OverDressed for Life

“What began as a rebellion against imported white clay more than fifty years ago is now a modern-day classic,” says Jennifer Volland, guest curator of Edith Heath: A Life in Clay on now at the Oakland Museum of California. “Edith Heath has forever changed the cultural landscape of American design through Heath Ceramics.”

What might be considered one of the first lifestyle brands, Heath Ceramics was founded in 1948 by Edith and her husband, Brian. A distinct style of tableware made of California clay, Heath products were (and still are) simple and practical. With her no-frills design, Edith was pushing back against the ornate European dishes that her mother collected. She called the clay used in fine china “gutless.”

Edith Heath: A Life in Clay is an exploration of Edith and Heath Ceramics and the impact both continue to have on American aesthetics. Using photos, advertisements, vintage Heath pieces, various equipment, and a documentary video, this exhibit takes us through Edith’s journey from childhood to artisan to designer to successful businesswoman. (And for me Heath Ceramics are so appealing with their simple chic lines and earthy colors, to look at them is like enjoying a sweet treat.)

Potter and designer Edith Heath (1911-2005) started her life (the second of eleven children) on an Iowa farm where she learned to make everything by hand, from the clothing she wore to the food she ate. She attended college in Chicago and became a teacher. When she and her husband moved to San Francisco in 1942, she attended California School of Fine Arts (known today as San Francisco Art Institute) and that’s where she learned about, and fell in love with, ceramics.

Edith was all in and not only did she study how to make pottery, she studied the elements of different clay and experimented with glazes. She was asked to exhibit at the Legion of Honor Museum where a buyer from Gump’s admired her work, bought the collection for the store, and set her up in a studio Gump’s was operating in Chinatown. But it was hard for her to keep up with the demand for her handmade wares so she soon shifted to molds and machines, which her husband designed and made himself.

Edith was criticized by her fellow artisans, who claimed that art could only be handmade, but she disagreed with them saying that it’s the design that counts and “Good design doesn’t depend on whether something is made by hand.” With new capacity to fill larger orders the couple opened their own operation, Heath Ceramics, in Sausalito.

In the 60s Edith worked with local architects and began to make tiles and in 1971 Heath Ceramics contracted with a new chain of restaurants, Victoria Station, to provide their dinnerware. This lucrative deal led to more restaurant contracts, including with the famed Chez Panisse in Berkeley. Also in the 70s, the company began to make buttons and beads, which Edith called “kiln fillers.”

I met Interior Decorator Heather Cleveland at the exhibit press preview and she shared with me that she first learned about Heath from her stylish grandmother, who always set an impressive dinner table. Heather, who is in-the-know about what’s in vogue for the modern home, says that mid-century is still hot and Heath Ceramics is the perfect fit. Heather herself has been collecting Heath for several years, one piece at a time.

She isn’t the only one! Edith sold Heath Ceramics to husband and wife team, Robin Petravic and Cathy Bailey in 2003 and the company still thrives, making Heath tableware in the original Sausalito location. Based on the response I got from my early FB and IG posts about the exhibit, Heath Ceramics is well known and loved.

Edith Heath: A Life in Clay runs now through October 30, 2022 at the Oakland Museum of California. If you know about Heath, you will learn more, and if you’re new to the world of Heath prepare to have an overwhelming desire to reset your dining table!