Pottery exhibitions at galleries and museums abound with unfounded adages and banalities. You don’t take people seriously when they spout such nonsense as “All black people are good at singing the blues” or “Country folk are warmer-hearted than urban dwellers.” You shouldn’t take people any more seriously when offer up such foolishness as “The best pottery is from wood kilns” or “Beauty resides in the unconscious artistry of the anonymous craftsman.” Experiencing a work of pottery begins with seeing what’s really there, our sight unclouded by wrong-headed preconceptions
