Donald Eugene Frith (/friTH/ /frɪθ/; September 16, 1924 – January 6, 2021) was an American ceramic artist and academic known for his unique style of

teapots A teapot is a vessel used for steeping tea leaves or a herbal mix in boiling or near-boiling water, and for serving the resulting infusion which is called tea. It is one of the core components of teaware. Dry tea is available either in tea ba ...

, mixing ceramics with acrylics and wood. Frith was a faculty member at the

University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

from 1952 until his retirement in 1989, and was the chair of the crafts department for many years. He then became a

professor emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

. He was one of the first artists that made a three-point handle teapot. An early example of the "three handle teapot" was pictured in the ceramics book ''A Potter’s Handbook''. He specialized in production design work, with his knowledge of molds. He wrote the book ''Mold Making for Ceramics'' . This book became the definitive reference worldwide on mold making in craft ceramics production.

Early life and education

Frith was born in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. A

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

veteran, Frith served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

as a

Seabee , colors = , mascot = Bumblebee , battles = Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Cape Gloucester, Los Negros, Guam, Peleliu, Tarawa, Kwajalein, Saipan, Tinian, Iwo Jima, Philippin ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1949 and

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

(MA) from

Denver University The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral U ...

. He lived in

San Bernardino, California San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 ce ...

for three years in this period. He was awarded on two occasions a

Danforth Foundation The Danforth Foundation was one of the largest private nonprofit foundations in the St. Louis Metropolitan region. It closed its doors in 2011 after 84 years of operation and more than a billion dollars in grants distributed. Background Establish ...

grant to study at the Alfred University where he received a Master of Fine Arts in 1966.

Career

In 1952, Frith was hired as assistant professor of ceramics and jewelry at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, and went on the serve as head of the crafts department for 40 years, and then became a professor emeritus. He started the glass, metals and ceramics programs at that university. Frith was among the artists in an exhibition called "American Craftsman" at the

Dallas Museum of Art The Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) is an art museum located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas, along Woodall Rodgers Freeway between St. Paul and Harwood. In the 1970s, the museum moved from its previous location in Fair Park to the Art ...

from February 19 to March 11, 1956. He also worked as a product designer for three pottery companies. Frith served as founding member of the Illinois Crafts Council and the

National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts Founded in 1966, the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) is an organization in the United States serving the interests of ceramics as an art form and in creative education. Most major American ceramic artists since the 1970s, ...

(NCECA). Frith had a solo exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago from January 11 to March 29, 1964. The exhibit was called "Ceramics and Jewelry by Donald E. Frith". In 1966 the

American Craft Council The American Craft Council (ACC) is a national non-profit organization that champions craft based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded in 1943 by Aileen Osborn Webb, the council hosts national craft shows and conferences, publishes a quarterly mag ...

awarded him a National Merit Award and in 1971 he was awarded Fellow of the council by NCECA. He has served as officer of the Design Division Award for outstanding contribution to the field. He was elected to the board of Trustees of the American Ceramic Society to serve three-year term in 1986. In 1991 he was awarded Fellow of the Society by the

American Ceramic Society The American Ceramic Society (ACerS) is a non-profit professional organization for the ceramics community, with a focus on scientific research, emerging technologies, and applications in which ceramic materials are an element. It is located in W ...

. Frith and his wife moved to

Santa Maria, California Santa Maria (Spanish for "St. Mary") is a city near the Central Coast of California in northern Santa Barbara County. It is approximately northwest of Santa Barbara and northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Its population was 109,707 at the 202 ...

in 1989 after he retired as a university professor. That is where he developed his favorite artistic form, intricate teapots shaped like flowers with complex wooden handles. He had a solo exhibition at the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts in Ojai, California from November 1 to December 31, 2008. In 2017, the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art held an exhibition of Frith's work from September 1 through to October 29, 2017. Frith's work is in permanent collections including the

Georgia Museum of Art The Georgia Museum of Art is an art museum in Athens, Georgia, United States, associated with the University of Georgia (UGA). The museum is both an academic museum and, since 1982, the official art museum of the state of Georgia. The permanent co ...

Personal life

He met his wife Barbara () at Denver University, and they were married in 1949. They had four children and lived in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois for many years. In 1989, the couple moved to

to continue creating art in retirement. Barbara, also an artist, died in 2007. They had been married for 58 years.

References

External links

Interview with Donald Frith

Donald E. Frith On Making A Teapot, Part One

Donald E. Frith On Making A Teapot, Part Two
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frith, Donald 1924 births 2021 deaths University of Denver alumni University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty Artists from Illinois 20th-century American ceramists 21st-century American ceramists 21st-century American artists American potters Artists from Denver 20th-century American artists American male artists Fellows of the American Ceramic Society 20th-century American male artists