California State Parks and Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods Dedicate Pond Farm Pottery as National Historic Landmark
Contacts:
California State Parks
Newsroom@parks.ca.gov
Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods
Justin Lindenberg
Pond Farm students and representatives from Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods, California State Parks, the National Park Service, and the Kashia Pomo celebrate the unveiling of the Pond Farm Pottery National Historic Landmark plaque on Oct. 26. Photo from California State Parks.
GUERNEVILLE — California State Parks and Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods are celebrating the designation of Pond Farm Pottery as a National Historic Landmark following a plaque dedication ceremony Oct. 26. Officially designated by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland on Dec. 11, 2023, Pond Farm Pottery is California State Parks’ 30th National Historic Landmark, and its first new designation since 1999.
The designation of Pond Farm Pottery as a National Historic Landmark represents the culmination of a collaborative, nearly seven-year effort among California State Parks, Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods, the National Park Service’s National Historic Landmarks Program, and California State University, Sacramento.
“This is a banner day for California State Parks and our partners to celebrate our newest historic landmark,” said California State Parks Director Armando Quintero. “The preservation of these historic sites doesn’t end the story but allows these places to inspire future generations to write their own story. We believe this site will inspire artists, just like it inspired State Parks to expand our artist in residency programs at other parks through the Arts in California Parks program.”
Located within Austin Creek State Recreation Area, Pond Farm Pottery was the home and studio of Marguerite Wildenhain, master potter and pioneer of a 140-acre post-World War II experimental artist colony. This designation recognizes Wildenhain’s contributions to the mid-20th century American Studio Pottery Movement as an artist, author and teacher from her arrival at Pond Farm in 1942 to her retirement in 1980.
“The dedication of Pond Farm Pottery as a National Historic Landmark is an incredible honor that puts a spotlight on this treasured cultural resource and our collaborative work with California State Parks to protect, activate, and elevate awareness of the significance of the site,” said Executive Director of the Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods Justin Lindenberg. “This important designation was made possible through the perseverance of university students, volunteers, nonprofit and State Parks staff - as a grassroots effort to codify the influence Marguerite Wildenhain had on the studio pottery movement in America.”
Pond Farm Pottery’s landmark designation expands the scope of who and what is traditionally recognized as nationally significant. Trained at the Bauhaus German School of Design, Wildenhain was the first woman to receive the designation of master potter in Europe. After emigrating from Germany to the United States to escape Nazi persecution, she became a major figure in the American Studio Pottery Movement as well as among peers in the British and Japanese pottery movements. The Pond Farm Pottery designation also elevates to prominence the evolution of a female-driven artistic movement as a historically significant piece of our country’s heritage.
“Pond Farm Pottery is a remarkable place and one that signifies the role of women, immigrants, and the arts in the rich mosaic of our nation's history," said State Historic Preservation Officer Julianne Polanco. “As a National Historic Landmark, this site will help commemorate a more inclusive history.”
National Historic Landmarks are some of the nation’s most important historic places because they possess exceptional value in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States. The designation is the highest federal recognition of a property’s significance.
Pond Farm Pottery is cooperatively managed by California State Parks and Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods. Supported by the Arts in California Parks program, Pond Farm Pottery hosts an Artist in Residence Program bringing in diverse artists from the United States and abroad. Pond Farm Pottery is open to the public through monthly docent-led tours, and a recent documentary chronicles the life of Wildenhain and her contributions to the American Studio Pottery Movement.
Top: Event speakers included State Parks Director Armando Quintero (pictured), Kashia Pomo Elder Hannah Banuelos, National Historic Landmark program manager Elaine Jackson-Retondo, State Historic Preservation Officer Julianne Polanco, and Pond Farm student Jane Rekedal. Left middle: Elaine Jackson-Retondo with the National Park Service. Bottom left: Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods Executive Director Justin Lindenberg helps hang the repaired Pond Farm Pottery sign. Bottom middle: Kick wheels inside the Pond Farm Pottery barn where generations of Pond Farm students learned from Marguerite Wildenhain. Right middle: California State Historic Preservation Officer Julianne Polanco. Bottom right: Close-up of Pond Farmer Hunt Prothro crafting a piece of pottery. Photos from California State Parks
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Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods
Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods protects the natural and cultural resources of Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve, Austin Creek State Recreation Area, and Sonoma Coast State Park through volunteerism, environmental education, and stewardship for generations to come. Adaptive reuse and management of Pond Farm Pottery in partnership with Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods helps ensure Pond Farm’s vision continues to manifest itself into the future by providing artists a place to thrive through the artist in residence program, showing how California’s National Historic Landmarks can be vibrant assets to their communities.
Arts in California Parks
Arts in California Parks is a program from California State Parks, in partnership with Parks California and the California Arts Council, that supports artists, culture bearers, California Native American tribes, and communities in creating artwork that reflects on our past and helps reimagine our potential. Arts in California Parks aims to foster sustainable community connections, health, and well-being through art installations and programming in state and local parks. This program aligns with California’s Outdoor Access for All initiative, the Outdoors for All initiative led by the Natural Resources Agency, and California State Parks’ Reexamining Our Past initiative.
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