SCREENING IN THE BERNARD OSHER FOUNDATION AUDITORIUM
26 minutes (followed by panel discussion). Not Rated. Directed by David Washburn. In English.
This screening will be followed by a panel discussion with David Washburn and potters Lucy Breslin, Toby Rosenberg, and Marian Baker. It will be moderated by former Maine Poet Laureate Stuart Kestenbaum. This event is sponsored by Reboot and The Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods.
Marguerite: From the Bauhaus to Pond Farm is the story of a courageous Jewish refugee and one of America’s most talented ceramicists.
Told across two continents, Marguerite is a story about art and devotion of craftsmanship narrated by a true trailblazer. Marguerite Wildenhain broke ground at the famed Bauhaus art school in Germany, was the first woman to receive a "Master Potter" designation, and later became one of Europe's most celebrated female ceramists.
But as a Jew, Marguerite was forced to flee Nazi Germany and start a new life in America. By the mid-1950s, Marguerite founded Pond Farm Pottery in Northern California, which would soon become one of the most influential pottery schools in America.
The film shows how a generation of American artists trekked to Pond Farm to train under Marguerite and learn about much more than art. She sparked their curiosity about life's big questions and how to find meaning through craft. Marguerite reshaped art in post-war America through both her work and teaching.
Panelists:
Host and moderator, Stuart Kestenbaum, former director of the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts and Maine poet laureate from 2016-2021.
Lucy Breslin, potter and Professor Emeritus of Ceramics, Maine College of Art and Design
Toby Rosenberg, Maine-based potter
Marian Baker, Maine-based potter and former Associate Professor of Ceramics, Maine College of Art and Design
David Washburn, Portland-based documentary filmmaker. His films have appeared on PBS nationwide for over a decade. Funders include the Doris Duke Foundation, Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, Open Society Foundations, among others.
