Edith Heath facts for kids

Edith Kiertzner Heath (born May 24, 1911 – died December 27, 2005) was an American artist who worked with clay. She was known as a studio potter and started her own company, Heath Ceramics. This company became famous for its modern ceramic dishes, called "Heathware," and special tiles for buildings. Heath Ceramics is still making beautiful pieces today in Sausalito, California, more than 70 years after it began in 1948.

Edith Heath's Early Life and Learning

An example of Edith Heath's ceramic work: a covered jar.

Edith Kiertzner was born on May 24, 1911, in Ida Grove, Iowa. Her parents, Niels and Karoline Kiertzner, had moved to America from Denmark.

In 1931, Edith started studying at the Chicago Normal School, which later became Chicago Teachers College. She graduated in 1934. After that, she took classes at the Art Institute of Chicago. This is where she took her first class in working with ceramics. She also learned from a famous designer named László Moholy-Nagy at his Chicago School of Design. In 1938, Edith married Brian Heath.

How Edith Heath Developed Her Ceramics

Edith and Brian moved to San Francisco. Edith became an art teacher at the Presidio Hill School. She also took classes at the California School of Fine Arts. In these classes, she started to create her own special clay mixture. She used this mixture many times in her later work.

Edith loved working with clay. She wanted more time to use the pottery equipment. So, she turned an old treadle sewing machine into her own pottery wheel! This showed how dedicated she was to her art.

In 1943, she learned about eutectics. This is a science that studies how different materials, like metals, mix with clay. Edith experimented a lot. She mixed different metals into her clay to make it stronger or look different. She also tried many types of clay from California. She found that clay from the Sierra mountains was best because it could handle very high heat.

Edith's constant experiments made her an expert. She knew how different clays would change the look of her pottery. She also created her own unique glazes. One of her famous glazes was a speckled one, which was very new and exciting at the time.

In 1944, Edith had her first big art show at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor. She also showed her work at the Syracuse Ceramic Nationals, a major event for ceramic artists.

Heath Ceramics Company

A buyer from a famous San Francisco store called Gumps saw Edith's work. They asked her to make her high-quality, handmade pottery for their store. Edith said yes and used Gumps' pottery studio, while also working in her own.

Soon, other big stores wanted her dishes. This meant Edith needed to find ways to make many pieces from her designs, not just one by one. In 1948, she opened her own company, Heath Ceramics, in Sausalito, California. By 1949, her company was making 100,000 pieces of pottery each year!

Edith Heath passed away on December 27, 2005, at her home in Tiburon, California. In 2003, Robin Petravic and Catherine Bailey bought Heath Ceramics. The company continues to make beautiful pottery today.

Heath Tableware Designs

One of Edith Heath's most popular dish sets is the "Coupe" line. It has been made continuously since 1948. The colors and textures of the glazes have changed over time, but the design remains popular.

Other dish lines include "Rim," designed in 1960, and "Plaza," designed in the 1980s. The "Rim" line had an unglazed edge. Restaurants liked it because the rim made the dishes easy to carry and stack.

Tiles for Buildings

The outside of the Norton Simon Museum, showing the special tiles made by Edith Heath.

Edith Heath also made special tiles for buildings. The Pasadena Art Museum, now called the Norton Simon Museum, in Pasadena, California, used her tiles. This museum was designed by architects Thornton Ladd and John Kelsey.

The museum's unique curved outside walls are covered with 115,000 glazed tiles. These tiles are in different shades of brown and have a wavy surface. Edith Heath made all of them. These tiles are often seen by people watching the New Year's Rose Parade. For this amazing work, Edith was given the Industrial Arts Medal by the American Institute of Architects. It was the first time this award was given to someone who was not an architect.

Edith also worked with other famous architects like Eero Saarinen, Alexander Girard, Kevin Roche, and William Pereira.

Exhibits and Documentaries

Edith Heath's life and work have been featured in many places:

• In 2019, the public TV station KCET made a documentary about her. It was called Heath Ceramics: The Making of a California Classic. The film explored her history and lasting influence. It won an award from the LA Press Club.
• Edith Heath: Tabletop Modernist was an exhibit at the Pasadena Museum of California Art from May to September 2009.
• Edith Heath: A Life in Clay was an exhibit at the Oakland Museum of California from January to October 2022.

Awards Edith Heath Received

• AIA Industrial Arts Medal from the American Institute of Architects, 1971