Top:
Susanne Stephenson
Telhvi Wave,
2005,
clay, 24 x 2
6
x 8>/2 in.
Middle:
John Stephenson
Mariner’s Tool #14,
1997,
clay, 14 x 13 x 38 in.
Bottom:
Susanne Stephenson
T;llozu Beach II,
2004,
clay, 20 x 121/2 x 15
V2
in.
F e l l o w s
J o h n & S u s a n n e
S t e p h e n s o n
Joh n and S u san n e S tep h en so n
h a ve b een artists and ed u cators
in A n n A r b o r , M I, fo r o v e r 3 5
y e a rs, e x h ib itin g n atio n a lly and
in te rn a tio n ally sin ce th e b e g in -
n in g o f th e ir careers. Joh n b e -
gan te ach in g ceram ics at the
U n iv e r s ity o f M ich ig a n , in 1959
a fte r re c e iv in g his m f a fro m
C ra n b ro o k A c a d e m y o f A r t.
W h ile at M ich ig a n , h e re c e iv e d
th e C a th e rin e B . H e lle r D is tin -
gu ish ed P ro fe sso rsh ip , an h o n -
o ra ry d o c to ra te o f arts fro m
G ran d V a lle y S ta te , in G ran d
R a p id s, and also se rv e d as in -
terim dean o f th e S ch o o l o f A rt.
S u san n e also co m p le te d h er
MFA at C ra n b ro o k , then began
te ach in g at E astern M ich ig a n
U n iv e r s ity in 1963. T h e re ce n t
w o r k o f b oth S tep h en so n s e x -
p lo re s asp e cts o f n atu re: John
ad d resses w a te r fo rm s in his
c la y w a v e s , w h ile S u san n e has
b egu n in teg ra tin g p a p e r pulp
and strin g to add te x tu re to h er
te rra-co tta lan d scap e abstracts.
“ T h e c la y fo rm fo r m e is a g e s-
tu re w h ic h carries c o lo r in the
th ic k ly a p p lied slip s,” S u san n e
says. “ T h is is th e m ean s o f m y
e x p re s sio n .”
H o n o r a r y F e l l o w
J a n e t K o p lo s
T h ro u g h h er w r itin g and sch o l-
arsh ip , Jan et K o p lo s has been
a h ig h ly in flu en tial v o ic e in
fram in g th e critical d isco u rse
on co n te m p o ra ry c ra ft and has
co n trib u te d s ig n ifica n tly to ou r
k n o w le d g e o f th e field . A g ra d -
u ate o f the U n iv e r s ity o f M in -
n e so ta S c h o o l o f J o u rn a lism
and M a ss C o m m u n ic a tio n s
w ith an M A in art h isto ry fro m
Illin o is S ta te U n iv e r s ity ,
K o p lo s has b e e n w ritin g ab ou t
art sin ce 19 7 6 , p u b lish in g
m o re th an 2,000 a rtic le s , re -
v ie w s an d c a ta lo g e ssa y s in
th e U .S ., E u ro p e and Jap an .
S h e is th e a u th o r o f
Contempo-
rary Japanese Sculpture
(19 9 1),
Gyongy L aky
(2003) and (w ith
co -au th o r B ru ce M e tc a lf) o f
th e r e c e n tly p u b lish ed
Makers:
A H istory o f A m erican Studio
C raft,
in te n d e d as b o th an im -
p o rta n t re so u rc e fo r th e fie ld
an d a m u c h -n e e d e d c o lle g e -
le v e l art h isto ry s u rv e y . K o p lo s
w a s se n io r e d ito r
at A r t in
Am erica
(1990-2009) and se rve d
as g u e st e d ito r o f A m e ric a n
C ra ft in 2009. S h e le c tu re s, ju -
ries and critiq u es fre q u e n tly
and is a m em b er o f th e A s s o c ia -
tion In tern atio n a le des C r i-
tiq u es d ’A r t and th e C o lle g e A r t
A s s o c ia tio n . S h e has ta u g h t
c ritic ism at th e P arso n s N e w
S ch o o l o f D e sig n and oth er
s c h o o ls .*
oct/novio american craft 041
