Published in Ceramics Monthly, September 2019
“I arrived at Medalta’s BMO Artist Lodge in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, for my two-month artist residency in the coldest winter on record. Every morning at dawn in sub-zero temperatures, from my window I witnessed an elderly, surprisingly spry gentleman feeding the lame and underfed local wild deer. He turned out to be James Marshall, a living legend, a mere 200 miles north of Montana’s US border. Marshall is a polymath—his art includes drawings, ceramics, sculptures, and an established career as a brick muralist. Marshall is also an avid archeologist and heritage conservationist. He is a founding member of the Alberta Potters Association, the Alberta Craft Council, and the Friends of Medalta. The latter is the organization responsible for resurrecting and preserving the abandoned Medalta Potteries and transforming the sprawling site into a world-class museum, educational facility, and flourishing hub of local cultural festivities...”
