Edith Heath: A Life in Clay

January 23–October 30, 2022 | Gallery of California Art

Trailblazer. Rebel. Revolutionary. Discover the story of Edith Heath, founder and designer of Heath Ceramics. Heath transformed the ceramics industry, creating dinnerware from California clay for “Sunday best” and everyday use. Driven by the power of good design, and a commitment to her craft, Heath’s vision continues to live on through her stoneware and tile over 70 years later. Durable, not delicate, simple, yet stylish, Heath Ceramics is an icon of American design.

This is not a traditional ceramics or craft exhibition – it combines historic objects, photographs, documentary video and personal memorabilia to showcase Heath’s legacy and story. Do not miss it!

Highlights

Heath Ceramics, Creamer and Open Sugar, 1948. Stoneware, glaze, 2 15/16 x 4 ⅜ x 3 ⅛ in. Courtesy of the Brian and Edith Heath Foundation.
Heath Dinnerware (advertisement), 1947. Courtesy of Brian and Edith Heath/Heath Ceramics Collection, Environmental Design Archives, UC Berkeley.
Visitors to Edith Heath: A Life In Clay learn about the life and design philosophies of the influential ceramicist.
Two women pose in front of Edith Heath poster at OMCA
See large scale images of Edith Heath at her Sausalito factory.
Visitors view original ceramics crafted by Edith Heath.
Person exploring Edith Heath's processes at OMCA
Visitors learn about some of the techniques Edith Heath employed in her ceramics such as jiggering and jollying.

…OMCA celebrates Heath as a ceramicist, a chemist and an entrepreneur, one whose half-century career helped establish California as a site of mid-century modernism while elevating ceramics as a genre.

The Guardian

Oakland Museum celebrates the distinctly Californian, durable beauty of Heath Ceramics.

SF Chronicle
Sponsors

Edith Heath: A Life in Clay is supported in part by the Oakland Museum Women’s Board. Additional support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, California Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.