Walter Hyleck
Kentucky

Cone 10 porcelain, celadon glaze, thrown, carved with copper handles
Functional
Teapot: 7.5"w x 5.25"l x 4"h
Base: 6"diameter x 1"h

About the Teapot
The teapot has always held a special place for me as a demanding form. While its rich traditions and complex form offer enormous expressive possibilities, its use as a serving vessel that requires active engagement by the user is important to me. Although I admit that I enjoy playing with the basic form and surface to the extent that rarely two are alike, the challenge of function is never out of mind.
Words can describe the object. They can celebrate or apologize for it. They might provide context that may not be evident at first glance or speculate on my state of mind. They may even elaborate on the physical processes associated with the craft of making, but I would prefer that words not become glass cases that place the pot beyond physical contact. A functional pot succeeds or fails in use.

About Walter
Walter Hyleck has been working in clay for over 60 years. He completed an undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota, Duluth, and an MFA at Tulane University. He taught at Berea College for 42 years, serving as the Morris B. Belknap Chair of Fine Arts, Chairman of the Art Department, and Director of the Ceramic Apprenticeship Program.
He has been included in more than 300 national, regional, and international exhibitions, including the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Museum, the Los Angeles Museum of Craft and Folk Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Craft in New York. His work is in the permanent collections of the American Museum of Ceramic Art in Pomona, CA; the Mint Museum Collection of American Design in Charlotte, NC; the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, TN; Brown and Forman International; the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft in Louisville, KY; and the Ceramic Art Gallery of New South Wales, Australia, among other public collections.
He currently lives in Berea, KY, dividing his time between functional porcelain for the table and sculptural clay that addresses contemporary issues of concern.

Artist Statement
Artist statements are risky business. They can be encumbered by the tendency to define something that is seldom absolute. They can be interpreted as an invitation to understand the maker's motivations or as a potential directory of the forms, marks, and surfaces employed. While there is certainly nothing wrong with an artist's introspection, nor the invitation to reflect on their ideas in the presence of the actual work, we must never forget that the work speaks with the greatest clarity.

*Teapots that are purchased will remain on display in the gallery for the duration of the exhibition, through September 14, 2026.
After the show closes, teapots will be carefully packed and shipped by September 28, or they may be picked up at the gallery.

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Walter Hyleck -Teapot with Base