Clay Times Three: The tale of three Nashville, Indiana, Potteries represents an important first step in chronicling the rich pottery traditions of Brown County, Indiana. Written by freelance writer and community scholar, Kathy M. McKimmie, this book reflects the author’s years of collecting stoneware and documenting the fine art and tourist pottery produced in and around Nashville, Indiana. The thin text tells the stories of three potteries that employed local artisans and fueled the collecting interests of visitors to one of Indiana’s oldest and best-known tourist destinations.
This colorful book divides into three sections, delving into the creative lives of three studio potters: The Brown County Pottery operated by the Griffiths; Martz pottery produced by Karl Martz and his wife Becky Brown; and Brown County Hills Pottery made by local potter Claude Graham and owner Carolyn Ondreika. The book reveals that while each of these potteries has its own distinct history, aesthetics, and personnel, their stories intersect and diverge in interesting ways. Since the book is less than 100 pages long, I will refrain from giving away too much about these potters’ tales.
As I am a material culture scholar, there is much more that I could want from this book, for example, ethnographic accounts of the pottery families and a more critical exploration of the modern and anti-modern forces that repeatedly recreated the arts produced in this small town throughout the twentieth century. But that was not McKimmie’s project. Her work traces a local, family, and art history not written anyplace else. She painstakingly documents and parses complex histories that reveal the continuity and change represented in these three pottery traditions. This book is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in Brown County history, American pottery, and the arts and crafts of Indiana. It is especially well-suited for pottery collectors; in fact, the author offers a limited-edition version of the book that includes an accompanying dust-jacket and price guide for collectors.
I should reveal that when this book came to my attention, I felt that, given its topic, genre, and geographic location, it would be a welcome read for JFRR’s audience. I was not disappointed on this front. Any time a self-publishing community scholar contributes new information and data in such an artful and readable format, it should be applauded. I asked myself several times as I read the book, why was this not published by a university press or the Indiana Historical Society? I was delighted to hear that Clay Times Three has now been licensed by Indiana University Press and is slated to be released in the fall.
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[Review length: 430 words • Review posted on July 2, 2010]