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The Master in the Redwoods: Pond Farm Pottery and the Legacy of Marguerite Wildenhain

By:
Ai Kanazawa
March 20, 2020Ceramics Sonoma County Research

This past February, potter Bill Geisinger drove me to the rustic and eclectic town of Guerneville along the Russian river in Sonoma County in Northern California. During our car ride there, Bill related to me the logging history of Guerneville, the Bohemian Club, and its controversial grove retreat nearby, and soon, I found myself surrounded by the tall magnificent trees inside the Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve.

The majestic Redwood trees of Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve

As a transplant generation Xer, I had not heard of Pond Farm and Marguerite Wildenhain until Bill sent me a Wikipedia link about the farm prior to my visit. Upon reading it, I was excited to find out about this post-Second World War Californian colony for artists and to discover more about Marguerite, who was its resident artist and a Bauhaus-trained master potter.

Marguerite Wildenhain (1896-1985) was an American ceramic artist and educator. She was born in Lyon, France to a father of German descent and an English mother. Marguerite trained at the legendary Bauhaus school in Weimar, Germany from 1919 for 6 years under master potter Max Krehan and sculptor Gerhard Marcks. She emigrated to the U.S. to escape the Nazis with the help of American architect Gordon Herr and his wife Jane who wanted to establish an artist community in California.
(Click here to watch footage of Marguerite Wildenhain by Rollie Younger on YouTube)

Bill and I arrived early to stroll in the splendid redwood forest. As we walked, Bill said that he had wanted to bring me here because he thought Pond Farm would be a source of inspiration. He shared the story about his visit with Marguerite in the 1970s at the urging of his teacher James Lovera to learn how to make handles from her. Bill always surprises me with never-heard-of-before episodes like this in his life. After hearing Bill’s story, I complained that he rarely makes pots with handles these days, to which he laughed and agreed with my observation.

Entrance toThe Pond Farm Pottery in Guerneville, CA

Following our stroll, we visited Pond Farm with Michele Luna, the Executive Director of Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods, who kindly took the time to show us the compound. The Stewards are the managing member of a partnership for the preservation and revitalization of Pond Farm.

The barn at Pond Farm

“The barn workshop was where Marguerite taught her two-month summer classes every year, and the rest of the year she worked and lived alone in that small cabin,” Michele explained, as she pointed to a house that was closed for viewing due to its dilapidated state. There was also a guesthouse on the compound that Marguerite had built for her teacher from her Bauhaus days, Gerhard Marcks, for his visit to the farm in the 1950s. The guesthouse was recently renovated and is used to host resident artists in the summer.

The guesthouse at Pond Farm

As I stepped into Marguerite’s barn pottery workshop, I immediately felt I was in a familiar place: a studio built upon the artist’s complete devotion to the craft. Inside the barn, I observed the design of the studio and contemplated the system that Marguerite had developed for teaching to countless students each summer from 1949 to 1980.

Pottery studio of Marguerite Wildenhain at Pond Farm

In the now empty workshop, models of the pottery forms that students learned from Marguerite were still in place. I wondered how closely the classroom was designed to the legendary Bauhaus school where Marguerite had trained under master potters for up to 9 hours each day, 6 days a week, year after year.

The classroom inside the Pond Farm barn

After returning from Northern California, I borrowed “The Invisible Core: A Potter’s Life and Thoughts,” written by Marguerite from my local library. She states in the book that many of the students that came to her summer school were college and high school teachers. She writes perceptively that at Pond Farm, “we take great pains in teaching the basic and fundamental elements that go into making a good piece of pottery […] More than that: We have a stimulating exchange of ideas and often really excellent and exciting discussions about art, integrity, human values, life, pots, what it all means, and how they are related, how all these have to fuse in you to one total concept and to form.”

The forms that students practiced in stages during summer class at Pond Farm. Marguerite conducted systematic learning in a traditional master-to-apprentice training environment
The Bauhaus-style kick wheel at Pond Farm

At Pond Farm, I only saw a small kiln inside the barn. So I asked Michele where all of the pots were fired because Marguerite accepted up to 25 students at a time for her summer workshops. Michele explained that none of the work by the students were fired. I was very surprised to hear this because I could not believe that the students were content just to learn how to make pots and not finish making them.

The kiln used by Marguerite Wildenhain at Pond Farm. None of the work by the students that attended summer school were fired.

