INTRODUCTION

This account of the ceramic sculptor, Ben Sams, features his own photographs, videos, and writings. They uniquely reveal and document his views about his life and art.

The first section, Artist and Art, presents an overview of Sams’ life and art. It includes a video based on a television interview. The remainder of the website extensively supplements it and also serves as a repository. The second and third sections, Montana Art and Washington Art, present art he produced in the two main phases of his life and art, that in Montana and later in Washington. Together they comprise a comprehensive, though incomplete, archive of his work. Featured Art, features a revealing analysis of an artwork by Sams himself, and two topical galleries. Sams Himself presents four videos, derived from television programs, and several of his writings. A biography by Cynthia Sams and a current resume are presented in Biographical. An invited commentary by the noted artist, John Armstrong, a classmate of Sams at the University of Montana, as well as a number of reviews of exhibits are presented in Commentary. I offer a concluding note and acknowledgements in Conclusion.

The artwork on the opening page of the site, The Juggler, is pictured in LaMar Harrington's book, Ceramics in the Pacific Northwest, a History, 1979, page 105. A bowl from the collection of Arlene Schnitzer is featured on page 9.

Note: almost all images of artworks may be enlarged and any available information about them displayed by clicking on them. Videos and most enlarged images may be further enlarged in Full Screen mode.

Robert Dale