For thousands of years, pottery has been an integral facet in societies. From transporting water to containing past loved ones, humans have relied on potters and their trade. Without such pots, many civilizations would have found a challenging progression ahead of them. Pottery, however, doesn't only reflect the function it was created for, but often is a work of art in its own right. Changes in style and type of pottery occurred in response to social, economic and technical demands, and for this reason pottery is closely integrated with the development of several different civilizations from the earliest times up to the present day. Historians can study the pottery of a culture and find an array of information about it. Various glazes used can relay who a culture traded with, depending on the color or ingredients. Different types of clay can shows the influences a society has or advancements in technology. Forms of vessels and decoration show art perspectives and styles. All of this differentiation in form and function reflect a culture's history, and I will go into more depth for each of them to show the importance pottery holds in our society. My paper consists of six distinct sections: the problem, cultural history, current pottery, action, outcome and further reference. Problem In the last century, the number of potters who can make a living off their trade has decreased dramatically. The reason for this is that the demand for functional pottery has been diminished by an increased supply of mass-produced industry-made ceramics. Handmade artesian pottery, however, is an important part of culture, and if this piece of history is lost in the modern world, a thread that connects almost every society, from past to present, will be cut short. The perpetuation of the potter's trade is vital to maintaining and preserving humankind's culture. Cultural History The qualities which make clay so appealing to children are probably the same qualities which attracted Stone Age men. What could be simpler than to pick up a clump of clay from the riverbank and shape it into figures with the hands? From very early times clay played an important part in the life of man and has been the medium that symbolic figures and forms were modeled through for millennia. Alone, clay has no characteristic form; it occurs as a powdery solid, a sticky plastic chunk and a lumpy liquid. These states are all important to potters, but the plastic state is that which responds most quickly and exact to the potter's hands. Being some of the most ancient artifacts found, pottery shards tell us how early societies functioned. Mother Goddesses have been excavated in many parts of the world, from the Indus Valley to Mesopotamia, and date back to prehistoric times (c.a. 30,000 years B.C.) (Ashmore and Sharer). Ancient pottery figurines like these are believed to be part of an early bartering system, hence their distribution throughout the world. (Cooper). Clay is found over the majority of the earth's surface, and while its plasticity varies, the basic qualities are much the same, though in early civilizations good usable clay was highly valued. Many tribes traveled far to collect such clay, and later, the success of the Athenian and Corinthian potters was due to a large extent to the fine smooth clays readily available to them. The earliest pots were probably coiled pinch pots, a bowl that is formed by coiling threads until a sufficiently concave shape is made, then pinching them into a smooth form. These early pots are associated with cave dwelling societies of the late Mesolithic period and date back to 6,500 B.C (Cooper). The pottery discovered here is of remarkably high technical quality and painted geometric designs for being so ancient, and therefore, it is believed that these communities have been using clay for much longer. The painting on the pottery reflected contemporary interest in art forms; simple symmetry and geometry. From these early beginnings, the basic style of Middle Eastern pottery remained significantly similar until the invention of simple kilns, around 4,500 B.C., and of the wheel and glazes, occurring sometime around 2,000 B.C (Bauman). The first kilns, basically pits dug in the ground and covered with fuel, enabled potters to fire more pottery, conserve much more heat, and at the same time, control it much better. The wheel and glazes allowed potters to create much more varied and complex shapes. These early Mesopotamia glazes were primarily made of powdered copper ore, and heating them up formed a simple glass. This glaze was highly valued in this culture because of its resemblance of the stone lapis lazuli, which was a rare and highly prized stone. The wheel was an integral invention for potters, for it allowed them to make much more complex forms as well as make them faster. This was also about the time when trade became ubiquitous throughout the civilized parts of the world. This trade connected communities and spread the use of the potter's wheel and many types of glazes to various parts of the world. This was the Bronze Age, and the many threads of history that pottery had made in the world were converging. Although distinct differences would remain throughout the world, many potters traded styles, forms and glazes with those abroad. A large part of the Middle East contributed to this convergence in the Bronze Age; Egypt, Syria, Anatolia and Persia were all main factors. Syria, Anatolia and Persia had relatively new