1949
While visiting Jerome’s
parents on the West
Coast they meet
Beatrice Wood and
Gertrud and Otto
Natzler. They also meet
John Follis who, with
Rex Goode, designed
a series of ceramic plant-
ers and sold their plans
to Rita and Max
Lawrence of Archi-
tectural Pottery. All
become lifelong friends.
+
Later that year, the
exhibition For Modern
Living, organized by
architect Alexander
Girard at the Detroit
Institute of Arts, expos-
es Evelyn andjerome to
the work of innovative
contemporary designers,
among them Ray and
Charles Eames, opening
their eyes to the possi-
bility of careers combin-
ing their design and
fine arts training.
+
Jerome’s ceramics are
shown in local and na-
tional exhibitions (1949,
1950
and
1951
)
I950 -I95I
Evelyn completes
Master of Arts in Fine
Art. Jerome completes
undergraduate work at
Wayne University with
the addition of an art
teaching credential.
+
Invited by Chairman
Charles Harder, Jerome
enters Alfred Univer-
sity's prestigious New
York College of
The eclectic group
of objects in the
Ackermans' home
includes an antique
tricycle, an Ibo mask
from Nigeria and
a 19th-century doll-
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house on a Danish
modern table.
a lt e r n a t iv e t o th e “ m u n d a n e , w h a t - y o u r - m o t h e r - h a d , d o ilie s - o n - a -
t a b le ” k in d o f t r a d it io n a l h o m e d e c o r . “ W e d id n ’ t k n o w w e h a d
m is s e d i t , b e c a u s e it h a d n ’t b e e n t h e r e . B u t w h e n it b e c a m e a v a ila b le ,
Ceramics.
1952
Jerome graduates with
a Master of Fine Arts
in ceramics.
Evelyn andjerome de-
cide to establish their
careers in California and
settle in Los Angeles
opening a small space on
Federal Avenue. They
call their fledgling col-
laboration,Jenev Design
Studio, a combination
of their first names.
t953
Jerome spends one year
developing his first
group of molded ceram-
ics®
w e r e a liz e d —h e y , t h e r e ’ s s o m e th in g a s t e p a b o v e , o r d if f e r e n t , th a t
a n s w e r s s o m e th in g h e r e ,” J e r o m e s a y s , t o u c h in g h is h e a r t .
“ F o r M o d e r n L i v i n g ” p r o m p t e d th e A c k e r m a n s t o d r iv e t o th e
H e r m a n M i l l e r s h o w r o o m in G r a n d R a p id s a n d b u y , f o r t h e ir fir s t
a p a r tm e n t, a G e o r g e N e ls o n b e n c h , t w o A l v a r A a l t o s t o o ls , a n d a
lo u n g e c h a ir a n d d in in g t a b le b y th e h u s b a n d - a n d - w ife te a m C h a r le s
a n d R a y E a m e s . M o r e im p o r t a n t , t h e s h o w g a v e th e m a v is io n fo r
t h e ir f u t u r e .
“ E w y a n d I lo o k e d a t e a c h o t h e r ,” r e c a lls J e r o m e , “ a n d v e r y p r o -
p h e t ic a lly s a id , ‘ I f t h e E a m e s e s c a n d o it , m a y b e w e c a n d o it . O r a t
le a s t , w e c a n t r y .’ ”
S i x t y y e a r s la t e r , t h e A c k e r m a n s a r e t h e m s e lv e s t h e s u b je c t s o f
a w id e - r a n g in g a n d d e e p ly in s p ir in g e x h ib it io n , “ M a s t e r s o f M id -
C e n t u r y C a l i f o r n i a M o d e r n i s m ,” o n v i e w t h r o u g h J a n u a r y 2 0 1 0 a t
th e M in g e i I n te r n a tio n a l M u s e u m in S a n D ie g o . C u r a t e d b y J o L a u -
r ia a n d D a le C a r o l y n G lu c k m a n , t h is fir s t r e t r o s p e c t i v e c e le b r a t e s
t h e c o u p le ’ s c a r e e r a s d e s ig n e r s o f h o m e f u r n is h in g s a n d t h e ir r o le
in t h e d e v e lo p m e n t o f C a l i f o r n i a M o d e r n s t y l e . “ W e r e a li z e d h o w
‘ u n d e r t h e r a d a r ’ t h e ir w o r k h a s b e e n , h o w u n d e r r e c o g n iz e d t h e y
a r e b y a ll e x c e p t s p e c ia lis t s in t h e c r a f t / d e s i g n f i e l d ,” t h e c u r a t o r s
e x p la i n . “ W e w a n t e d t o p u t th e m in t h e s p o t l ig h t , a n d m a k e t h e ir
w o r k v is ib le t o a w id e r p o p u la t io n o f a r t a n d d e s ig n e n th u s ia s ts w h o
034 american craft jun/julo9
