In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Introduction Brown County holds a special fascination for me, as it does for many Hoosiers. I had collected paintings by Brown County artists for several years, but was unfamiliar with Brown County Pottery until I was fortunate enough to meet two avid collectors. When I could find little information on the Pottery, I began researching it in 2002. It became clear as I dug deeper that much of what was available on the Depressionera business was inaccurate or incomplete. The most common and easiest-to-correct mistake found is the spelling of the last name of Brown County Pottery’s owners Helen and Walter, leaving the “s” off Griffiths. But over time, the Pottery’s years of operation , its ownership, the roles of the owners, and even the state in which it operated have been erroneously reported as well. These things are corrected here, and I give credit where credit is due for Helen Griffiths’ creativity and artistic talent that drove the Pottery for more than 20 years, the biggest void in the existing history, in my view. As is often the case in research, one thing leads to another. It is well known in Nashville that potter Karl Martz worked at Brown County Pottery for a short time before opening his own studio in the mid-1930s. He became a renowned studio potter, and in the mid-1940s began 32 years with Indiana University as head of its ceramics program. It was natural to want to know more about Karl, and I discovered his son Eric’s Web site, a tribute to both Karl and his wife Becky Brown Martz, an accomplished potter in her own right. In using the term “Martz Potteries” I’m taking the liberty of discussing three potteries, two in Nashville and one in Bloomington at their home on Overhill Drive. That is done both to allow a more comprehensive look at Karl’s work, and to do justice to the unique sculptural work of Becky Brown that began to flow forth in the 1970s in Bloomington. The Brown County Pottery story is also connected to Brown County Hills Pottery, so it is included here too. Owner Carolyn Ondreicka hired the same talented potter that was employed for many years at Brown County Pottery, Claude Graham. Three Potteries, different but connected, all with their start and their nourishment in Nashville, Indiana. Clay times three. — Kathy M. McKimmie, Indianapolis iv  ...

Share