von Hausmann, Marie Claire
Item
Maker Name
von Hausmann, Marie Claire
Studio name
1972- 75 Earthen Things
Richmond, BC
Richmond, BC
1977-1990 Earthen Things
Galiano, BC
Galiano, BC
Biography
Marie-Claire was born in 1910 and raised in Belgium, but lived in England during WW1. She studied art at the Liège University in Belgium in the late 1920s. A love of archeology took her to Egypt in the early thirties, where she married and had her children. She returned to Belgium in 1959 and immigrated to Canada in 1963.
In the later 1960s she took pottery classes from Byron Johnstad at the Burnaby Arts Centre (Now Shadbolt Art Centre). Fellow students Marjorie Johnson and Kay Dodd became life-long friends. Marie-Claire served on the Board of the Potters Guild of BC.
In 1972, Marie-Claire moved to Richmond and opened a small store, Earthen Things, a pottery shop/gallery in a heritage building in the fishing village of Steveston. Shortly after, she expanded the space to include a studio. It became an active place, pots were exhibited in the gallery, and there were classes on wheel-throwing, handbuilding, decorating and glazing. The instructors were Margaret McClelland, Jeanne Lewis, Marjorie Johnson, and Sherle Lowes.
Between 1973 and 1975, Marie Claire organized over 14 shows. David Toresdahl, Marjorie Johnson, Simon Brafman, Kathleen Hamilton, Joseph Panno, Isabella Wieckowska, Jeanne Lewis, Muriel Parfitt, Sherle Lowes, Nancy Star, Meg Buckley, Wayne Ngan, Ron Tribe, Kay Dodd, Leonhard Epp, and Joseph Mihalik, were among the ceramicists who exhibited and sold their wares at The Earthen Things.
Dave Toresdahl’s first exhibit proved to be controversial, some were offended by the erotic designs and captions and someone went as far as dragging a wooden cross, laying it in the street in front of the Gallery.
After seeing Toresdhal’s work, Hiro Urakami wrote the following comments: “It is a very exciting show - I am with you 99% - no matter what the other comments.”
In 1974, Marie-Claire traveled to Europe and visited potters in France, Spain and Belgium. She recounts her experience in an article for the Western Potter (No. 30, April, 1974, pp. 12-16). She brought back and exhibited works by well-established Belgian potters, such as Pierre Culot, Mirko Orlandini, Antonio Lampecco, Claude and Cécile Delhaye, and Antoine de Vinck,
The last exhibition at The Earthen Things was by Nancy Star (Nancy Rawls) just before Nancy returned to the United States. Georgina Hughes and Hiro Urakami reviewed the exhibition in the Western Potter as “well worth the effort” of going “all the way to Steveston” (No 33, January 1975, p.19).
Marie-Claire left Steveston in 1976, and moved to Galiano Island where she opened yet another gallery, also called Earthen Things, and there she represented potters like Charles and Kathleen Partington, Margaret Pearson, Graham Sheenan, Sandra Dolph, Gordon and Martha James, Robin Hopper, Meg Buckley, Richard Hawbolt, and Susan Clarke. In July 1991 the Dandelion Gallery on Galiano Island held a retrospective of Marie-Claire’s work.
After this exhibit, Marie Claire, then in her eighties, after having made so many contributions to ceramics in BC, retired from pottery making and exhibiting and returned to Vancouver. Marie-Claire died in Vancouver in 2010, aged 100 years.
In the later 1960s she took pottery classes from Byron Johnstad at the Burnaby Arts Centre (Now Shadbolt Art Centre). Fellow students Marjorie Johnson and Kay Dodd became life-long friends. Marie-Claire served on the Board of the Potters Guild of BC.
In 1972, Marie-Claire moved to Richmond and opened a small store, Earthen Things, a pottery shop/gallery in a heritage building in the fishing village of Steveston. Shortly after, she expanded the space to include a studio. It became an active place, pots were exhibited in the gallery, and there were classes on wheel-throwing, handbuilding, decorating and glazing. The instructors were Margaret McClelland, Jeanne Lewis, Marjorie Johnson, and Sherle Lowes.
Between 1973 and 1975, Marie Claire organized over 14 shows. David Toresdahl, Marjorie Johnson, Simon Brafman, Kathleen Hamilton, Joseph Panno, Isabella Wieckowska, Jeanne Lewis, Muriel Parfitt, Sherle Lowes, Nancy Star, Meg Buckley, Wayne Ngan, Ron Tribe, Kay Dodd, Leonhard Epp, and Joseph Mihalik, were among the ceramicists who exhibited and sold their wares at The Earthen Things.
Dave Toresdahl’s first exhibit proved to be controversial, some were offended by the erotic designs and captions and someone went as far as dragging a wooden cross, laying it in the street in front of the Gallery.
After seeing Toresdhal’s work, Hiro Urakami wrote the following comments: “It is a very exciting show - I am with you 99% - no matter what the other comments.”
In 1974, Marie-Claire traveled to Europe and visited potters in France, Spain and Belgium. She recounts her experience in an article for the Western Potter (No. 30, April, 1974, pp. 12-16). She brought back and exhibited works by well-established Belgian potters, such as Pierre Culot, Mirko Orlandini, Antonio Lampecco, Claude and Cécile Delhaye, and Antoine de Vinck,
The last exhibition at The Earthen Things was by Nancy Star (Nancy Rawls) just before Nancy returned to the United States. Georgina Hughes and Hiro Urakami reviewed the exhibition in the Western Potter as “well worth the effort” of going “all the way to Steveston” (No 33, January 1975, p.19).
Marie-Claire left Steveston in 1976, and moved to Galiano Island where she opened yet another gallery, also called Earthen Things, and there she represented potters like Charles and Kathleen Partington, Margaret Pearson, Graham Sheenan, Sandra Dolph, Gordon and Martha James, Robin Hopper, Meg Buckley, Richard Hawbolt, and Susan Clarke. In July 1991 the Dandelion Gallery on Galiano Island held a retrospective of Marie-Claire’s work.
After this exhibit, Marie Claire, then in her eighties, after having made so many contributions to ceramics in BC, retired from pottery making and exhibiting and returned to Vancouver. Marie-Claire died in Vancouver in 2010, aged 100 years.
First name
Maire -Claire
Last name
von Hausmann
Career dates (start and end)
1972
Date of Birth
1910
Date of Death
2010
Place of Birth
Belgium
Place of Death
Studio location
Formal Education
Major Exhibitions
1980 Retrospect Ceramic 80, PGBC 25th Anniversary
Affiliated organizations
Links to Further Resources
https://bchdp.arcabc.ca/islandora/object/arch-bc%3Aroot July/aug. 2007 vol 43.#6
http://sim-publishing.com/bca/bca-0101.htm
1974 Western Potter (No. 30, April, 1974, pp. 12-16) https://bchdp.arcabc.ca/islandora/object/arch-bc
PGBC newsletter (No 33, January 1975, p.19). https://bchdp.arcabc.ca/islandora/object/arch-bc
Source
Debra Sloan