Kathy Erteman, photograph by Sarah Weal
Kathy Erteman (United States, b. 1952) is a New York-based ceramic artist dividing her time between studios in New York City and the Hudson Valley. With a studio practice spanning more than 40 years, Erteman creates both functional and non-functional vessels as well as wall mounted compositions and installations. Employing technical expertise with a modernist aesthetic, her work demonstrates a reductive approach to formal composition resulting in works that are minimal in form activated by abstract surface decoration and subtle texture. Erteman describes her process and relationship to the medium: “As my craftsmanship skill increases, my desire to control the process lessens. Control versus chance currently plays a larger role in my work as I too surrender to the process and allow the clay to speak more freely.”
Erteman, a native of Santa Monica, CA, received her BFA in ceramics from California State University Long Beach. After graduating, she interned with Judy Chicago, working on The Dinner Party ceramic installation. Erteman’s work has been exhibited internationally and is included in private and public collections including the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institute, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Taipei Museum of Fine Arts, Icheon World Ceramic Museum, and the Johnson Collection.
EDUCATION
BFA, California State University, Long Beach, CA
BA, UCLA, Department of Fine Arts, Los Angeles, CA
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2022 Hostler Burrows, Los Angeles, CA
2015 Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
2013 George Billis Gallery, New York, NY
Cross Mackenzie Gallery, Washington DC
2012 Gremillion & Co. Fine Arts, Houston, TX
2010 Cross Mackenzie Gallery, Washington DC
2009 Burger Art Galleries, Kean University, Union, NJ
Jane Hartsook Gallery, Greenwich House Pottery, New York, NY
1999 American Craft Museum Window Showcase, New York, NY
1992 Maveety Gallery, Salishan, OR
1988 Oakland Museum Collectors Gallery, Oakland, CA
1987 Lawrence Gallery, Portland, OR
1987 Craft Alliance, St. Louis, MO
1985 Walter White Fine Arts, Carmel, CA
1983 Gallery 500, Elkins Park, PA
1982 Contemporary Craft Association, Portland, OR
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024 Ceramics +: Drawing into Sculpture, LICA Gallery, Queens, NY
2022 Reflections at a Milestone, The Dorsky Museum, New Paltz, NY
2019 Gyeonggi International Korean Ceramic Biennale, Icheon, South Korea
Salon Art and Design, Hostler Burrows New York, NY
Four Artists Explore Abstraction, Wired Gallery, High Falls, NY
Summer Ceramics Show, Carter Burden Gallery, New York, NY
2018 New Gallery Artists, Hostler Burrows, New York, NY
2017 Redux: Transformations 6X6, Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY
2016 Confluence/Influence in Contemporary Abstraction, Dorsky Gallery,
Long Island City, NY
Shirt Factory Artists, Wired Gallery, High Falls, NY
Hot Pots, Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY
Faculty Exhibition, Greenwich House Pottery, New York, NY
2015 Faculty Exhibition, Greenwhich House Pottery, New York, NY
2014 American Pottery Festival, Northern Clay Festival, Minneapolis, MN
2013 In the Cast, Trax Gallery, Berkeley, CA
2012 Architectural Digest Home Show, Cross Mackenzie Gallery, New York, NY
Celadon Gallery, Watermill, New York
2011 Faculty Exhibition, Greenwich House Pottery, New York, NY
2010 Illuminations, Liebovitz Gallery, Bard College / Simons Rock, MA
Convergence: Pottery from Studio and Factory, Philadelphia Art
Alliance, PA
2009 Modernism, Mark MacDonald, New York, NY
2008 Maxwell Gallery, Peekskill, NY
Made in Clay, Greenwich House Pottery, New York, NY
Dine on Design, Monkeytown, Brooklyn, NY
2007 Ceramic Explorations in Black & White, Ball State University, Muncie, IN
Plates & Platters Salon Style, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
