The History of California Funk Pottery

Emerging from San Francisco in the 1960s and closely related to the counterculture movement happening in music, writing and other artistic endeavors in the area at the time, the California Funk ceramics movement used humor and sometimes graphic content to address a range of social and political subjects.

California Funk artists incorporated humor into their work.

History

Robert Arneson, a ceramics instructor at UC Davis, led the development of the funk ceramics movement. He taught his students to use humor and non-traditional approaches to their ceramics.

Significance

California funk was one of the first ceramics movements to draw influences from counterculture influences like the beat movement and psychedelia while using ceramics to challenge conventional thinking.

Time Frame

The California funk movement has traces in the artistic movement in San Francisco in the 1950s, but its heyday was in the 1960s through early 1970s. However, proponents of the movement are still working today.

Geography

Although frequently known as California funk, proponents of the movement could be found throughout the West Coast. Many Australian ceramists also are affiliated with the movement.

Expert Insight

Peter Held, curator of ceramics for the Arizona State University Art Museum, said that California funk ceramists showed "little respect for traditional craftsmanship and pottery and created work that drew inspiration from Dada, surrealism, pop art and the beat culture."

References

• Ceramics Monthly: California Funk
• Arizona State University California Funk Exhibition

Resources

• Ceramics Today: West Coast Funk