David Hunt

My first pottery teacher, David Hunt, used to come into his ceramics classes in college and give an inspirational talk that related to an assignment. We didn’t really know when it was coming, so we were always surprised and excited when he sat us down for his talks. After he finished, he would then simply go back to his office giving his students the space to work on their own. We were fired up, though we didn’t get much technical information. We learned to figure it out and think about how to execute our vision on our own. In workshops in this country are often taught in the opposite way. They are a chain of demonstrations of how to do things. Both are inspiring, but in different ways. Both are good and needed, but what David did was something rare and true to the spirit of an artist. David Hunt wasn’t a “how to” teacher, but he inspired his students deeply through stories and who he was. Those who sort to get techniques, went out their own to get what they needed, just like how they figured out how to do their assignments. Out of his classes, nationally known potters emerged, and numerous professional potters and teachers. He taught human beings and the heart and soul of pottery making. That lit in many, a fire that’s inextinguishable for the rest of their lives.