Eat with your Eyes, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN
Bowls, Cross-Makenzie Ceramic Arts, Washington DC
2006 Kathy Erteman & Maren Kloppmann, Trax Gallery, Berkeley, CA
Black & White, Cross-Makenzie Ceramic Arts, Washington, DC
30X5, Akar Gallery, Iowa City, IA
National Ceramics Invitational, Blue Spiral Gallery, Asheville, NC
Friends: With a Vision, Weber Fine Arts, Greenwich, CT
2005 Poetry of Pottery, Maryland Federation for the Arts, Baltimore, MD
Masters in Clay, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
2004 Power of Pottery Invitational, Dunedin Fine Art Center, Dunedin, FL
2003 Masters in Clay, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
Power of Potter Invitational, Dunedin Fine Art Center, Dunedin, FL
2002 For the Table, Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM
2001 International Infusion, Sybaris Gallery, Royal Oak, MI
Objects for Use: Handmade by Design, American Craft Museum,
New York, NY
2000 Color and Fire: Defining Moments in Contemporary Ceramics,
1950-2000, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CA
Ceramic National, Everson Museum, Syracuse, NY
Black and White, Jane Hartsook Gallery, New York, NY
1999 To Life To Light, American Craft Museum, New York, NY
Strictly Functional Pottery National, PA
National Teapot Show IV, Cedar Creek Gallery, NC
Faculty Show, Greenwich House Pottery, New York, NY
1998 Small Works 6, Parsons School of Design, New York, NY
Whichcraft Gallery, Millburn, NJ
Made in Clay, Greenwich House Pottery, New York, NY
Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN
1996 Greenwich House Pottery, New York, NY
Parsons School of Design, New York, NY
Friedman Images Gallery, Louisville, KY
1995 The American Craft Museum, New York, NY
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
2019 Honorable Mention, Gyeonggi International Korean Ceramic Biennale, Icheon, South
Korea
2016 Art Ichol International Ceramic Sculpture Residency & Symposium,
Maihar India
2012 - 2014 Ngawang Choephel Professional Fellows Cultural Exchange
Fulbright
2010 State Department Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs & The
Mountain Institute
Tibet/US Cultural Exchange Grant, senior design consultant
2009 United Nations Committee for Sustainable Economic Development,
Presentation
2008 Artist in Residence, Singapore American School, Singapore
2007 Aid to Artisans / The Mountain Institute / USAID, design consultancy,
Yunnan, China with Nixi Tibetan Potters
2006 New York Creates Artist Technology Grant
2005 Artist in Residence, SUNY New Paltz, New Paltz, NY
1999 Artist in Residence, Adjunct Professor, SUNY New Paltz, New Paltz, NY
New York Foundation for the Arts Grant
1998 Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum benefit designer, participant
1992 Juror, Marin Arts Council, Grants to Individuals
1990 President, Board of Directors, Arts Benicia, a non-profit arts organization
1989 Guest Lecturer and Visiting Artist, Bezalel Academy of Art, Jerusalem, Israel
1986 Curator, Modern Pottery, Mendocino Art Center, CA
1976 - 1978 Dinner Party Project / Judy Chicago
BIBLIOGRAPHY
2019 Koplos, Janet. What Makes A Potter: Functional Pottery in
America Today, Schiffer Publishing, p. 214.
2017 Burroughs, Katrina. “Ceramics,” London Times, April 23, 2017.
Dr. Folk, Tom. “Studio Ceramics at Chelsea Passage, Barneys, NY: 1985-1995,”
Journal American Art Pottery Association, p. 16–23, April issue.
2016 Carter, Ben. “Kathy Erteman Straddling Art and Design,” Tales of a Red Clay Rambler
2014 “Aid to Artisans,” With These Hands, Preserving the Tradition of Nixi Pottery
2013 Kushner, Robert. “Kathy Erteman at George Billis Gallery,” Brooklyn Rail, December 8,
2013.
Leng, Chelsea. “The Physical and the Visual: Kathy Erteman,” China Ceramics Monthly,
Issue 12.
Zollner, Andrew. “The Craft of Design,” American Craft, Digital Issue, p. 55.
