Functional Mixed Media Show
1984 Cooper Hewitt Museum: (Smithsonian) NYC: Tea Show
General Foods Collection: Rye NY: The Extension of the Hand
Hudson River Museum Giftshop: Yonkers NY: Naess featured Autumn
1985 Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taiwan, R.O.C.: 1985 International Ceramics Exhibition
(pieces remain in permanent collection)
Nabisco Brands, USA: Montclair Junior League (Group Show Art ‘85
1986 Springfield Art Assoc. : IL: (Group show) “A Valentine in Clay”
1987 Springfield Art Assoc.: IL: (Group Shows: “Teapots” “Tree Ornaments”
Home Cooking: South Street Seaport, NYC: (Solo Show) Sculptural Work
The Clayhouse: Santa Monica, CA: (Group Show): “A Spot O’ Tea”
Lee Sclar Gallery: Morristown NJ; (Group Show): Coffeepot & Teapot Show
America House: Tenafly NJ: (Group Show): Collector’s Christmas
1988-1989 Sabbatical Year
The Ferrin Gallery: Northampton, MA: “ A Tea Party”
The Clay Pot: Brooklyn, NY: Teapot Show
The Hudson River Museum: Yonkers, NY: Holiday Show
“Nine Songs:” Contemporary Opera composed by Chinese composer Tan Dun and produced at Pace University Schhimmel Center for the Arts in NYC: Naess developed and created bells, gongs and resonating jars in a collaboration with the composer.1989-1990: Continued Collaboration with Tan Dun: Further development of EarthSounds ceramic instruments, a system of ceramic instruments including wind, string and percussion commissioned by the Guggenheim Museum, NYC, for their Works and Process Series. EarthSounds inaugural performance in composition called Soundshape for Ceramics, Voice and Instruments: 1/21&1/22/90 The Guggenheim. Travels to Europe and Asia followed.
1990 Show of Hands Gallery: NYC: “Asian Influences”
Newark Museum: Newark, NJ: Acquisition of Ball Teapot and Teawarmer for permanent Contemporary Ceramics Collection
1991 EarthSounds: Performances at Edinburgh International Festival in Scotland, at Aldeburgh in England, in Hong Kong and at LaMaMa in New York City.
American Craft Museum: NYC“Tea Party” Benefit show and Sale for the Museum
1993 Perimeter Gallery Chicago IL: Group Show
Studio Gallery 843 Inc. : East New York, NY: The Art of Ceramics ‘93
1994 EarthSounds Performance in Berkeley CA.
Prailsville Mill: Stockton NJ: Design ‘94
Craft Alliance of St. Louis: MO: National Teapot Invitational
1995 Instituto de Allende: San Miguel de Allende, Mexico: Maestro Show
The Clay Studio: Philadelphia PA: Exhibition The Sound of Clay
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EXHIBITIONS CONT.
1996 New York Public Library for the Performing Arts: Lincoln Center, NYC: Exhibition January 17th to May 5th 1996: Metal Earth Wood Styrofoam = Music: Tan Dun & Ragnar Naess with Skip La Plante, Raphael Mostel and Harry Partch.
Garth Clark Gallery: NYC:1996 “NIGHT OF ONE HUNDRED AND ONE CUPS” Benefit
Benny Smith Gallery; Brooklyn Artisans; Fine Arts in Soho.
1997 Spoletto Festival and other locations: Ongoing Performance of Alvin Lucier’s music
on ‘Musical teapot’ created by Naess in collaboration with Pianist Margaret Leng Tan.
