Artist

Rick Dillingham

born Lake Forest, IL 1952-died Santa Fe, NM 1994
Also known as
  • James Richard Dillingham II
Born
Lake Forest, Illinois, United States
Died
Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States
Biography

Working in New Mexico, Rick Dillingham found a source of inspiration for his ceramics in the ancient Mimbres culture. Excavations of Mimbres sites in southern New Mexico have produced beautifully painted low-fired pottery punctured with holes; archaeologists believe these pieces were ritually "killed" in order to release the inherent life force that would otherwise have been trapped in the clay or decoration. In his mature work, Dillingham would break and reassemble his ceramic forms, creating objects with a patchwork appearance. Dillingham found beauty in the commonplace and the ugly, as we see in his appropriation of the form of a gas can for this piece [Gas Can, SAAM, 1991.19.3].

Kenneth Trapp The Renwick at Twenty-Five (Washington, D.C.: National Museum of American Art, 1997).

Works by this artist (18 items)

Exhibitions

Quilt featuring the portrait of a woman
This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World
May 13, 2022April 2, 2023
This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World showcases the dynamic landscape of American craft today.