Saidye Bronfman Award 2003: Walter Ostrom exhibition unveiled
Gatineau, Quebec, October 3, 2003 — As part of the celebration of the 27th anniversary of the Saidye Bronfman Award, the Canadian Museum of Civilization presents the exhibition Saidye Bronfman Award 2003: Walter Ostrom, from October 4, 2003 to August 17, 2004. This signature exhibition includes work by renowned Canadian ceramic artist Walter Ostrom, recipient of the 2003 Saidye Bronfman Award for excellence in the crafts.
The earliest piece in the show is a porcelain jardiniere from 1974 that was influenced by a visit by Ostrom to the Smithsonian Institution's Freer Gallery. There Ostrom encountered a Han dynasty pot that literally put him in touch with the maker. He was able to feel the finger marks left on the inside of the pot from when it was made 2000 years ago. The surface of Ostrom’s jardiniere – now in the collection of the Canadian Museum of Civilization – reveals the marks of Ostrom’s fingers that alter the precision of the wheelthrown vessel and allow future viewers to see the marks of Ostrom's hand.
Another flower pot from the same year shows Ostrom's interest in siting his work in Nova Scotia. Made from earthenware from the town of Lantz, he uses a material that has a long history as part of Nova Scotian ceramics history, and was used by studio potters such as Alma and Ernst Lorenzen in the 1950s. Walter covered the pot in terra sigillata in order to allow the material to show its own strength.
Ostrom's Vases in the Form of Baskets, five of which are included in the exhibition, show his experiments with surface decoration. He has studied the ceramics of many cultures and many times. He bases his decorative motifs on the studies, but they remain his own designs, not reproductions of those of others. These vases are "completed" when they are filled with flowers. Many of his early works were created for his personal use; these five works come from the collection of Elaine Ostrom, Walter's wife.
Several other works in the exhibition refer to Ostrom's interest in tortoises-particularly Retlaw, his own Nigerian tortoise. Hortus Testudina appears as both a mountain and a shell. Around the perimeter of the shell are images of pots – both Ostrom’s and others. In Chinese cosmology, the tortoise shell represents the heavens or the universe. This work also addresses our knowledge of the world in general and the potters' knowledge of ceramics in particular.
Saidye Bronfman Award 2003: Walter Ostrom also features 12 pieces that Ostrom has selected from the Museum’s collections. These works embody many of the same formal qualities that Ostrom incorporates in his own oeuvre. They include examples form the Museum’s holdings of Moroccan, English and Chinese ceramics works, as well as Canadian folk and craft work. In addition to works by the recipient and works chosen by him, the exhibition will feature a video profile on Ostrom that will be premiered at the award presentation.
Walter Ostrom has exhibited extensively across Canada and has been recognized internationally. Ostrom’s pieces can be found in the permanent collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Academy of Art and Design, Tsinghua University, Beijing; Boston Museum of Fine Arts; New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, New York; Art Gallery of Nova Scotia; Burlington Arts Centre, Ontario; Dalhousie Art Gallery, Halifax; Claridge Collection, Montreal; and Canadian Museum of Civilization.
Media Information:
Heather Hatch-Dinel
The Haley Group
Tel.: (416) 961-2220
Media Relations Officer
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Tel.: (819) 776-7169
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