But after reading Marguerite’s book, I realized that what she taught, and what the students came from all over the country to learn, was not just about how to make pots but also what Marguerite called “the essential requirements that all valuable work need.” These essential requirements consisted of “work, time, patience, effort, and intense devotion and faith in the validity of this purpose.” She called it the “discipline not to betray the requirements of art.”

I told Bill that I found Marguerite’s words compelling and insightful. He agreed and said that “her book was my bible in the 70s.” Over the years, I’ve met and studied many highly regarded artists, and while they all excelled at their craft, most could only teach a very small number of apprentices in their lifetime, if at all. And even with the best of these artists, master-to-apprentice training can be disorganized and mystifying.

The simple cabin where Marguerite Wildenhain resided. The inside cannot be viewed at this time because of its dilapidated state.

Marguerite’s achievements stand out because she was committed to teaching generations of aspiring artists the essential way of life as an artist, and honing of the necessary skills through relentless training like that of apprenticeships. Her teaching took place in a systematic and enlightening environment. If this method originated from the Bauhaus school, it only existed for a handful of years, but Marguerite kept Pond Farm going single-handedly for over 30 years, so her impact cannot be overstated. Her former students, called Pond Farmers, include the likes of Dean Schwarz of South Bear School, and Professor Dorothy Bearnson of University of Utah.

I hope that this blog post will inspire you to learn more about the work of this extraordinary but largely forgotten American master potter and teacher. Marguerite sums up her life’s work in a short statement in her book:

A Marguerite Wildenhain bowl made in the mid-1970s at Pond Farm, Guerneville, California. This stoneware with colored slip, glaze and sgraffito design was acquired by Barbara Brown and kept on display in her home until 2018. At that time Barbara asked Bill Geisinger to take custody of the bowl until it can be displayed to the public at a museum. Barbara is a potter and the international ambassador for the Association of Clay and Glass Artists of California

“My life as a potter has taught me to know the short-lived values of mode and fashion trends, of prizes and “success.” As fleeting as clouds are publicity, fame and limelight, but the good pot will endure through the centuries because of its integrity, its sound and pure purpose, its original beauty, and especially because it is the indivisible, incorruptible, and complete expression of a human being.”

I am not a potter, but wished that I could have met Marguerite to ask about her thoughts on fostering an enduring culture of crafts. In this uncertain time of social distancing with the coronavirus crisis, I found her words comforting and reassuring about my work at Entoten.

Finally, if you can, please help preserve Pond Farm, an important historic site of California’s Armstrong Redwood State Natural Reserve, by visiting the redwood forest, becoming a member, and/or donating to the Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods.

Browse more images of pots made by Marguerite Wildenhain in the Forrest L. Merrill collection

Forrest L. Merrill Collection Website: A History of Pond Farm in Pictures

 

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Guerneville Armstrong redwood Bauhaus マルグリット・ウィルデンハイン ポンドファーム 陶芸 ガーンビル Gerhard Marcks ゲルハルド・マルクス カリフォルニア レッドウッド Redwood Marguerite Wildenhain 州立自然保護区 Pond Farm バウハウス

19 responses on “The Master in the Redwoods: Pond Farm Pottery and the Legacy of Marguerite Wildenhain”

  1. bill March 20, 2020 at 10:10 am

    Thank you for helping people learn about Marguerite and her important role as a teacher. She was one in a million. 🙂

    the good pot will endure through the centuries because of its integrity, its sound and pure purpose, its original beauty, and especially because it is the indivisible, incorruptible, and complete expression of a human being.”

    Reply ↓
    1. Ai Kanazawa Post authorMarch 20, 2020 at 10:23 am

      So grateful that you introduced me to Marguerite. What a remarkable American artist and educator.

      Reply ↓
    2. Tom Whitlow March 28, 2020 at 10:59 am

      Thanks for this remarkable narrative. I met Marguerite in person while in grad school and have enjoyed her vicariously every time I use a teapot I purchased from June Jordan, who studied with her in the 1960s. I’d attach a photo, but that doesn’t seem to be an option. Stay well and safe!

      Reply ↓
      1. Ai Kanazawa Post authorMarch 29, 2020 at 6:48 am

        Thank you for your comment and for reading my blogpost Tom!
        I’m so envious that you got to meet Marguerite. After reading your comment, I investigated if I could set the comments section to be able to include photo attachments but that was not an option. I would still love to see your tea pot. When you have time please email it to me at hello@entoten.com please take care and stay healthy!

