The American Museum of Ceramic Art (AMOCA), in conjunction with the Claremont Museum of Art, will host HM100: A Century through the Life of Harrison McIntosh. To honor Mr. McIntosh’s 100th birthday, HM100 will feature 100 ceramic artworks that recount the life and work of this world-renowned artist. Both AMOCA and Mr. McIntosh share a common birthday on September 11. The public is invited to celebrate AMOCA’s 10th and Mr. McIntosh’s 100th birthdays on the opening night of the exhibition Saturday, September 13 from 6 to 9 p.m. 

Considered one of the most talented West Coast ceramic artists, Mr. McIntosh has been working in the Los Angeles area for over eight decades. Early on, he focused his ceramic career on producing wheel-thrown stoneware. Working with humble materials, Mr. McIntosh created clean, simple and refined pieces, enhanced by either hand-drawn lines reflective of patterns seen in nature or by intricate brush strokes. His work stands today as a testimony to his complete mastery of clay, driven by precision and purist ideals.

Mr. McIntosh is recognized as a significant artist in California modern and the mid-century modern design movements. Catherine McIntosh wrote about her father’s work, “From his modern approach to classical vessel forms in the 1950s, his work expanded to sculptural spheres floating on geometric chrome forms. Known for his strong sensual shapes, often enhanced by distinctive surface decoration of thin sgraffito lines or rhythmic brush spots, his ceramics are held in numerous museum collections around the world.”

Mr. McIntosh’s work is represented in more than 40 museum collections including the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC, the Louvre in Paris, France and the National Museum of Art in Tokyo, Japan. Locally, Mr. McInstosh’s work can be seen at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Huntington Library and at AMOCA.

HM100: A Century through the Life of Harrison McIntosh will also showcase several vignettes of artwork from his close friends and contemporaries, Karl Benjamin, Rupert Deese, James Hueter and  Sam Maloof.

Founded in 2001 and opened in September 2004, AMOCA is one of the few museums in the United States devoted exclusively to ceramic art and historic innovations in ceramic technology. Concurrent exhibitions at AMOCA include Framing Images of the Southwest: Amado Pena and Rich Lopez from September 13 to October 26; Heaven: Rebekah Bogard from September 13 to November 16.

In celebration of the current exhibitions, AMOCA will pay tribute to Mr. McIntosh and Mr. Peña at a Family Day event on Saturday, September 27 from 1 to 4 p.m. The afternoon will include both wheel throwing and tile painting workshops. RSVP via email to areyes@amoca.org.

AMOCA is open Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. General admission is $7, student/senior is $5. Members and guests under 12 years are admitted free. AMOCA is located at 399 N. Garey Ave, Pomona. For information, call (909) 865-3146 or visit www.amoca.org.