pottery histories, dating only a millennium (Cooper). Egypt, however, has been found to have pottery dated back to 5,000 B.C. Communities around the central Nile Valley made use of the quality clay that existed along the river. These early Egyptian pots were monochromatic and had no carving done in them; purposefully made strictly for function. When Egypt was united as a single country in 3,250 B.C., though, the governing priests created a demand for religious art and sparked the sculpture and art that Ancient Egypt is known for today. During the Old Kingdom, about 2,000 B.C., the simple wheel was introduced to Egypt from Mesopotamia (Cooper). From then, fine bowls and vessels were primarily constructed, reflecting the Bronze Era that the world was going through. Most of the civilized world now, in the Bronze Age, was using a throwing wheel, and was imitating the contemporary interest in metal-working. These carinate bowls had rounded bottoms and sharply angled sides, which gave this era a refined, precise quality, which prior pottery lacked. This style lasted until about 1,000 B.C., when the Mediterranean began to develop and the first metropolises were born. The shapes of Greek pottery began to evolve into the classical Greek forms we know today. Art in Greece was of the people; the community, religion and the arts were closely linked. Art was woven throughout the society; not restricted to the wealthy, and pottery was similarly regarded. Much of the functional pottery was made locally, leaving the highly sophisticated pieces to be made in special centers such as Corinth and Athens (Cooper). Painted pottery was highly valued both for the amount of work such painting entailed and the nature of the scenes depicted. Paintings on Greek Pots are a vital source from which to learn about the history of Greeks and for this reason they have been studied extensively. Around 700 B.C. the Greek city states expanded both geographically and artistically. The Greeks colonized almost all the Mediterranean and came into much closer contact with the Near East and the oriental ideas of decoration. This influence the decoration known as oriental or black-figure because of the distinctive black figures painted on to the surface of red pots. It seems that the study and drawing of the human figure was what the potters of Greece found their greatest satisfaction; this was indigenous to the mythological society. Pots also provided them with a canvas to record contemporary events like the Olympics or chariot racing. The end of the Greeks introduced the Romans and a new style of pottery. Forms of efficiency, engineered and analyzed to be perfectly functional, began to evolve and leave the aesthetically pleasing pottery of the Greeks behind. As Rome began to conquer much of Europe and the Middle East, their method of production and knowledge spread out. This art-placid era lasted from about 500 B.C. to 500 A.D., when the Roman Empire fell. When Europe began to form, as we know it today, pottery became very fancy and valued once again. Porcelain, indigenously from the Orient, found great fame in Europe for its dainty and frail characteristics. Also, however, pottery began be made via molds much more, as to accommodate an increased demand. This caused a lost in individuality in pottery and, hence, the culture that was once captured in clay began to diminish. This onset of the industrialized era has been present ever since, and continues to grow, all but snuffing out the last spark of culture left in the trade. Current Pottery In certain parts of the world, groups of primitive people have survived independently of other and more advanced civilizations. Many tribes have survived in areas heavily protected by natural barriers such as forests, mountains, deserts or seas. Their pottery, for the most part, reflects a social need and a culture that has been subsistent since its beginning. This thread of cultural pottery, however, is far-fetched in the modern civilized world, and consists only in the few studios that potters work their trade in today. The twentieth century heralded a whole new era for the work of the pottery. The large pottery industry increased production greatly with improved mechanical and technological methods, and at the same time decreased price. The Industrial Revolution had a huge impact on pottery making. Eventually, inexpensive, mass produced pottery took the place of handmade crafts. One prominent example of factory made pottery is Southern Potteries in Ohio. When Southern Potteries was established in 1916, over two thousand pieces of pottery could be made every day. This dwarfed the amount that studio potters could make. Factories like this have sprung up world-wide, and some today can produce over 50,000 pieces every day (Scarlet). In The Globalization of Nothing 2, George Ritzer addresses the comparison of handmade pottery to mass produced pottery: "There are advantages associated with local pottery (e.g., maintenance of traditions, sustaining culture and local crafts), but the eradication of local ties in mass-manufactured potter also has its advantages (e.g., a more general appeal, greater availability, lower prices). There are disadvantages associated with both local potter (e.g., limited availability) and mass made pottery that lacks local ties (e.g., an absence of touches and nuance that can come only from a local craftperson)." Ritzer goes on to say how mass-produced pottery tends to lack a historical connection