"Coming into being, the work of art, this very pot, creates relations relations between nature and culture, between the individual and society, between utility and beauty. Governed by desire, the artist s work answers questions of value. Is nature favored, or culture? Are individual needs or social needs more important? Do utilitarian or aesthetic concerns dominate in the transformation of nature?" from the Introduction

The Potter s Art discusses and illustrates the work of modern masters of traditional ceramics from Bangladesh, Sweden, various parts of the United States, Turkey, and...

Irish Christmas mumming, the subject of this carefully researched and beautifully written book, is approached in Part I through the recollections of four old people of the hamlet of Ballymenone who recall the mumming from their youth. In Part II, the author examines the form and function of the mummers' play, showing that contrary to the theories of some folklorists it is not a truncated fragment of a much larger whole but a complete "presentational" statement. He shows how the mummers' play functioned as a means of drawing the community closer together and as an expression of dangers and...