ferguson: part one

“Ken Ferguson believed in the pureness of pottery, the ability to take a lump of clay and, using only your hands, turn it into something beautiful.

Ferguson's ability to do so earned him national and international recognition, both as an artist and as a teacher of other artists. His life's passion was summed up by his son, Charles: ‘Wreathed in smoke and fire, he pulled clay from the earth and made works of art to challenge the terrifying abyss of time.’

He loved nature, jazz and going to the movies, but his greatest love was his pottery. Russell, his eldest son, described his father as an incredibly hard worker who created at least 10,000 pieces of pottery in his lifetime.

‘He said that clay is one of the only things that you can look at an object that someone has made and know directly that their hand was on that material,’ Russell said. ‘Everything else is created with a tool, a chisel or a brush, but clay is formed directly from the human hand.’

Ferguson loved to pass on his knowledge of ceramics. For thirty-two years, he served as the chairman of the ceramics department at the Kansas City Art Institute, building up the department from nothing.

Milton Katz, humanities professor at the Kansas City Art Institute, worked with Ferguson for many years and knew his abilities in the classroom. ‘He was a consummate teacher,’ Katz said. ‘He really, really loved his students; he loved mentoring them and seeing them grow and develop.’

Katz said his colleague may have had a tough exterior, but on the inside, Ferguson was a very sensitive and generous man.

‘We called him a Promethean figure, because he was truly larger than life, not just physically but emotionally and spiritually,’ Katz said.”

These paragraphs were taken from an obituary that ran shortly after Ferguson’s death in late December, 2004.

I knew OF Ferguson, of course, because he was an iconic figure in Kansas City - and back in the day he used to come into my gallery. But I didn’t REALLY get to know this man until the spring of 2004, when I was hired by a book publisher to make pictures of Ken at his studio. There was a coffee table book in the works, and they needed some current photos to supplement the vast array of images they already had.

It is difficult, at best, to describe this man. Many have done it well, and their essays will be included in the book (which is finally at the printer in China and will be titled Ken Ferguson Talking With the Wheel). All I know is that for several weeks, I was treated to one of the most colorful, stubborn, talented, curious, gruff, smart, sentimental, honest, crusty, generous, passionate and brash souls with whom I have ever or will ever have the pleasure/challenge of spending time.

Over the course of a couple or three posts, I will share some of the photographs we made and some of the tidbits of conversation we had. Needless to say, I got a real education hanging out with Ken and his wife, Gertrude. I learned a lot about him, his love for pots and for Gertrude, and I ended up learning a bit about myself, as well.

I felt lucky to get to know him and to be involved slightly in the making of the book, especially considering that he died just a few months later.