Akan

Robert Turner, Akan, 1984, wheel-thrown, glazed, and sandblasted stoneware, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of KPMG Peat Marwick, 1993.54.20
Copied Robert Turner, Akan, 1984, wheel-thrown, glazed, and sandblasted stoneware, 17 3⁄8 x 12 3⁄8 x 11 1⁄4 in. (44.2 x 31.5 x 28.6 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of KPMG Peat Marwick, 1993.54.20

Artwork Details

Title
Akan
Artist
Date
1984
Location
Dimensions
17 3⁄8 x 12 3⁄8 x 11 1⁄4 in. (44.2 x 31.5 x 28.6 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of KPMG Peat Marwick
Mediums
Mediums Description
wheel-thrown, glazed, and sandblasted stoneware
Classifications
Object Number
1993.54.20
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1993.54.20

Artwork Description

Robert Turner created many vessels inspired by his travels through Africa in the 1970s. This piece reflects the circular houses of West Africa’s Akan communities, with their domelike roofs and the smoke holes covered by “black and charred” pots that caught Turner’s eye. He added long, thin pieces of clay to the surface so that they “move” around the pot as if  “in a dance, spanning space like a bridge.” (Turner, “Born Remembering,” The Studio Potter, June 1982)