Louisville Magazine

FEB 2014

Louisville Magazine is Louisville's city magazine, covering Louisville people, lifestyles, politics, sports, restaurants, entertainment and homes. Includes a monthly calendar of events.

Issue link: https://loumag.epubxp.com/i/250528

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 83 of 100

A maquette bust of Ferguson's late father. EVERLASTING LOVE The life story of Wayne Ferguson — in clay. By Jon Lee Cope Photos by Ted Tarquinio I n all design there is the concept of form and function. A well-made object is not only beautiful but practical. With use it does its job correctly and with ease. But there is also an "implied use" — a beneft that only history can reveal. Pottery, the cups and bowls and jugs that we use every day, not only attend us by serving dinner, but they often allow future generations insight into a society and its people. Wayne Ferguson, 67, has been one of Louisville's most prolifc potters since his arrival to the city in 1993 and is best known for his "Ocarina," whimsical clay futes in various guises that are coveted by collectors all over the world. In school, he was never an art major, and his early years "of roaming and self-discovery" allowed Ferguson the opportunity to master the rules of Columbian, Native American and Japanese pottery. Originally from Chattanooga, Tenn., he traveled and pursued the craft from Mexico to Germany, Iowa to Arizona, learning from others the skills of hand-building and fring, glazes and fnish, as well as an understanding of classical forms, tradition and history. "What you have is a boulder," he says, "worn down to a fne powder that you mix with water, shape into something of use and turn back into stone. It is meant to last forever. And for me that is a relationship. I knew that if I was patient it would reward me by becoming the thing that I wanted it to be." Ferguson subscribes to the theory that history is captured in pottery. "We can see civilizations, what they were, how they grew and how they ended," he says. "What I love the most about it is that pottery proclaims, 'We are here!' As the potter, there is always that exciting possibility that after some eternity, a pot or bowl can tell the world that I was here, that this is the work of Wayne Ferguson." As the years went by in Louisville, Ferguson saw his work gain note. He taught for various arts institutions, his pieces became part of 2.14 LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE 81

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Louisville Magazine - FEB 2014