ABOUT THE ARTIST

I began working with clay on the potter’s wheel in 1967. My first ceramics teacher was Kit Yin Tieng. I graduated from Swarthmore College, which is near Philadelphia, PA, in 1970 with a B.A. degree in Sociology-Anthropology.

From 1970 to 1973 I worked as apprentice/assistant to Paul Soldner in Aspen, Colorado; Kit Yin Tieng in Swarthmore, PA; Colin and Leslie Pearson in Aylesford, Kent, England; and Byron Temple in Lambertville, New Jersey. I established my first studio with partners Gordon Lavin and Tally Groves in Eastham, Massachusetts in 1973.

In 1978 my wife and business partner Susan Nykiel and I started Oak Bluffs Cottage Pottery at our home/studio in Pownal, Vermont. I currently divide my time between making fired clay artworks and teaching clayworking skills. Every day I work with clay.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

BRYN MAWR COLLEGE
Bryn Mawr, PA
1971
Taught a spring term course in handcraft pottery

GREENWICH HOUSE POTTERY SCHOOL
New York, NY
1973
Taught a 6-week summer course in handcraft pottery

MASSACHUSETTS COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS
North Adams, MA
1974-1978 | 1992-1994
Adjunct Professor of Ceramics, teaching 3-credit courses in ceramic art

WILLIAMS COLLEGE
Williamstown, MA
1989-1992 | 1996-2019
Temporary Adjunct Professor, teaching 24 consecutive January Winter Study intensive 3-credit courses in ceramic art

SOUTHERN VERMONT COLLEGE
Bennington, VT
1991-1998, 2000-2001
Adjunct Professor of Art, teaching 3-credit ceramic art courses each semester

OAK BLUFFS COTTAGE POTTERY
Pownal, VT
1989-Present
Teaching a continuing series of private adult ceramic art classes in our studio

PUBLICATIONS

Ceramics Monthly Magazine
“APPRENTICING” 
April 1974
Article describing my experiences learning from master potters from 1970 to 1973

Ceramics Monthly Magazine
“INCISING PORCELAIN” 
April 1980
Article describing techniques used for carving and drawing on porcelain clay by Ray Bub and Susan Nykiel

Ceramics Monthly Magazine
“MODIFY A CEMENT MIXER FOR PROCESSING CLAY” 
January 1981
Article describing how to modify a cement mixer to mix dry powdered clays with water to make a throwing-consistency clay body.

Ceramics Monthly Magazine
“CANE HANDLES”
April 1986
Article describing pottery designed by Ray Bub and Susan Nykiel combining ceramic forms with rattan cane handles made in our studio

Ceramics Monthly Magazine
“TEACHING IN THE STUDIO”
November 1995
Article describing teaching in our studio since 1989 for Williams College, Southern Vermont College, and private children’s and adult class students. We no longer teach children’s classes.

Ceramics Monthly Magazine
“THE EVOLUTION OF AN IDEA: RAY BUB’S REASSEMBLED RING TEAPOTS
March 2002
Article written by Paul Park detailing the progression of my ideas leading to the creation of my Upright Ring and Reassembled Ring Teapots. A photo image of my “Pink Pentagonal Cross-Section Teapot” was published on the cover of this March 2002 Ceramics Monthly issue

WWW.RAYBUB.COM
March 2002
First posted my web site on the internet

TEAPOTS, A BOOK WRITTEN BY AUTHOR STEVE WOODHEAD
Published by A.&C. Black LTD. and the University of Pennsylvania Press
November 2004
My Reassembled Ring Teapots are featured in the "Contemporary Potters’ Profiles" section on pages 118 to 123.

EXHIBITIONS

CERAMICS MONTHLY INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
Columbus Convention Center
Columbus, OH
March 15-21 1999
My “Pink Pentagonal Cross-Section Teapot” was chosen for the “Ceramics Monthly International Competition,” sponsored by Ceramics Monthly magazine, of 112 fired clay artworks selected from 1549 entries submitted by clay artists from 45 countries around the world. Jurors were Michio Sugiyama, Shigaraki, Japan; Jimmy Clark, Philadelphia, PA; and Anita Besson, London, England. This exhibition was on display during the 1999 conference of the National Council On Education For the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) in Columbus, Ohio.

SIXTH TAIWAN GOLDEN CERAMICS AWARDS
Taipei County Yingge Ceramics Museum
Taipei, Taiwan
November 27, 2000-February 11, 2001
My “Celery Green Reassembled Hollow Ring Functional Teapot” was chosen for the “Sixth Taiwan Golden Ceramics Awards,” an exhibition of 144 fired clay artworks selected from approximately 1200 entries submitted by 759 clay artists from 53 countries around the world. This exhibition was on display at the Taipei County Yingge Ceramics Museum in Taipei, Taiwan, from November 27, 2000 to February 11, 2001. International jurors were Janet Mansfield, Sydney, Australia; Tony Franks, Edinburgh, Scotland; and Harris Deller, Carbondale, Illinois, USA. Jurors from Taiwan were Yang Winnie, Liou Chen-Chou, and Bob Chen. From the 144 pieces selected, 18 fired clay artworks were recognized by the jurors with awards. Taiwanese juror Bob Chen honored “Celery Green Reassembled Hollow Ring Functional Teapot” with his “Special Judge’s Prize.” The Taipei County Yingge Ceramics Museum purchased this teapot from the exhibition to add to their prestigious collection of ceramic art.

