Bennington Potters Pottery:
Into Their Second
Half-Century
Bennington Potters was founded in 1948 by a young potter named David Gil.
David had just finished his studies and graduated from Alfred University,
which even then was renowned for its ceramics program - considered by many
to be the finest in this country. As fate would have it, David jumped at
the opportunity to purchase a small barn near downtown Bennington,
Vermont, where he began what would become his life's work - designing and
producing handcrafted pottery intended for everyday use, functional and
affordable art for discerning individuals. So began the tradition of
Bennington Potters.
The early years were lean and cold. The barn studio was unheated, and
the demand for handcrafted goods wasn't even a glimmer of what it is
today. Despite these and other hardships, David made the commitment to the
life of a craftsman, knowing it was the only life he could lead - a
courageous and unusual choice in those post-war years. While many of his
pears gravitated toward the comfort and security of university teaching
positions, and others, without the need to earn a real income, chose to
create esoteric art pottery, David remained focused, striving to produce
beautiful objects for everyday use, objects that wed the artist's eye and
the craftsman's hand. Not surprisingly, many of the pieces made in those
first couple decades are actively sought by collectors today, a tribute to
David's early vision and commitment.
In time, history smiled on Bennington Potters. During the late '60s and
early '70s, when interest in handcrafts exploded, Bennington Potters grew
with it. David took on more apprentices and relocated the studio to our
current facilities at Potter's Yard, a 4-1/2 acre site with two historic
buildings. Over the years, as demand continued to grow, additions were
built on to the studio space, a retail shop was opened, and then another,
and a catalog was launched. Additionally, responding to our customers'
requests, we've expanded our range of offerings, both in the retail stores
and in our catalog, and now include complimentary lines of glassware,
table linens, and furniture. More recently, the grounds around the studio
and original retail shop have been beautifully landscaped.
Bennington Pottery is now considered a destination by both
craft-pottery collectors and those who appreciate the warmth of country
decor.
Well into our sixth decade now, Bennington Potters has come a long way
from that unheated barn studio and we've maintained the values that took
us there in the first place - the commitment to producing objects that, as
the great English ceramist, Bernard Leach, put it, "have a genuine
heartbeat." These objects, whose forms feel so perfectly suited to
the human hand, and whose visual lines both spring from and touch the
human heart, are, and will continue to be, the essence of Bennington
Pottery. |
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