Bruce Dehnert works on one of his sculpturally detailed thrown pots.

Bruce Dehnert works on one of his sculpturally detailed thrown pots.

On the next show, we visit potter Bruce Dehnert in his studio at Peters Valley, where he is the head of the ceramic department. He was busy creating work for an upcoming sale at the Art School at Old Church in Demarest, NJ. It’s one of the biggest, oldest, and most respected pottery sales in the nation. Dehnert is one of 26 potters chosen by Karen Karnes, whose work is also in the show. Karnes was one of the potters who led the revival of hand-made work in the 1950s. She’s curated the show since 1974, and every year invites new potters to join the core group. The sale helps support the Art School at Old Church, which was founded by her old friend and fellow ceramist Mikhail Zakin (see a story we did about Zakin here).

Dehnert grew up with parents who read the Whole Earth Catalog and made pots in addition to their careers as an architect and journalist. His whimsical work includes “GT2400s”  (cups made for gin and tonics) and oatmeal bowls that reference flying buttresses.