Archives of American Art

Oral history interview with Wayne Higby

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.higby05
Creators:
Higby, Wayne
McInnes, Mary, 1956-
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America
Dates:
2005 April 12-14
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
9 Items
Sound recording: 9 sound files (4 hr., 55 min.)
digital, wav
66 Pages
Transcript
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
An interview of Wayne Higby conducted 2005 April 12-14, by Mary McInnes, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, in Alfred Station, New York. Higby speaks of growing up in Colorado Springs, Colorado; choosing to go to University of Colorado, Boulder; traveling to Europe, Asia, and Africa; being influenced by Minoan pottery; working for ceramicist Betty Woodman; deciding to become a teacher; getting a graduate degree at the University of Michigan; working at Archie Bray Foundation; teaching at the University of Nebraska and Rhode Island School of Design; having his first one person art show and exhibiting nationally; teaching at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts; the influence of landscape on his work; how the craft market has changed during his career; working with the Helen Drutt Gallery; writing about craft and the need for critical dialogue in craft publications; being inspired by Asian art; learning ceramics from Jim and Nan McKinnell, and the influence of other teachers on his career; getting hired at Alfred University; the challenges and benefits of teaching at Alfred; his colleagues at Alfred; making functional art and using the vessel form; his teaching philosophy; putting ceramics in a larger art context; his current project; his studio practice; themes in his artwork; choosing to work in porcelain; lecturing and touring in China; being interested in landscape painting; the public response to his work; and recently being awarded several honors. Higby also recalls Manuel Neri, Peter Voulkos, Paul Soldner, Fred Bauer, David Shaner, Francis Merritt, Ted Randall, Bob Turner, Val Cushing, Kenneth Ferguson, Robert Motherwell, and others.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Wayne Higby (1943- ) is a ceramicist from Alfred Station, New York. Mary McInnes is a professor from Alfred, New York.

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
Use requires an appointment.
System Details
Originally recorded on 4 sound discs.

More Information

General

General
Originally recorded on 4 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 9 digital wav files. Duration is 4 hr., 55 min.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Ceramicists -- New York (State) -- Interviews Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ceramics -- Study and teaching Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Decorative arts Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Educators -- New York (State) -- Interviews Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Pottery, Minoan Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Africa -- description and travel Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Asia -- Description and Travel Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
China -- Description and Travel Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Colorado -- description and travel Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Europe -- 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
Bauer, Fred Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cushing, Val M. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ferguson, Ken, 1928-2004 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
McKinnell, James Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
McKinnell, Nan Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Merritt, Francis Sumner, 1913-2000 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Motherwell, Robert Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Neri, Manuel, 1930- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Randall, Theodore, 1914-1985 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Shaner, David, 1934- Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Soldner, Paul Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Turner, Robert Chapman, 1913-2005 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Voulkos, Peter, 1924-2002 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Woodman, Betty, 1930-2018 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Alfred University -- Faculty Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Archie Bray Foundation Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Haystack Mountain School of Crafts -- Faculty Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Helen Drutt Gallery Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Rhode Island School of Design -- Faculty Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
University of Colorado (Boulder campus) -- Students Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
University of Michigan -- Students Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
University of Nebraska -- Faculty 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

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