John Glick

John Glick (American, 1938-2017) collection available at the Michigan Art Gallery.

Born in Detroit Michigan in 1938, Glick received a B.A. (1960) from Wayne State University, studying under William Pitney (whose influence convinced him to focus on functional pottery), and an M.F.A (1962) from the Cranbrook Academy of Art, studying under Maija Grotell. In 1964 he set up a one-person studio and show room in Farmington, the Plum Tree Pottery. Comitted to the educational aspects of his art, Glick provided tours through his pottery and has lectured and given workshops extensively throughout the United States. He has authored numerous articles on ceramics and published technical articles for various craft publications concerning studio management, fuel conservation, and the uses of heat waste. A recipient of numerous awards including two grants from the Tiffany Foundation (1961, 1973) and the National Endowment for the Arts (1974, 1976), Glick was also the recipient of the Michigan Arts Award from the Michigan Foundation of the Arts (1977). Influenced by Japanese pottery, Glick's hand-thrown functional stoneware pots are characterized by a uniquely distinctive application of overlapping glazes, oxide brushwork, and patterned sponge-stamping in colors ranging from earth tones and mauves to reds and purples. After 1970 Glick's major interest became dinnerware, and in 1979 he recieved a commision from Joan Mondale to do a set for the Vice-President mansion in Washington D.C. Glick was included in the first major survey exhibtion of American ceramics, "A Century of Ceramics in the United States, 1878-1978," organized in 1979 by the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York. He was an active member of the Michigan Potters Association.