©1999-2015
|
Marion John Nelson On the Life and Legacy of Marion John Nelson The Art Pottery community has lost one of its most respected scholars. Marion John Nelson died September 6 after a brief struggle with pancreatic cancer. Nelson was professor emeritus of Art History at the University of Minnesota and Director Emeritus of Vesterheim, the Norwegian-American Museum of Decorah, Iowa. Nelson studied at the University of Minnesota, where he received his bachelors, masters and Ph.D, the latter in 1950. He had a long and distinguished career with two specialties: Scandinavian art and American art with concentration on art pottery, folk art, and the arts and crafts of the Scandinavians in America. He was the author of or major contributor to more than a dozen books, and a contributor to many, many more. He curated or organized well over 50 exhibitions and was the recipient of numerous grants and honors, including being made a Knight in the Royal Order of St. Olaf by King Olav V of Norway. Tributes to Marion Nelson I didn't know many of the details of his life, yet I felt that I knew him well. I guess that is how Marion made you feel. He was comfortable to be around. He was polite, well-mannered, and never loud. He had great mental dexterity and a special finesse to handle delicate situations. He could be very focused and driven. Yet he would take the time to listen. You felt like a special friend. I encouraged Marion to be proud of the legacy that he would leave. As a mentor and university instructor, he stimulated the lives of many people. He wrote many scholarly articles and books. He often was the one who asked an insightful question that left you wondering why you had not thought of that. During the final days of his brief illness, I am certain that he thought about his wife Lila and his friends, about his childhood in Fergus Falls, Minnesota and the many scenic places where he had traveled, and of course, about exquisite art pottery and the American paintings by Norwegian artists that he so diligently researched. And as he thought about the things he had done in his life and those things which were beautiful in his life, I hope he found great inner peace. - Ron Linde Marion Nelson is most known to pottery lovers as the author of the catalog that accompanied an exhibition he curated in 1988 at the University of Minnesota. Entitled Art Pottery of the Midwest, it ranks among the very best and most authoritative texts on American Art Pottery. In addition, the exhibit itself successfully blurred the relevance of Paul Evan's distinction between Art Pottery and industrial art ware. In the catalog Nelson wrote that "Ultimately it appears to have been artistic merit that has determined whether or not a piece of decorative ceramics from the general period of the art pottery movement is art pottery. Since this is a value judgment and therefore inappropriate as the basis for a definition, I am not distinguishing between art pottery and industrial art ware." Thus he included-for the first time in a proper museum exhibition-pottery by firms like Haeger, Red Wing, Cliftwood and the Ceramic Arts Studio. Seen next to and in the context of the more celebrated pottery of firms like Owens, Wheatley and Rookwood, the "industrial art ware" could be appreciated and evaluated without prejudice. Indeed, to the viewer unfamiliar with pottery history, little distinction between the two kinds of ware would have been apparent. Pottery scholarship-for want of a better word-has exploded in the last ten years. Even the books of the Let-Me-Show-You-My-Collection variety have value, especially if one can remain open-minded about the accuracy of the text. But a professional academic's work cannot be considered in the same context as these kinds of publications, they have to be compared to the work of their peers. With Marion Nelson, however, there are very few scholars--if indeed any--who could be considered his peer in this field. In addition to the scrupulously researched and well-written texts, Marion's writing (and talks) on Art Pottery included critical and aesthetic evaluations, something lacking in most pottery scholarship. He could tell us why something appealed to us, why it deserved our attention, why it was "good." I remember with pleasure his comparison of two figurines of Native American girls, one by Cybis, one by Ceramic Arts Studio. In marked contrast to the Ceramic Arts figure, he said, the thin and stylized Cybis girl looked like she couldn't paddle a canoe if her life depended on it. Marion was unfailingly kind and generous to all of us interested in the history of American pottery. I was especially indebted to him for his encouragement and support, particularly at a time when it was essential to me. I am sorry beyond words that we will not have an opportunity to work together on a project we discussed. When it comes to fruition, it will be due in no small part to the inspiration his enthusiasm and integrity have imparted. The world of art history and historic preservation has lost a strident and gracious advocate. Marion Nelson's contribution to the fostering of appreciation for a varied array of art objects and cultural heritage remains one of the most prominent of its kind in a field in which excellence itself is standard. His command of detail in his chosen areas of expertise and his gift for sharing it were effortlessly unmatched and flawlessly imparted. Our first exposure to Dr. Nelson came some years ago when he consulted with us on a presentation we asked him to deliver on the history and impact of the Ceramic Arts Studio, with a focus on its chief designer, Betty Harrington. More than just the professor emeritus who, we presumed, came by simply to gather historic details and photographs, he turned out to be one of the most delightful persons we had ever encountered. Beyond the façade of quiet dignity and competence, we detected a sly wit, a love for the bold and unusual, and a passion for life itself unmatched even in persons of far fewer years. His lecture was a great success-very comprehensive in its scope. His chosen topic was "The Figurine in Western Ceramics," a talk that traced the evolution of the figurine in human history from its very beginning to the present day. He wove a fascinating story, holding the audience, including Mrs. Harrington, in rapt attention. In favorably contrasting her work with the many other figurine designers through the millennia, he led us all to more clearly see how art, and the total human effort to express ideas through it, transformed the world and continues to do so even today. But coupled with this legendary command of detail and historical nuance was his exuberance for life itself. He was not what one might think of when conjuring up an idea of an elderly academic in the years past retirement. Indeed, his craft was his life and he pursued it with gusto until the very end of it. He was able to meld seamlessly and effortlessly a public and private life on a stage that was filled with a world of fascinating players. His was a life rich in knowledge and adventure; to our minds, a perfect combination. Those of us who knew him in both contexts were awed at the aplomb with which he kept them elegantly distinct yet subliminally integrated into the fabric of his life. We feel privileged, indeed, to have known him and to have seen the world, in all its aspects, through his eyes. The knowledge we gained from him about art and history and life itself will remain with us always. For us, that is the true legacy of our friend, Dr. Marion Nelson. He shall be missed. -Tim Holthaus and Jim Petzold, About the writers: Ron Linde has researched and authored numerous articles on American potteries, most notably Red Wing. Nicol Knappen is a former editor of this publication as well as of the Red Wing Collectors Society Newsletter, and has written numerous articles on American Art Pottery. Tim Holthaus and Jim Petzold are co-founders of the Ceramic Arts Studio Collectors Association; they have written extensively on Ceramic Arts Studio and Betty Harrington. |