FIRST WORLD CERAMIC BIENNALE 2001 KOREA INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
Icheon Ceramic Center
August 10-October 28, 2001
My “Lemon Yellow Triangular Cross-Section Reassembled Ring Teapot” was chosen for the “First World Ceramic Biennale 2001 Korea International Competition,” an exhibition of 305 fired clay artworks selected from 4206 entries submitted by 2019 ceramic artists from 69 countries around the world. The international jurors for this competition were Kimpei Nakamura, Tokyo, Japan; Tony Franks, Edinburgh, Scotland; and Ron Kuchta, New York, New York, USA. Jurors from Korea were Chung, Yang-Mo, and Lee, Kyung-Sun. This was one of 15 exhibitions held at 3 sites: Icheon, Yoju, and Kwangju, all in Kyonggi Province, and was the premier attraction of the WORLD CERAMIC EXPOSITION 2001 KOREA, a multi-event celebration of historical and contemporary ceramic art from around the world. This “Lemon Yellow Triangular Cross-Section Reassembled Ring Teapot” was purchased by Santa Fe, New Mexico collector Sandy Besser in 2002. In 2008 he donated his teapot collection to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, including the DeYoung Museum, which now holds "Lemon Yellow Triangular Cross-Section Reassembled Ring Teapot" in their permanent collection.

BIRDS OF CLAY
Vermont State Crafts Center at Frog Hollow
Middlebury, VT
June 14-August 11, 2002
Four of my ceramic artworks were selected for “Birds of Clay,” a juried national exhibition of ceramic work inspired by bird imagery. Exhibited were: “Pacific Puffins Spring Plumage Reassembled Hollow Ring Teapot,” “Pacific Puffins Spring Plumage Closed-form Slab-built Surprise Box,” “King Penguins Upright Ring Teapot,” and “King Penguins Handthrown Spherical Closed-form Surprise Box.”

FIRST TAIWAN CERAMICS BIENNALE
Taipei County Yingge Ceramics Museum
Taipei, Taiwan January 23-June 13, 2004
My “Purple Foamy Whitecaps Reassembled Hollow Ring Teapot” was chosen for the First Taiwan Ceramics Biennale, an exhibition of 125 fired clay artworks selected from entries submitted by 692 ceramic artists from 47 countries around the world. The international jurors for this competition were Peter Lane, Alresford, England; Monika Gass, Berlin, Germany; Enomoto Toru, Gifu, Japan; and Elaine Olafson Henry, Emporia, Kansas, USA. Jurors from Taiwan were Winnie Yang; Huan-Tang Chiu; and Chen-Chou Liou.

REASSEMBLED RING TEAPOTS
Yester House Gallery VI of the Southern Vermont Arts Center
Manchester, VT
October 29-December 4, 2005
A solo exhibition of twenty of my Reassembled Ring Teapots.

COMPLEMENTARY VISIONS:
GREG WINTERHALTER AND RAY BUB
Bennington Museum
Bennington, VT
September 8-November 17, 2007
This two-person exhibition with fellow artist Greg Winterhalter featured fifteen of my Reassembled Ring Teapots and two of my Animal-Figure Surprise Boxes, as well as paintings in oil, watercolor, gesso, and handmade paper as well as ceramic lanterns by Winterhalter.

TEAPOTS, OBJECT TO SUBJECT
January 28, 2007- January 7, 2010
This 3-year traveling exhibition of 45 teapots, which included my "Mint Green Sharp Edges Reassembled Ring Teapot" and my "King Penguins Upright Ring Teapot" included a selection of teapots from a 2004 exhibition of the same name (Teapots, Object To Subject) curated by Leslie Ferrin and held at the St. Louis, Missouri Craft Alliance Gallery. This exhibition traveled to six gallery and museum venues in New York, Texas, Florida, Utah, Ohio and California.

THE DIANE AND SANDY BESSER COLLECTION AT THE DE YOUNG MUSEUM
San Francisco, CA
October 26, 2007-January 13, 2008
My “Lemon Yellow Triangular Cross-Section Reassembled Ring Teapot," was acquired by Teapot Collectors Diane and Sandy Besser of Taos, New Mexico in 2002. IN 2007 Diane and Sandy Besser donated their complete Teapot Collection to the DeYoung Museum, a branch of the Fine Art Museums of San Francisco. This Teapot was on exhibit October 26, 2007 to January 13, 2008 in the DeYoung Museum Gallery with the rest of the Besser Collection, and is part of the Museum Permanent Collection.

10TH INTERNATIONAL CERAMICS COMPETITION MINO, JAPAN
Ceramics Park Mino, Taimi City, GIFU Prefecture, Japan
September 12-October 19, 2014
My "Tangerine Seahorse Descending A Staircase Reassembled Ring Teapot" was chosen in the Ceramics As Art category of the 10th International Ceramics Competition Mino, Japan, an exhibition of 158 ceramic artworks chosen from 2016 entries submitted by ceramic artists from 59 countries around the world. The Japanese jurors for the Ceramics As Art category were Toru Enomoto, Harumi Nakashima, Akihiro Maeta, Kazuko Todate, and Kenji Kaneko. International jurors were Ernst Gamperl, Germany and Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere, United Kingdom. This exhibition was the premiere event of the International Ceramics Festival ’14 Mino, held at the Ceramics park Mino, Tajimi City, Gifu Prefecture, Japan.