Museum of Art

October 24, 2025 – March 21, 2026

The Museum is pleased to present the diverse and expansive collection of E. John Bullard. The exhibition will showcase around 100 works with a collection catalog that comprises all 148 pieces. The works include seminal figures in American Studio Ceramics history like Laura Andreson, Ken Ferguson, Vivika and Otto Heino, Wayne Higby, Warren MacKenzie, Akio Takamori, Marguerite Wildenhain, and many more. It also highlights various recent innovators in the field such as Mark Burns, Julia Galloway, Roberto Lugo, and Farraday Newsome.   

Most of these works are functional wares whose form, surfaces, narratives, and conceptual qualities enliven our senses. Within each work, the materials and techniques are unique, but the works are all in dialogue with various histories of making, the natural world, and regional schools and mentors. The objects span from mid-twentieth century–when studio ceramics in America became a distinct field in the arts–to those made in the 2020s, as artists combine media and styles in their incorporation with contemporary art genres.

E. John Bullard is Director Emeritus of the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) where his career as Director and CEO spanned 37 years. In retirement in the 2010s, he focused on creating a comprehensive ceramic collection which he has invested in institutions like Louisiana State University and NOMA. He has chosen to donate selections to Bates College based on our robust ceramics program led by Susan Dewsnap, Lecturer in the Department of Art & Visual Culture, who is our expert collaborator in this exciting exhibition and catalog project. Splitting his time between New Orleans and his home on Deer Isle, Maine, Bullard wishes part of his collection to have a permanent home at Bates as a representation of his love for this state and a continuation of teaching through these objects. The collection specifically features several Maine and New England artists. In dedication to use this collection for study, interns at the Bates Museum of Art have written many catalog entries.