John Parker Glick (1 July 1938 – 6 April 2017) was an American ceramicist.Hunt, Bill. "John Glick: A Legacy", '' Ceramics Monthly'', October 2015. Though open to artistic experimentation, Glick was most influenced by the styles and aesthetics of Asian pottery—an inspiration that shows in his use of decorative patterns and glaze choices. His experience working with ceramics led him to publish several articles about the craft. In addition to producing pottery, Glick began making "landscape oriented" wall panels during the latter part of his career.Glick, John
"Plum Tree Pottery: A History"
''John Glick''. Retrieved on 2 May 2017. Known as "the people's potter," he is primarily remembered for his contributions to art and the field of ceramics.Grossman, Jay
"Art world mourns loss of 'the people's potter'"
''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...

'', 13 April 2017. Retrieved on 2 May 2017. Glick operated his studio, Plum Tree Pottery, in

Farmington Hills Farmington Hills is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Part of the affluent suburbs northwest of Metro Detroit, Detroit, Farmington Hills is the second most-populated city in Oakland County, after Tro ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, from 1964 to 2016.

Education and career

John Glick was born on 1 July 1938 in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

. The child of two parents with an affinity for art, Glick began his life surrounded by creativity. His father, a grocery store manager, had an interest in gardening and painting; his mother, a homemaker, enjoyed cooking, sewing, and crafts.Selim, Shelley (2016). "John Glick: A Legacy in Clay", ''John Glick: A Legacy in Clay'', p. 12-13. Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, MI. . From a young age, Glick was included in his parents' projects, and he began formally studying art himself in high school. As a student at

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

, Glick studied geology for one semester, but quickly decided to major in both ceramics and metalwork instead. He earned his BFA degree in 1960.Shaykett, Jessica
"Remembering: John Glick"
''

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 maga ...

''. Retrieved on 2 May 2017. Studying under ceramicist

Maija Grotell Maija (Majlis) Grotell (August 19, 1899 — December 6, 1973) was an influential Finnish-American ceramic artist and educator. She is often described as the "Mother of American Ceramics." Early life and education Finland Maija Grotell was born ...

Cranbrook Academy of Art The Cranbrook Educational Community is an education, research, and public museum complex in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. This National Historic Landmark was founded in the early 20th century by newspaper mogul George Gough Booth. It consists of Cr ...

, he received his MFA in 1962. After graduation, Glick was drafted and served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

until 1964. During that time, he was stationed in West Germany, in a town home to many salt-glazing potteries. Inspired by conversations with these potters, Glick strengthened his resolve to one day work full-time as a potter in his own studio.Green, Joshua
"John Glick Remembered (1938-2017)"
'' NCECA Blog''. Retrieved on 2 May 2017. Upon returning home to Michigan from the military in 1964, Glick founded his studio, Plum Tree Pottery. Over the course of his career, Glick, encouraged by an art collector he had met, decided to begin a personal collection of his own work. Over 50 years, he saved approximately 1,000 pieces—a large number, but a small fraction of the estimated 300,000 pieces he created in total. Though Glick admitted that saving those works was difficult "because they should have been out in the world," he was then able to use that personal collection as an aid for the 33 apprentices and residents with whom he worked at Plum Tree Pottery. He operated the studio until 2016, when he and his wife, Susie Symons, moved to California to be closer to their family. One of the most crucial parts of a career so extensive, one that spanned five decades and yielded 300,000 pieces of pottery, was open-mindedness. Glick cited his "love of process" and "the ability to ask questions of imself as two factors which shaped his career. The former led him to personally develop new tools and machinery in order to expand his physical means of creation. For example, he recalled "outgrow ng his manual extruders and consequently designing his own hydraulic extruders to use instead. Similarly, the latter influenced how he conceived of his work in the first place, shaping how he decided what to create and how to create it.

Awards

Glick has received the following awards: *2016: Nancy Coumoundouros Distinguished Service to the Arts Award, City of Farmington Hills, Michigan *2009: Invited Guest, International Ceramics Studio, Kecskemét, Hungary"Grants and Recognition"
''John Glick''. Retrieved on 2 May 2017. *2001: Governor's Michigan Artist Award, ArtServe Michigan (now Creative Many Michigan) *1990: Individual Artist's Grant, Michigan Council for the Arts *1988: Fellowship,

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

"Cranbrook Mourns the Passing of John Glick"
''

'', 7 April 2017. Retrieved on 23 August 2021. *1977: Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts *1977: Governor's Award, Michigan Foundation for the Arts *1972: Louis Comfort Tiffany Award, Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation *1961: Louis Comfort Tiffany Award,

Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation was founded in 1918 by Louis Comfort Tiffany to operate his estate, Laurelton Hall, in Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island. It was designed to be a summer retreat for artists and craftspeople. In 1946 the estate ...

