Archives of American Art

Oral history interview with Marek Cecula

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.cecula09
Creators:
Cecula, Marek, 1944-
Riedel, Mija, 1958-
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America
Dates:
2009 May 19-20
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
104 Pages
Transcript
10 Items
Sound recording: 10 sound files (4 hr., 55 min.)
digital, wav
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
An interview of Marek Cecula conducted 2009 May 19-20, by Mija Riedel, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at Cecula's studio, in New York, New York.
Scope and Contents
Marek Cecula speaks of his childhood in Kielce, Poland, during World War II; his move to Israel at age 16; studies with ceramists Gdula Ogen and Jean Mayer; the influence of Japanese ceramics on his early studies; life on the kibbutz HaSolelim in the late 1960s and early 1970s; the influence of Kurt and Gerda Spurey and their use of porcelain and slip-casting; his work in both functional and sculptural ceramics; his move to Tel Aviv in early 1970s, then to a commune in Binyamina in 1971; his move to Curitiba, Brazil, and subsequent work with Schmidt porcelain factory; "Art Project 79" exhibition, La Jola, Curitiba, Brazil, 1979; his move to Washington, D.C., with girlfriend (later wife) Lanie in 1976; Klepisko (2008); the cyclical nature in his work; move to New York City in late 1970s; the Soho arts scene in the 1970s and '80s; his work blending design and sculpture; establishing Contemporary Porcelain gallery, 1978; interest in work by Memphis Group, Peter Shire, Jack Earl, Ken Price, and Ron Nagle; head of ceramics department, at Parsons School of Design, New York City (1985-2004); continued design and production work, including for Tiffany & Co. and Barneys New York; establishment of Modus Design firm; continued exploration of industrial processes and use of decals in his work; influence of Howard Kottler; his quest to balance digital and handmade processes, and the continued importance of the tactile; "Scatology" exhibition; series Hygiene, his first purely sculptural series; Porcelain Carpet; representation at Garth Clark Gallery (New York City, Los Angeles, and Kansas City, Missouri); series Violations; series Mutants; series Industrial Interference; "Interface" exhibition (2002), in response to terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001; Look Into My Mind; The Stand For the Heroes, 2001; series Beauty of Imperfection; move to Poland in early 2000s; a teaching/artistic position at Bergen National Academy of Arts, Norway; establishment of Design Centrum Kielce in late 2000s; Menorah, 2007, Kielce (site-specific); Six Stations, 2007, Porsgrunn, Norway (site-specific); future projects for the city of Kielce; work with the Łódź Design Festival, Poland, and design center in Cieszyn, Poland; "kilo of earth" product; Last Supper; Mandala; Islam; limitations and advantages of ceramics as a medium; his globalized, multicultural experiences and outlook; the European vanguard in ceramics; periodicals and publications of interest; writers of interest: Edmund de Waal, Jorunn Veiteberg, Janet Koplos; the "desire society"; curating Third Biennale for Israeli Ceramics, 2004; fusion art, craft, and design; "Object Factory: The Art of Industrial Ceramics," Gardiner Museum, Toronto, 2008; redefinition of the concept of the object.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Marek Cecula (1944- ) is a ceramist and designer, who lives and works in New York and Poland.

Administration

Sponsor
Funding for this interview was provided by the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America. Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.

Digital Content


Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
For information on how to access this interview contact Reference Services.

More Information

General

General
Originally recorded on 3 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 10 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hr., 55 min.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Ceramicists -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Designers -- New York (State) -- New York -- Interviews Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kibbutzim Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Brazil -- Description and Travel Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Israel -- Description and Travel Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Poland -- description and travel Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
SoHo (New York, N.Y.) -- Description and Travel Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ceramicists Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
World War, 1939-1945 Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ceramics Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cecula, Lanie Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
De Waal, Edmund Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Earl, Jack Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Koplos, Janet Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kottler, Howard, 1930-1989 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mayer, Jean Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Nagle, Ron Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ogen, Gdula, 1929- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Price, Kenneth, 1935-2012 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Shire, Peter Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Spurey, Gerda Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Spurey, Kurt, 1941- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Veiteberg, Jorunn, 1955- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Barneys New York Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Garth Clark Gallery (New York, N.Y.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
George R. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kunst- og designhögskolen i Bergen Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Memphis (Group) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Parsons School of Design -- Faculty Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Tiffany and Company Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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