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The Ceramic Nationals was an annual juried exhibition of contemporary ceramic art held by the Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts (later changed to the Everson Museum of Art) in Syracuse, New York. The exhibitions encouraged ceramicists to engage with and inform public audiences on the merits of clay and merge the worlds of sculpture, craft, design, and art into the ceramic matrix. The Ceramic Nationals are widely regarded as most prestigious and influential juried exhibitions in the field of ceramics. After being Exhibited in Syracuse, each Ceramic National traveled in circuit exhibitions to museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the de Young Museum, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The Nationals provided crucial early-career exposure for artists like Waylande Gregory, Victor Schreckengost, Marguerite Wildenhain, Peter Voulkos, Vivika and Otto Heino, Karen Karnes, and Jun Kaneko.

Founding
The first Robineau Memorial Ceramic Exhibition debuted in 1932. The exhibition was hosted by the Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts as the director, Anna Wetherill Olmsted sought to place ceramics within the greater context of art and the visual culture. The exhibition was initiated to honor the legacy of Adelaide Alsop Robineau, an influential Arts and Crafts ceramicist native to Syracuse, New York. As the exhibition evolved the Ceramics Nationals became the showcase for innovative ceramics and American art which placed the Museum as one of the leading institutions for American Ceramics.

The first exhibition in 1932 was held in the top floor of Syracuse's public city library, and with little funding, just over $419, and borrowed folding tables the exhibition proved to be a hit with art critics, potters, and the public. The 1932 exhibition was meant to showcase artists who worked in New York State, but the exhibition's immediate success led to an outcry from nationally-prominent artists who also wanted to participate. By the second exhibition in 1933, over 200 works of art were exhibited by 72 artists from 11 states across the U.S. Artists included Maria Martinez, ..... (add more). Met by similar limitations in funds and space, Olmsted sought local support to help with the display needs of the 2nd Ceramic Nationals. In place of pedestals, Olmstead received an unusual but helpful donationation from the Marcellus Casket Company as borrowed casket boxes served as the sturdy backdrop for the ceramic works included in the exhibition.

Development
The Ceramic Nationals continued for over ___ years, in 1952, due to the expanding popularity and expense the Ceramic National became a biennial exhibition.

Later known as the Ceramic National exhibition,

Now the Everson Museum of Art,

In October of 1937, the Museum moved to the Lynch Mansion on __, which expanded the exhibition space needed for the Ceramic Nationals.

By May 1959, under new directions, the Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts became the Everson Museum of Art, continuing the

"Ground was broken for the building on the corner of Harrison and State Strees on April 27, 1966, and the Everson finally moved into its new home in the late summer of 1968."

Add in the catalogues

Prizes
Ceramic Nationals

purchase prizes, contributing to the Everson's extensive and comprehensive collection of twentieth-century American Ceramics.

Notable Prize Winners: (pulled from )

Francis Chen (look up awards)

Win Ng- three Ceramic National prizes 1960,1962, 1964

Solder- won prize at 1964 National for Raku bottle

Karen Karnes- purchase prize in 1951/ 16th national

Volkous- Won United States Potter association prize at 1950s national; won 1st prize at 15th national in 1951

Elena Netherby- Native Californian, entered National from 1946-1966 and won purchase prize in 1956

Glen Lukens- 1936 won first prize in 5th National Ceramic Exhibition, first Californian to do so

Otto and Gertrude Natzlers won purchase award in 8th National Ceramic exhibition

Herbert Sanders- 1966 won a purchase prize

Tours/ Circuits
By 1937 the Ceramic National reached national recognition as art museums across the United States and countries in Europe hosted selected works from the annual exhibition, called [circuits]. Institutions such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco hosted traveling Ceramic National exhibitions which introduced new artists and potters to communities all over the United States.

Traveling Red Cross Exhibition, 1941-1946, took the place of the annual Ceramic National Exhibition during World War II.

Conclusion
The reception of Ceramics National exhibition began waning in the late 1960’s as entries became “uneven in quality.” The last Ceramic Nationals was held in 1972 after the (#)1968 and (#)1972 exhibitions were heavily criticized for.....

After a brief break in exhibitions between 1973 and 1975, artist and curator Margie Hughto revitalized the Ceramics National in a new way. New Works in Clay by Contemporary Painters and Sculptors took the scene as Hughto reimagined the exhibition, challenging previous notions of ceramic artistic production and display, by inviting major artists who worked primarily in other mediums. The first of three exhibitions, New Works in Clay by Contemporary Painters and Sculptors premiered on January 23, 1976, and included artists Anthony Caro, Helen Frankenthaler, Dorothy Hood, and Larry Poons. The event proved successful as successive New Works in Clay exhibitions were held in 1978/9 and 1981. Sparked by this innovation revivals of the Ceramics Nationals took place in 1987, 1990, 1993, and 2000.

In (year), the Everson Museum of Art received a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to develop the American Ceramics and Ceramic National Exhibition Archive.[ii] The Ceramics Research Center is a cornerstone of American Art history and research as the Everson holds a comprehensive collection and archive outlining the Ceramics National and the history of twentieth-century American Ceramics.