        Reply ↓
        1. Tom Whitlow March 29, 2020 at 7:45 am

          I have sent the photo via email. Enjoy!

          Reply ↓
  2. Alisa Ochoa March 22, 2020 at 8:36 am

    Thank you for this post! I have to read Invisible Core now:) Keep on!

    Reply ↓
    1. Ai Kanazawa Post authorMarch 22, 2020 at 9:44 am

      Thank you Alisa! It’s a great book. Honest, insightful and powerful.

      Reply ↓
  3. Sarah Nishiura March 22, 2020 at 10:35 am

    We visited these woods last time we were in Northern CA just to see the redwoods, and only discovered once we were there that Pond Farm Pottery was there. My husband is a huge fan and was so excited by the amazing coincidence. We walked around but couldn’t get inside the buildings. Thanks for this wonderful post and the chance to peak inside!

    Reply ↓
    1. Ai Kanazawa Post authorMarch 22, 2020 at 11:10 am

      Hi Sarah~ Thank you for your comment. Depending on when you were there, Pond Farm was closed because all of the buildings were too dangerously dilapidated. The foundation for the barn was recently reinforced, and the guesthouse is now remodeled but it’s still only accessible with a docent. I hope that one day they’ll get enough funding to preserve all of the buildings and make them accessible for visitors. At this time, there is nothing there to learn about Marguerite either, which is unfortunate. I was also very surprised that all of Marguerite’s books are out of print because her work and words are still relevant to us now!

      Reply ↓
  4. Rob Sidner March 23, 2020 at 7:09 am

    Dear Ai-san,

    Thank you for this marvelous blog post. Though we have a number of Marguerite’s pots in Mingei International’s collection, this is the most I have learned about her at one time, and the first that I have learned of her book. I have known of Pond Farm for years but never seen pictures.

    Rob Sidner

    Reply ↓
    1. Ai Kanazawa Post authorMarch 23, 2020 at 10:30 am

      Thank you for reading and for your comment Rob-san,
      Marguerite’s work and words are so powerful and inspiring. I look forward to seeing her work in the Mingei collection after the museum transformation!
      And I hope that you’ll be able to visit Pond Farm. If you wish, Bill Geisinger said he’d be happy to organize your visit. Please take care and stay safe Rob! -Ai

      Reply ↓
  5. Vince Montague March 30, 2020 at 8:21 pm

    Thank you for this article. I just completed a residency at Pond Farm this month. What a spectacular story. I’m so grateful for the time and space to work.

    Reply ↓
    1. Ai Kanazawa Post authorJuly 14, 2020 at 7:54 pm

      Thank you for reading my blog Vince, I just visited your website and saw some beautiful photos. It must have been magical to live there. Thank you for sharing.

      Reply ↓
  6. David Terr March 30, 2020 at 8:45 pm

    Beautiful shots! Glad you had a great time Vince! Welcome back! Now try to be safe from the coronavirus!

    Dave

    Reply ↓
  7. Cher Ryan July 14, 2020 at 1:17 pm

    Hello, I am a painter, not a potter, but Marguerite’s life and art holds such reverie for me.
    I got lost in your lovely story about Pond Farm and Marguerite, thanks for sharing!
    In the 1970’s I stumbled upon and bought an oil painting of Pond Farm, signed “Wildenhain”.
    I’m searching for information that her friends, students, or anyone might share about it.
    Thanks for any help, as I’ve tried off and on for years to gather info.
    Cher Ryan

    Reply ↓
    1. Ai Kanazawa Post authorJuly 14, 2020 at 7:49 pm

      Hello Cher,
      Thank you for reading my blog about Pond Farm. Maybe Stewards if the Coast and Redwoods might be able to help you.
      stewards@stewardscr.org

      Reply ↓
  8. Maddalena Poccianti July 13, 2022 at 1:36 pm

    Thank you for sharing through your visit to Pond Farm the message left by Marguerite Wildenhain, her life and art.
    I thank Bill Geisinger too, becouse he passed on to his students the same way to look at life and pottery .
    Maddalena

    Reply ↓
    1. Ai Kanazawa Post authorJuly 19, 2022 at 10:16 am

      Thank you for reading my blog and for your kind comment Maddalena! I’ll let Bill know. -Ai

      Reply ↓
      1. Maddalena Poccianti July 20, 2022 at 4:03 am

        Thank you Aì.
        M

        Reply ↓

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