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From the Director
 Over the past six months it has been a pleasure for me to get to know Chris and Kristen Hogan. They are two of the most gracious and generous people that I have ever known. In the wake of devastating personal losses, they were concerned about others. By placing this incredible collection in the care of the museum, all of the citizens of the Gulf Coast and the visitors who travel to our region will benefit. During this exhibition, and for years to come, these beautiful pieces will enrich our lives and nourish our spirits.
Hurricane Katrina’s waters washed away all of museum’s exhibition pedestals and vitrines which we use to display pottery. Replacing these would not have been possible without the support of our exhibition sponsors Mississippi Power and the Hogan Eye Clinic.
Although the Walter Anderson Museum of Art is not a large museum, it has a changing exhibition program to rival any institution. To accomplish this requires a major team effort. I want to personally thank the museum’s committed and talented staff for making our exhibitions
a reality.
Gayle Petty-Johnson,
Executive Director
We have, for the past several years, passionately acquired Walter Anderson decorated Shearwater Pottery locally and from around the country. Our original intention being to bring this beautiful pottery with striking design into its original context for our family and friends to enjoy in our home. In light of the terrible events surrounding hurricane Katrina, perhaps now our endeavor will help to preserve the artistic legacy of one of America’s most gifted and intensely original artists. We are honored to share our pieces with the Walter Anderson Museum, entire Gulf Coast, and with those who loved his work.
This Shearwater Pottery collection, as a whole, displays the remarkable variety and distinctive beauty of the Anderson family’s creative expression. Consider this collection also, a celebration of the collaboration between individuals and generations of a proud, talented, and dedicated family.
Walter Anderson decorated Shearwater pottery is perfectly suited to display his genius as master of design and line. With a limited pallette, he integrated his exceptional images and powerful impressions onto the elegant three-dimensional forms created by his brother Peter. A careful observer will not only enjoy Walter Anderson’s unique portrayals but also, will find a different perspective, a hidden truth, and discover something new.
Enjoy these pieces as much as we have.
– Chris and Kristen Hogan, April 2006
Shearwater Masterpieces - The Hogan Collection
Christopher and Kristen Hogan have been collecting Shearwater pottery for the past few years to use and to enjoy. When Hurricane Katrina came, their home, along with thousands of others, was totally destroyed, but the walls and cases holding this collection remained and most of the pottery was found intact. They carefully took it out piece by piece, washed it, wrapped it, and packed it in boxes, and brought it to the Walter Anderson Museum of Art to share with the entire coast for several years. This exhibition is a celebration of that collection and its miraculous survival.Such an action was fitting and timely. Not only did most of the Hogan’s beautiful Shearwater works survive, but the Museum that was established to honor the Shearwater founders, also survived. As William Faulkner said in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech “Man will not only survive, he will endure.” The works on display here are symbolic of that endurance. A few pieces reflect the ravages of Katrina and the loss or brokenness of many other art works across the coast. But the rest stand triumphant in their elegance, their humor, and their humility.
Any collection mirrors the taste and discerning eye, and even the age of its collectors. The Hogans have built a strong core of art works from the founding generation of Andersons – Peter, Walter, and Mac - when pieces became available, and they systematically added works from later generations done more recently.
Now, the throwing and decorating has passed to the second and third generations. Peter’s son Jim is Shearwater’s potter and Jim’s son, Peter Wade, works closely with him. Peter’s daughter Patricia Findeisen has become one of the main decorators who paints symbolic, enigmatic figures, and Walter’s grandson, Chris Stebly, uses a playful linear style in his ceramic decoration and some of his paintings. Behind these few names are many other family members and friends who continue to make the business work over the years.
Often works are made from molds of some of the most striking carved pots and sculpted figures. A replica pot or figure can be cast from the mold and painted, but regardless of whether they are thrown, sculpted, or cast, each one becomes distinctive by its glaze or by its decoration. You may see more than one cat with the same form (made by Walter Anderson) but painted differently each time (by Patricia Findeisen).
 The work of a mind and hand often creates a unique and beautiful object. Sometimes these things are so powerful that we elevate them to the status of “art” or exceptional craft. However, it is the eye of the viewer (the collector or the museum) that registers the object as being significant and necessary to save for posterity. They are the other half of the circle of creativity — the appreciator, the supporter, the sustainer. Without them, the arts could not survive.
The Gulf Coast is rich with creative people, especially in the visual arts, with their works resting in homes and businesses. Many of these unique works are gone, and we mourn their passing. But they have enriched us and created a culture which focuses on the beauty found in our backyards or boat trips. Though modified for a time, these plants, animals, seas and skies still identify this part of the world, and our eyes that are so tired of the broken things will again register the artist’s vision. Then, that culture and the surviving work will become even more refreshing and fulfilling not only to us here is this place, but to the world who watches us.
– Patricia Pinson, Curator
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