Karen Karnes & M.C. Richards

During the 1950’s and early 1960’s, potters Karen Karnes, Mary Caroline (M.C.) Richards and several other artists including Mikhail Zakin, Bill Sax and Ron Probst, were interested in developing high-fire flameware clay bodies. Karnes and Richards met in 1952 at BMC during a ceramic seminar put on by Karnes and husband David Weinrib. In addition to traditional clay ingredients, materials that could withstand extreme temperature fluctuation were added to ensure the clay would withstand extreme temperature changes without expanding or cracking. Their experiments succeeded and high-fire flameware was born. The collaboration between them highlights the lasting relationships of the college even outside of the college’s time frame.