Last night I received an e-mail from a NH Potters Guild member with the news that Gerry Williams has passed away. The photo above was taken in June of 2010 at the last guild meeting that Gerry attended. He is the gentleman seated in the center, holding a cane. Jane Kaufmann's husband Dick took the photo of members gathered around the NHPG Community Wood Kiln. Gerry was an influential member of the potters guild and a mentor to many.
While Gerry was a great potter, many readers may best remember him as one of the founding members and long time editor of "The Studio Potter" publication. I fell in love with Gerry's writing when JZ and I started to date. He had nearly every copy of SP going back to it's inception in 1972. I spent many early morning hours at JZ's kitchen table, drinking coffee, eating pbj toast, and reading Gerry's articles. Gerry and his wife Julie roamed the countryside visiting potters in their studio for articles in the journal. His writing drew me in and I was mesmerized by each potters story. I was very sad when Gerry retired and no longer wrote the pottery studio visits.
Gerry Williams will be missed by many in New Hampshire and around the world. He contributed so much to the ceramics community through both his pottery and his writing. Colby-Sawyer College had retrospective of his work a few years ago. If you would like to know more about his life you can read a brief history on the Colby-Sawyer website by clicking here.
I met him a few times and was so pleased, a sweet and friendly and intelligent man, the biggest influence, I think, to many of us who are this age BECAUSE he put together studio potter. I loved that it was real potters talking, long before the internet, and not like CM with its search for the wild and esoteric (which is OK, but not really how so many people in clay work). I gave him a creamer once and his wife told me the next year it was on their counter and they used it every day and I was like WOW! Interesting how many potters live VERY long lives :)
ReplyDeleteGary that is such a nice story. I love the old Studio Potter. I find that it has become more esoteric and unfortunately out of my price range right now.
ReplyDeleteHe will be missed by many but his stories will always feel fresh and inviting, even when you've read them enough to be old friends.
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