Oral history interview with Ralph Bacerra
odd: label: General
content: Originally recorded 2 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 9 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 23 min.
name: label: Interviewee
content: Bacerra, Ralph, 1938-2008
label: Interviewer
content: Lloyd, Frank, 1951-
label: Creator
content: Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America
label: Names
content: Chouinard Art Institute (Los Angeles, Calif.) -- Faculty
label: Names
content: Chouinard Art Institute (Los Angeles, Calif.) -- Students
label: Names
content: Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America
label: Names
content: Andreson, Laura
label: Names
content: Hamada, Shōji, 1894-1978
label: Names
content: Heino, Otto, 1915-2009
label: Names
content: Heino, Vivika, 1910-1995
label: Names
content: Kester, Bernard
label: Names
content: Maloof, Sam
label: Names
content: Peterson, Susan, 1925-2009
label: Names
content: Rady, Elsa, 1943-
label: Names
content: Saxe, Adrian Anthony, 1943-
label: Names
content: Voulkos, Peter, 1924-2002
topic: label: Topic
content: Ceramics -- Study and teaching
label: Topic
content: Decorative arts
label: Topic
content: Ceramics
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
creator: label: Interviewee
content: Bacerra, Ralph, 1938-2008
label: Interviewer
content: Lloyd, Frank, 1951-
label: Creator
content: Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Ralph Bacerra (1938-2008) was a ceramicist of Los Angeles, California. Frank Lloyd is a gallery owner from Santa Monica, California.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 45 Pages (Transcript)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 2004 April 7-19
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.bacerr04
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Pages
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
label: Type
content: Interviews
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: Transcript available on line
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: An interview of Ralph Bacerra conducted 2004 April 7-19, by Frank Lloyd, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, in Los Angeles, California.
label: Scope and Contents
content: Bacerra speaks of his family background; his high school art teachers; attending Chouinard Art Institute and his friendship with his ceramics instructor Vivika Heino and her husband Otto; the interaction among ceramicists in Los Angeles around 1960; attending a workshop taught by Shoji Hamada; teaching at Chouinard Art Institute; building a studio; teaching a workshop at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts; traveling to Japan and Taiwan and the influence of Asian ceramics on his artwork. Bacerra also speaks of his daily work routine; the importance of glaze technology; changes in ceramic education and the market for ceramics in the last 50 years; exhibiting works at American Hand, Garth Clark Galleries, and Frank Lloyd Gallery; taking part in pivotal exhibitions including "Objects: USA"; attending National Council for the Education of Ceramic Arts conferences and the current sense of community among early ceramic artists; the importance of craft publications and critical writing; commissions completed throughout his career; attending museums for ideas and inspiration; teaching and the careers of his former students; and how reviews impact his work. Bacerra recalls Susan Peterson, Peter Voulkos, Bernard Kester, Laura Andreson, Sam Maloof, Elsa Rady, Adrian Saxe, and others.