Saturday, February 22, 2025

Simply Simon: Pottery from the Collection of Michael Simon and Susan Roberts
Everson Museum of Art

Everson Museum of Art
401 Harrison St., Syracuse

Over the course of five decades, Georgia-based potter Michael Simon's name became synonymous with American functional pottery. Simon was born in Minnesota and studied with legendary pottery Warren MacKenzie. After building his own kiln near Athens, Georgia in 1980, Simon began setting one exemplary piece from each kiln firing aside for posterity. These "pick of the kiln" pieces are a testimony to Simon's enduring influence on the field of ceramics.

In 2018, Simon donated one of his favorite "pick of the kiln" vases to the Everson's permanent collection. With the vase came a donation of more than 30 functional pots by other artists that Simon and his wife Susan Roberts had collected over the years. Simon passed away in August of 2021, but left an immense legacy through his work, which now graces the collections of more than 20 museums across the United States. The works exhibited in "Simply Simon" reflect the qualities that Simon valued as a potter, while also illuminating his enduring relationships with his friends and colleagues.