2012 O’Keeffe, Linda. Stripes: Design Between the Lines, Monacelli Press,
page 147
2010 O’Keeffe, Linda. Brilliant: White in Design, Monacelli Press
Erteman, Kathy. “Crossing Over,” Studio Potter, Summer/Fall,
Volume 38, Number 2, page 16
2009 Smith, Roberta. “Modernism + Art20 - One-Stop Eyeful of Mediums at
Park Avenue Armory,” The New York Times, November 13
DiNoto, Andrea. “Not Everything is Black and White,” American Craft,
September
2008 Harten, Claire. Hand Eye Magazine, Fall
2003 “Black Ceramics,“ O Magazine, January, page 80
2002 O’Keefe, Linda. “Nesting Instinct,” Metropolitan Home, January,
page 108
Dorian, Donna. “Brimful of Elegance,” Garden Design, November,
page 23
2001 Hluch, Kevin. The Art of Contemporary American Pottery, Krause
Publications, page 10
2000 Nakajima, Fumiko. “Table Revolution,” Spur Magazine, Japan,
page 313
“Urban Legends,” Bon Appetit, November, page 166
1999 G.W. “Kathy Erteman, Die Asthetic des Gebrauchs,” Neue Keramik,
January, page 407
1998 Fina, Angela & Chris Gustin. The Best of Pottery: Volume 2, Quarry
Books, page 39
“Modern Living,” Metropolitan Home, November, page 84
O’Keeffe, Linda. “Natural Grace,” Metropolitan Home, July, page10
“Accessories,” Interior Design, May
1997 "Style Beat,” House Beautiful, December, page 28
Loughran, Patrick. “Baladé a New York,” Ceramique et du Verre,
September, page 36
1994 O’Keeffe, Linda. “Potted Tales,” Elle Décor, April, page 42
1993 Rothrock, Kate. ”Kathy Erteman,” Ceramics Monthly, November,
pages 38-43
“Opposites Attract”, Home, May, page 121
Patton, Phil. ”Design,” Esquire, March, page 31
Smith, Roberta. ”The Shop as the Mirror of a Museum’s Soul,” The
New York Times, February 5, C1
1992 Nigrosh, Leon. Sculpting Clay, Davis Publications, page 133
1984 Boettger, Suzanne. "Neon Sculpture at Ana Gardner Gallery,”
Artforum, March
1983 “Collecting the Crafts,” American Craft, February
Williams, Gerry. “A Survey of Bay Area Potters,” Studio Potter,
Volume 13, Number 1, page 25
DESIGN
Tiffany
Dansk
Crate & Barrel
Aid to Artisans
Peter Marino Architect
TEACHING & WORKSHOPS
1996-Present Ceramic Instructor, Greenwich House Pottery, New York
2012-2014 US / Tibet Cultural Exchange Study Tour, USA & China
2012 Clay Monoprints with Kathy Erteman, Clay Arts Guild of the Hamptons,
Water Mill, NY
2011 Monoprint on Clay Workshop, Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY
2010 US State Department Tibet Cultural Exchange Tour, Jingdezhen, China
Design Workshop, California State University, Long Beach, CA
Lecture, Simon's Rock / Bard College, Great Barrington, MA
2009 Museum of Art & Design, New York
2008 Artist in Residence, Singapore American School, Singapore
Monoprint on Clay Workshop, Teachers College, Columbia University,
New York, NY
2007 Workshop and Panel Discussion, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN
Dinner Party China Painting Workshop, Brooklyn Museum of Art,
Brooklyn, NY
2006 Luster & China Paint, Greenwich House Pottery, New York
Plaster Turning Workshop, SUNY New Paltz, New York
2005 Artist in Residence, SUNY New Paltz, New York
2003 Brooklyn Museum of Art, China Paint Workshop, Brooklyn, NY
1997 Artist in Residence and Adjunct Professor, SUNY New Paltz, New York
1996-1999 Parsons School of Design, New York
1989 Guest Lecturer and Visiting Artist, Bezalel Academy of Art,
Jerusalem, Israel
1977-1980 City of Cerritos Ceramic Program Instructor, Cerritos, CA
COLLECTIONS
American Museum of Ceramic Art, Pomona, CA
Dorsky Museum, New Paltz, NY
Icheon World Ceramic Museum, Icheon, South Korea
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
Pritzker Family Collection
Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
San Angelo Museum of Art, San Angelo, TX
SC Johnson Corporate Collection, Racine, WI
Scottsdale Center for the Arts, Scottsdale, AZ
Stanley Museum of Art, Iowa City, IA
Surdna Foundation, New York, NY
Taipei Museum of Fine Arts, Taiwan, China
University of Oregon Museum of Art, Portland, OR
