Cable Years Gallery

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The 50/50 exhibition is a celebration of a century of ceramics at the University of North Dakota. The history of the program has two distinct 50-year segments: the historic art pottery Cable era and the contemporary modern era.

The 50/50 exhibition is a celebration of a century of ceramics at the University of North Dakota. The history of the program has two distinct 50-year segments: the historic art pottery Cable era and the contemporary modern era.

The Cable Years portion of the exhibition at the Columbia Mall is dedicated to the historic art pottery era of the first 50 years, from the 1910 Ceramics Department inception and the appointment of Margaret Cable as chair, until the retirement of Professor Julia Mattson in 1963. The Department of Art and Design and the UND Alumni Association and Foundation own the majority of the pieces in Cable portion of the exhibition. The exhibition includes the work of Margaret Cable (CBL), Julia Mattson (MTT), Hildegarde Fried Dreps (HLD), Flora Cable Huckfield (HCK), Freida Hammers (HMM), miscellaneous students (MSC) and Margaret Pachl (PCH). Professor Pachl was the bridge between the Cable and the Contemporary era. The parenthesized initials (XXX plus a number code) identify the artist and an inventory number. The cobalt blue School of Mines seal is on the bottom of nearly every piece in the exhibition.

Our thanks to the Meyers Foundation, UND Department of Art and Design, UND Alumni Association and Foundations, Columbia Mall, the North Dakota Museum of Art, donors of pottery to the collection and the numerous staff members who made the centennial exhibition possible. The exhibition and collection can be seen at: www.pottery.und.edu.

Contemporary Years Gallery

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Nationally, few universities can boast a hundred year old ceramics program, but with the advent of 2010, the University of North Dakota’s ceramics program celebrates its centennial with the exhibition “50/50 The Cable Years/The Contemporary Years.” A century of ceramics has meant a rich history of involvement in everything from the Arts and Crafts movement to the contemporary trends of Postmodernism.

The 50 Contemporary Years exhibition at the North Dakota Museum of Art is dedicated to the students over the past 50 years. Six professors from the centennial period also each have one piece in the exhibition. The diverse number of stiles and techniques represented in the exhibition are a tribute to the openness fostered by the contemporary ceramics program.

The process or firing range of each piece is listed but many of these individuals use multiple processes in the creation of their whole body of work.

The exhibiters are:
Mike Arnold, Brad Bachmeier, Jim Bailey, Al Boucher, Norm Boucher, Kevin Chamberlain, Lori Charest, Kathleen Crook, Karen Davidson, Michael Douglas, Brian Fricke, Memo Guardia, Paul Hutchinson, Mary Kennedy, Holly Van Santen Knipe, Alan Lacovetsky, Karen Roderick Lingeman, Linda Olsen, Kendra Rogers, Tama Smith, Robbie Spencer, Meg Spielman, Keisuke Ueno, Jim Ulmer and Kurt Wensmann.

Professors are:
Margaret Cable 1910-1949, Julia Mattson 1924-1963, Margaret Pachl 1949-1970, Katie McCleery 1974-2006, Donald Miller 1970-present and Wesley Smith 2006-present.

The 50-Contemporary Years Exhibition opened April 18, 2010 and closes on June 13, 2010. The exhibition was curated by Professor Donald Miller.