Putney School Art Gallery: From the Earth, contemporary clay work by nine artists
Crafts at the Cathedral - St. John the Divine 11/97
Pelham Art Center: Festival of Crafts 11/-12/97
1998 From the Earth: 9 Ceramic Artists. Exhibition at the Putney School, VT
1999- 2011 SONYA – Annual Brooklyn artists South of the Navy Yard Open Studios
1999 Judaica Festival, Town and Village Synagogue, NYC
2002 “Ripples: Marguerite Wildenhain and Her Pond Farm Students” – Robert V. Fullerton Art Museum, CA State U. at San Bernardino, Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art at Utah State University, and at Alfred University
2003 Polonaise Art Gallery, Woodstock VT: Sculpture
2004 Stanford University Alumni Art Show, Stanford California
2007 Students of MW, Sebastopol Center for the Arts, California
2010 Collectors’ Show at Howard Community College, Columbia, MD
EDUCATION
The Putney School ‘57-’60
Stanford University ‘60-’66 AB History ‘64; premed Core Curriculum in Science ‘65-’66
Columbia University, U of Calif. Berkeley, San Francisco State College: Summer Courses in History and Calculus
University of Santa Clara: ’66-67 CA State Secondary Teaching Credential: History & Chemistry
Pond Farm Pottery Summer Sessions withMarguerite Wildenhain: 1967, 1970, 1972
TEACHING
Banff School of Fine Arts: Banff, Alberta, Canada: ‘87 Guest Lecturer
Columbia University Ceramics Dept: Teapot Workshop ’94; Creativity Workshop ‘97
Craft Student’s League: 53rd St. “Y” NYC: ‘82, ‘83 Evening Classes Wheel Technique;
‘93 Teapot Workshop
Instituto de Allende: San Miguel de Allende, Mexico: Ceramics Instructor, Winter ‘95
Nantucket Island School of Art and Design: Nantucket MA: Creativity Workshop ‘93
92nd St. Y: NYC: “Wheel & Handbuilding: A Personal Vision with Ragnar Naess” (staff)‘93-’02
The Potter’s Wheel: Queens NY: Teapot Workshop ’94;Creativity Workshop ’98
Rochester Folk Art Guild: Rochester NY: Summer Workshops: ‘91: “Listening to the Clay”
‘93: “Renewal: Rhythm, Repetition and Creativity in Functional Ceramics
Clearview School, Scarborough NY (program for severely disturbed youngsters K-12) ‘ 07-‘10
Throwing Clinics, Slide Shows, Teapot Workshops and Craft Photography Workshops at North River Pottery studio and other locations for regional potters’ associations and cooperatives: LI Craft Guild, Hudson River Potters, Brooklyn Potters, Potter’s Wheel
PUBLICATION : ARTICLES ETC.
The Best of Pottery 1996, Quarry Books, Rockport Publishers, Inc. , p.114, & 1998 edition
Claywork: Form & Idea in Ceramic Design: 1986(2nd Ed.) Leon I. Nigrosh, Davis Publications Inc., pp. 96-97
The Crafts Report: vol 14 #146, May 1988: P.17:Potter Takes Year’s Sabbatical
Re: EarthSounds System: Assorted Articles (partial list)
American Craft: 6/7’90: People and Places
Berkeley Rep Newsletter: Berkeley CA 4/94: “Theater Ritual is Music to Our Ears”
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Re: EarthSounds System, Continued:
Chime Newsletter: #2, Autumn 1990: Mainland China’s New Music ( l ) “Out of the Desert
Experimental Musical Instruments: Nicacio CA Vol 7 #2, 1991: “Ceramic Instruments from EarthSounds”
Futurific: Cover Story vol 16 #1, January 1992
Instrumentenbau: 12/92 Frankfurt, Germany: Ton Instrumente: EarthSounds - Auf der Such nach dem Klang der Erde
New York Times: Articles: Sunday 1/28/90: “Designing Instruments And the Sounds Therein” ; Review / Music: 12/2/91: “ An Eastern Sonic Ritual In an Imaginary Religion”
Putney Post: Alumni Magazine, Putney School VT Fall 1990; “Ceramics That Sing”
San Francisco Chronicle: SF, CA 3/5/94; “Tan Dun Creates Haunting, Playful World of Sound”
The Independent: Edinburgh Scotland 8/23/91: “Elemental inspiration”
The Scotsman: Edinburgh Scotland 8/26/91: “Silent premiere”
From Mud to Music, BarryHall 2006 (Pub. By The American Ceramic Society)
