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Frederick Carlton Ball

Biography to Display: 

1911 Born Sutter Creek, California

1992 Died Tacoma, Washington

EDUCATION

1931-1936 MA Mural Painting, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

PRIMARY WORK EXPERIENCE

1936 California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland, California

1939-1950 Mills College, Oakland, California

1950-1951 University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin

1951-1956 Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois

1956-1967 Professor of Art, University of Southern California

1968-1977 University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Washington

BIOGRAPHY 

Frederick Carlton Ball is known for thrown vessels that were glazed and decorated by his collaborators; first his wife Kathryn Uhl Ball and then Aaron Bohrod.

Ball inspired by the work of Diego Rivera, went to the University of Southern California to study mural painting. While there he studied pottery with Glen Lukens. It is believed he learned to throw on the wheel by watching Marguerite Wildenhain. He often worked in collaboration first with his wife, Kathryn Uhl Ball. In 1950 when Ball moved to Madison, Wisconsin to open the ceramics studio program, he met Aaron Bohrod, a painter with whom he would collaborate until Ball’s move to Washington state in 1968. As his career progressed he began making large-scale thrown pieces some of which are six feet tall. Ball is also known for his interest in jewelry. He often wrote articles about media and process that were published in numerous national magazines.

Public Collections

Public Collections to Display: 

Akron Art Museum, Akron, Ohio

American Museum of Ceramic Art, Pomona, California

Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, New York

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York

Mills College Art Museum, Oakland, California

Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), New York, New York

Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, California

Bibliography

Bibliography to Display: 

Ball, F. Carlton and Janet Lovoos. Making Pottery Without a Wheel: Texture and Form in Clay. New York, NY: Van Nostrand, 1965.

____________. Decorating Pottery with Clay, Slip and Glaze. Ceramics Monthly Professional Publications, 1978.

Clark, Garth. American Ceramics: 1976 to the Present. New York, NY: Abbeville Press Publishers, 1987.

Levin, Elaine. The History of American Ceramics from Pipkins and Bean Pots to Contemporary Forms. New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1988.

Nordness, Lee. Objects: USA. New York, NY: The Viking Press, 1970.

Perry, Barbara. American Ceramics: The Collection of Everson Museum of Art. New York, NY: Rizzoli International, 1989.

 

 

 

Center for CraftCenter For Craft

 

 

AMOCA American Museum of Ceramic ArtAMOCA American Museum of Ceramic Art

 

Typical Marks

"F. C. Ball", "F. Carlton Ball", "Carlton Ball", "F. C. B." edged into wet clay or written in black

ca 1950
ca 1950
1960-1965
ca 1970
ca 1980
Vase
Date: ca 1950
Materials: Stoneware
Method: Thrown
Surface Technique: Glaze
Courtesy of Rago Arts and Auction Center
Courtesy of Rago Arts and Auction Center
Photo: TMP
Photo: Courtesy of Rago Arts and Auction Center
Vase
Date: ca 1950
Materials: Stoneware
Method: Thrown
Surface Technique: Glaze
E. John Bullard Collection
E. John Bullard Collection
Vase
Date: 1950-1959
Materials: Stoneware
Method: Thrown
Dimensions: 7.5 inches in diameter
Surface Technique: Carved, Glaze
American Museum of Ceramic Art , gift of The American Ceramic Society, 2004.2.223
Photo: TMP
American Museum of Ceramic Art , gift of The American Ceramic Society, 2004.2.223
Photo: TMP
Vase
Date: 1960-1970
Materials: Stoneware
Method: Thrown
Surface Technique: Glaze, Wax Resist
The Forrest L. Merrill Collection
The Forrest L. Merrill Collection
Vase
Date: ca 1970
Materials: Stoneware
Method: Thrown
Dimensions: 4.25" diameter
Surface Technique: Carved, Glaze
E John Bullard Collection
E John Bullard Collection
Vase
Date: ca 1980
Materials: Porcelain
Method: Thrown
Surface Technique: Glaze
E John Bullard Collection
E John Bullard Collection

Citation: "The Marks Project." Last modified February 12, 2024. http://www.themarksproject.org/marks/ball