Museum collections

Glick is represented in the following museum collections: *Canton Museum of Art, Canton, Ohio *Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, California *Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan *The Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, California *Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, Delaware *The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan *Dinnerware Museum, Ann Arbor, Michigan *The Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, New York *The

Flint Institute of Arts The Flint Institute of Arts, also called FIA, is located in the Flint Cultural Center in Flint, Michigan. The second largest art museum in Michigan, it offers exhibitions, interpretive programs, film screenings, concerts, lectures, family events ...

, Flint, Michigan *Gardiner Museum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada *Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga, TN *Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Missouri *Krannert Art Museum, Champaign, IL *Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California *The Mint Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina *Museums of Art and Design, New York, New York *The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas *The Newark Museum, Newark, New Jersey *Racine Art Museum, Racine, Wisconsin *

Smithsonian American Art Museum The Smithsonian American Art Museum (commonly known as SAAM, and formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds o ...

, Washington, D.C. *University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor, Michigan *Yixing Art Museum, Yixing, China

Selected solo exhibitions

Glick's solo exhibitions include: *2016-2017: ''John Glick: A Legacy in Clay'', Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, MI *2006: ''John Glick: Looking Back - Making Now, 42 Years in Clay'', Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center, Birmingham, MI *1990: ''A Retrospective Selection Plus Recent Works'', Fosdick-Nelson Gallery, School of Art & Design, Alfred University, Alfred, NY *1975: ''Ten Year Retrospective Exhibition: John Glick'', Pewabic Pottery, Detroit, MI

Selected group exhibitions

Glick's work has been included in the following group exhibitions: *2017: ''Major Mud 3'', The Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg, Florida *2015: ''Standing on Ceremony: Functional Ware from RAM's Collection'', Racine Art Museum, Racine, Wisconsin *2014: ''Magic Mud: Masterworks in Clay from RAM's Collection'', Racine Art Museum, Racine, Wisconsin *2014: ''White Gold: The Appeal of Lustre'',

Racine Art Museum The Racine Art Museum (RAM) and RAM's Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts are located in Racine, Wisconsin, U.S. The museum holds the largest and most significant contemporary craft collection in North America, with more than 9,500 objects fro ...

, Racine, Wisconsin *2013: ''Plates & Platters: Salon Style'', The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania *2011: ''Big Creek Pottery: A Social History of a Visual Idea 1967-1983'',

Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History The Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History (MAH) is a nonprofit educational institution and museum founded in 1996 and located in Santa Cruz, California, at the downtown McPherson Center. Its mission is to ignite shared experiences and unexpected co ...

, Santa Cruz, California *2007: ''Cityscape/Landscape, A Group Exhibition'', The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania *2006: ''20th Anniversary of Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts: Invitational Exhibition'', The Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston, Massachusetts *2005: ''National Teapot Show VI'', Cedar Creek Gallery, Creedmoor, North Carolina *2004: ''When Form Meets Function'', Ella Sharp Museum, Jackson, Michigan *2002: ''Great Pots: Contemporary Ceramics from Function to Fantasy'',

Newark Museum of Art The Newark Museum of Art (formerly known as the Newark Museum), in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, United States, is the state's largest museum. It holds major collections of American art, decorative arts, contemporary art, and arts of Asia, Af ...

, Newark, New Jersey *2000: ''Color and Fire: Defining Moments in Studio Ceramics, 1950-2000'',

Los Angeles County Museum of Art The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California, Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Pa ...

, Los Angeles, California (and tour) *1999: ''Pacific Tides: The Influence of the Pacific Rim on Contemporary American Ceramics'', Lancaster Art Museum, Lancaster, Pennsylvania *1995: ''In Praise of Craft'',

Renwick Gallery The Renwick Gallery is a branch of the Smithsonian American Art Museum located in Washington, D.C. that displays American craft and decorative arts from the 19th to 21st century. The gallery is housed in a National Historic Landmark building that ...

, within

, Washington, D.C. *1989: ''Surface and Form'',

National Museum of Ceramic Art The National Museum of Ceramic Art (N.M.C.A.) was a non-profit arts institution active in downtown Baltimore, Maryland, in operation from 1989 until 1993. About Located at 250 West Pratt Street near Baltimore's Inner Harbor, the art museum di ...

, Baltimore, Maryland

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Glick, John 1938 births 2017 deaths American potters Cranbrook Academy of Art alumni Artists from Detroit Wayne State University alumni 20th-century American ceramists