The Scotsman: Edinburgh Scotland 8/26/91: “Silent premiere”
The Hill: Clinton Hill, Brooklyn Newsletter: 2nd Anniversary Holiday Issue,
1985-1986:” Created on the Hill: Ragnar Naess’ Pottery”
2008 Hill Artists
Parabola: Vol 5 #2, book reviews by Naessnof Frederick Frank “The Awakened Eye” and Carla Needleman: “The Work of Craft”
From Mud to Music, Barry Hall
Marguerite Wildenhain and the BauhausDean & Geraldine Schwarz
PUBLICATION OF EXHIBITIONS AND PROJECTS
American Craft: “Exhibitions” June/July’ 79: Ten Arrow “Gallery” April/May ‘89: Hudson River Museum; People and Places June/July’ 90: EarthSounds; “Gallery” April-May 1996 NY Public Library for the Performing Arts
Craft Horizons 8/75, Harper’s Weekly 9/15/75, House Beautiful 10/75, National Craftsman 8/76: the Craft Multiples Exhibit (Smithsonian)
CUE: 7/6/79 Lincoln Center Show
Craft International: 4/83 “Art Deco Echoes” Craftsman’s Gallery
Daily News: NY, 5/8/79; Residential Interiors: (7-8/79); Decorating :(Fall ‘79) Design Technics Collection of Tableware: “Art for dining” NYC
The Detroit News: 4/7/81 Detroit Gallery “for Tea” show
Greenwich Times (CT) 5/6/85: The Elements show “Art for Eating”
Great Pots: Contemporary Ceramics from Function to Fantasy (2003) The Newark Museum
New York Magazine: 5/4/86 WBAI Craftsfair
The New Yorker Magazine: 11/23/87 p.113, “On and Off the Avenue”
New York Times: Sunday 11/27/83 CT Ed.: Creative Arts Workshop Show
NYT 12/6/81, Celebration Show, Craftsman’s Gallery Scarsdale
NYT 12/10/82: Weekender Guide for Friday “New 15th Century Teabowls” :(article without attribution to Naess) special project done for Eido Roshi of Zen Studies Society of NY making Teabowls incorporating ancient shards of roof tiles and pottery from the Rinzai Temple in China into new teabowls.
NYT 10/2/83, NJ Ed: Morristown Show
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The Washingtonian; 9/76, Washington Baltimore Forecast; 12/77, The Washington Post Magazine: 12/4/77 -- Full Circle Shows
American Crafts: A Source Book for the Home 9/83: by Katherine Pearson, Pub. by Stewart, Tabori and Chang
The Buyers Book of American Crafts: Pub. American Craft Enterprises ‘79.’80, ‘81, ‘82, ‘83, ‘84
Decorative Arts & Modern Interiors: Studio Vista Publications, London England 1977
House & Garden: 9/83: Review of above citation; Naess’s work used to illustrate review.
New Art Examiner: 3/86 New York Artist Listing
The New York Art Review: 1988 Les Kranz, Pub., American References Inc. pp. 902, 929, 945
SOME PHOTOS OF WORK USED FOR ILLUSTRATION WITHOUT ATTRIBUTION
Food & Wine: November ‘91 pp. 103, 107
The Pleasures of Cooking: Vol.5 #6,May/June 83, a Cuisinart Publication pp.42-43. Dinnerware shown by Frank MacIntosh at Henri Bendels of NY
Time Life Books, Fresh Ways with Beef and Lamb: 1987 p.74 Dinnerware shown.
MISCELLANEOUS
Brooklyn Potters’ Group: co-founder; Secretary from 1988-1993, treasurer 93- present
Circle of Influence Breakfast exhibition, Brooklyn: ‘95-‘97
Empty Bowls Project Coordinator - Brooklyn: Benefiting CHIPS; yer-round display of bowls at Cucina Restaurant and later at Ozzie's Tea and Coffee in Park Slope; w/ Bklyn Potters Colleagues - ’96 -2011 (Reported in various media, partic: article incl. Color illus: American Artist,July 1996,p.60
Juror:
WBAI Crafts Fair NYC; Lincoln Center Craft Fair, ACAC: NYC; New Rochelle 78th
Annual Open Juried Exhibition; Crafts on Stage: SUNY Purchase, juror and consultant; Rockaway Music and Art Council: 12th Annual Festival Brooklyn NY
Snug Harbor Crafts Fair Staten Island NY. The Berkshire Crafts Fair 1998
Memberships: Brooklyn Potters Group, Long Island Craft Guild, NH Potters Guild, American Craft Museum, Cooper Hewett Museum;
Nantucket Island School of Art and Design: winter resident artist ‘94
Zen Art Sale: Zen Studies Society, NYC: 1978-1987: Director and Exhibitor (originator)
