In 1974, one of my professors at Cal State Fullerton required those of us in his graduate seminar to write a personal statement about their artistic philosophy. I did not keep a copy of mine, and all that I can remember is my last line, a quotation from Dante: “Do as the Divine: create.” At the time I was not conscious of what I (or Dante) meant by that, but it was an urge that I deeply felt. Almost fifty years later, the meaning is clearer.
It’s about doing what comes naturally, about playing, about potential—following thoughts and impulses, seeing what happens if I try this or that, and taking a ride to somewhere unknown. It’s about learning how to stand out of the way and let the process take over. It’s a journey with no destination that brings the soul near.
I would never have imagined that I would be making the things that I make. George Ohr, the Biloxi potter, wrote at the turn of the century: “Clay follows the fingers and the fingers follow the mind.” I’m happy that I have worked and lived long enough to develop the skills needed to create these objects. And the neurons are still firing too.
“What I hope unites my work is a sense of the excitement I experienced in going off-road—and there’s still so much to explore out there.”
Stephen Horn
Brief resumé
I received an M.A. in art from California State University, Fullerton, in 1975, and my M.F.A. from that same institution in 1996. Since taking my first ceramics class in the late 1960s, I have worked steadily in my own studio and taught ceramics at several colleges in Southern California, including Riverside Community College, where I am a full professor of art and chair of the art department. I have also served as an arts commissioner for the City of Pasadena.
I received an M.A. in art from California State University, Fullerton, in 1975, and my M.F.A. from that same institution in 1996. Since taking my first ceramics class in the late 1960s, I have worked steadily in my own studio and taught ceramics at several colleges in Southern California, including Riverside Community College, where I was a professor of art for thirty years. I also served as an arts commissioner for the City of Pasadena.
Selected exhibitions include: “California Ceramics and Glass” (The Oakland Museum of Art, 1974). “Earth and Fire: The Marer Collection of Contemporary Ceramics” (Scripps College, 1984). “Art in Clay” (Olympic Arts Festival, Barnsdall Park, 1984). “Vessels” (Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena, 1996–97). “Steve Horn: Explorations” (Xiem Gallery, Pasadena, 2005). “Other Mad Potters,” corollary exhibition to “George Ohr Rising: The Emergence of an American Master.” (American Museum of Ceramic Art, Pomona. December 8, 2007 – February 25, 2008). (Scripps College 75th Ceramic Annual, Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery, Claremont, CA, Jan. 26 – April 7).
Selected collections include: Scripps College, The Marer Collection, Cal Poly Pomona, The American Museum of Ceramic Art, and the Kaam Teapot Foundation.