Judy Brater, artist
By Gina Malone
In Judy Brater’s childhood in Oak Ridge, TN, her mother (co-founder of the Oak Ridge Arts Center, in Tennessee) and grandmother (a painter, quilter and needlepointer) felt it was important to expose her to the arts in her home state and in Indiana, where she visited her grandmother.
Judy Brater, artist
The artists who made the biggest impressions on young Judy were the potters. “In Tennessee, we frequented Pigeon Forge Pottery where I watched Douglas Ferguson demonstrate on the potter’s wheel,” Brater says. “I was mesmerized, watching a blob of clay turn into a beautiful bowl with ease. Someday, I knew, I would try what the potters call throwing.”
In Gatlinburg, they attended the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands. “I was so absorbed by the energy of the fair and the individual booths of exciting work,” she recalls. “Potters like Charles Counts, also from Oak Ridge, left an impression on me. To this day, I feel he was one of the first regional potters that took pots out of the kitchen and into the living room.”
While in school, she drew, painted and experimented with every medium offered by her public school. Once enrolled in the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning, she took her first ceramics class, and went on to earn a BFA in Ceramics and Painting. “In 1972, I started my own pottery business,” Brater says. “I experienced the ups and downs of being a self-employed female potter determined to earn my own living.”
Judy Brater, artist
In 1982, she left Ohio to move back to Tennessee where she envisioned more opportunities and the chance for engagement in a larger artistic community. A year later, she was juried into the Southern Highland Craft Guild for her functional ware. She also became active in Tennessee’s Foothills Craft Guild.
“In the 1990s, my creative energies took a major shift when I moved from making production pottery to a more distinctive and creative style that continues to evolve,” says Brater. “Clay became my canvas, and I transformed my love of drawing and painting to the clay surface. My love for bird life exploded in the form of sculpture. I began to introduce handbuilding techniques as I was finding that constantly throwing large forms was physically challenging.”
In 2000, she and another potter co-founded Terra Madre Women in Clay, an East Tennessee women’s group of ceramic artists. “Today the group has approximately 40 participating artists,” Brater says. “Its purpose is to nurture, exchange ideas and be a part of a craft community.”
A few years later, she helped in the development of a micro-craft business for women in Kenya who had been diagnosed with HIV, visiting the country twice. “At that time, AIDS was rampant throughout Africa,” she says. “My tiny contribution helped to support and feed families. This self-sustaining program, Imani Workshops, is part of AMPATH (Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare).”
Judy Brater, artist
Today, she teaches workshops at the John C. Campbell Folk School and the Appalachian Arts Craft Center, among others. Her work is available at New Morning Gallery, Allenstand Shop at the Folk Art Center and Red Wolf Gallery.
“My dad told me decades ago that he did not mind how I earned a living as long as I loved it and had fun doing it,” says Brater. “I was having fun demonstrating my techniques at the Folk Art Center where I met my husband and his craft family. I now live in Brevard and continue to create art pieces surrounded by artists, friends and family. After 50 years as a ceramic artist, I enjoy what I do and I love bringing joy to those that appreciate what I do. It is the juice that keeps me moving forward in my art.”
Learn more about Judy Brater’s work on Instagram and Facebook. Brater’s work is part of the exhibit big/LITTLE at the Folk Art Center through January 21. Upcoming events featuring her work include Potters at the Mint, in Charlotte, on Saturday, September 27, and Vessels of Merriment at Grovewood Gallery November 15 through December 31. New Morning Gallery is located at 7 Boston Way, in Asheville, and Red Wolf Gallery is located at 8 East Main Street, Brevard.