or meaning, while local handmade pottery is linked to a specific historical and cultural lineage. Factory-made pottery destroyed the meaning that was once so integrated with pottery that societies were often recorded entirely within the form and art of its pieces. Now, eat breakfast cereal out of a bowl that has 100,000 identical twins. We eat Christmas dinner off a plate that has no cultural history or meaning. We keep the ashes of our passed loved ones in urns that where made by a machine instead of another human being. These are the vessels that were once valued by cultures across the world, and now are treated as just another product that we buy at a supermarket or store. Meaning is lost when metal and electricity take the place of human hands and work. While some artists still produce handcrafted pottery, the majority of pottery produced today is made at least partially by machine. . The only studio work has followed two distinct lines. On one hand, there is the production of well-designed useful pottery (very limited and barely profitable), and on the other, there are the experiments trying to find out what else clay can be made to do. It will be interesting to see how these experiments with clay develop and how the work of the potters will challenge that made in the factory. ActionThe objective of my action research is to show and explain the importance of pottery. I will examine its history and its essential part in our society. Pottery strings a thread through the history of the world, exemplifying styles and technologies of every culture and generation, as well as the trade and conquest of countries. Today, it remains a very important part of capturing our society, which is why the decrease in demand and loss of potters is detrimental to the culture of our world. To predict the future demand of pottery, I researched into the history, found the cultural thread and trend it followed, and next I will hold a pottery sale and analyze the outcome. At the sale I will stress the importance of the cultural meaning behind pottery and how it reflects the area it was made in as well as the time period. This will include talking to people about various sorts of pottery and explain how culture is captured in the form and art of pieces. To infer the pottery sale, I am going to compare the increase in supply with the amount bought, then extrapolate these figures to a global scale. If the sale is a success, then applying it to a global scale means that a demand for artesian hand made pottery is increasing. An increase in this demand would be the answer to perpetuating the cultural thread pottery strings through history; pulling it into the future and preserving its integrity. Outcome Although I have not taken action yet, I have a setting, a few expectations and predictions to state before hand. First, the setting of the pottery sale, Fairbanks, is a genuine libertarian and therefore biased area to hold such an event if I were to extrapolate it universally. This is because the demographic here prefers hand made crafts and shun factory made capitalistic products. If I am to be able to effectively expand the outcome of a pottery sale, a better location would be Anchorage, my home town. This summer I am planning on holding a sale in Anchorage, or at least co-hosting one, to further analyze data and synthesize results. Anchorage is a larger city and, therefore, has a more distributed demographic to sell to and assess. Also, I have some expectations and predictions to state before the pottery sale. I expect a relatively high outcome of products bought at the sale. This is because the setting is advantageous to such. The reason I can so surely state such an outcome is that pottery sales have been held here numerous times before. Every spring, actually, the University of Alaska Fairbanks' pottery program holds a sale of student and teacher made pieces, which is the sale I am going to hold my research at very soon. The previous sales have primarily had profitable outcomes, which is why I am expect similar results this year.
Future Reference As I have stated, I am going to personally go into deeper research on this subject over this summer. After holding a pottery sale in Anchorage, it will be more reasonable to extrapolate the results world wide, and have a more accurate prediction of the future of pottery. I haven't found any previous research on the decline in studio pottery and the problem with industry ceramics, but I hope that the problem will be addressed in the future. It really is a problem that our society is endangered by; the loss of culture, as well as a decrease a medium of art is harmful to mankind. If the current trend that pottery is following today continues, it will soon lose all cultural significance and meaning.
Bibliography Cooper, Emmanuel. A History of Pottery. Longman Group Limited. London, England. 1972. Zemek, Jeff. "Making a Living". . Retrieved April 5, 2009. Kiesling, Lynne. "The History of Economics Through Ceramics". . Retrieved April 5, 2009. Scarlet, Timothy. "Utah Pottery Project". . Retrieved April 6, 2009. Bauman, Joe. "Pioneer Pottery- pieces of the past". DeseretMorning News , July 22, 2005. Ashmore, Wendy & Sharer, Robert J. Discovering Our Past: A Brief Introduction to Archaeology Third Edition. Mountain View, California: Mayfield Publishing Company. 2002. Ritzer, George. The Globalization of Nothing 2. Pine Forge Press. 2007.

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