Norm Schulman

Norm Schulman (October 27, 1924 - October 4, 2014) was an American ceramic artist who lived in Penland, North Carolina. He was born in New York City in 1924. He operated his own studio, Norman Schulman Studio, in Penland.

Schulman uses both intuition and inspiration. Some of his pieces reflect his social environment while others are purely his artistic reaction to the medium his visual awareness of design. He takes keen pleasure in the material he uses as well as the process, both in the making and in the firing. He uses a variety of techniques and material.

Schulman refers to his work from the 1980-1990's as “searching for poetry rather than descriptive and narrative”. Schulman commented about his recent work that ”I wanted to start all over again and get back to the essence. I’ve been working [with clay] for 50 years, and I’ve been constantly changing and developing, making one series after another. But I’ve always wanted to do what I’m doing right now...taking care of my own creative needs."

Schulman produces a range of work in ceramics. Some of his pieces are strictly functional while others are sculptural. He is more popularly known for creating complex double-walled vessels, salt-glazed porcelain pieces as well as sculpted three-dimensional paintings. He has worked and experimented with a series of work called “Arlecchino,” or Harlequin works. He considered these works part of a series that acknowledges fantasies and daydreams.

A Life in Clay was a retrospective traveling exhibit that featured the work of Schulman during his long career as a ceramic artist. The exhibit was shown at the Schein-Joseph International Museum of Ceramics Art, Alfred, New York and The Asheville Museum of Art, Asheville, North Carolina. Schulman is an important and well-respected ceramic artist, teacher and mentor. His influence spans several generations of potters in both North Carolina and around the world. His work and his willingness to mentor young ceramic students is the reason he is viewed as a highly regarded artist to both his peers and former students. His studio is located in Penland, North Carolina, near the prestigious Penland School of Crafts.

Living Treasure

In 2007, Schulman was the first person to be named a Penland School of Crafts Outstanding Artist Educator and was then Schulman was awarded the North Carolina Living Treasure Award in 2009 for his contributions to his field in ceramics. His work is in the collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum of Art and Design, and the Mint Museum of Craft & Design.

• 1950: Diploma. Parsons School of Design, New York, NY
• 1951: BS/Art, School of Education, New York University, New York, NY
• 1958: MFA, Ceramic Design, New York State College of Ceramics, Alfred, NY Teaching & Research Fellowship
• Bachelor of Science in Art from Parsons School of Design
• He earned his Master of Fine Arts in ceramic design from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 1958.

• Smoky Mountain News (29 August 2007). "Norm Schulman's ceramics kick off museum's season". Retrieved 19 March 2012. 

• 1951-1954: Packaging & Materials Handling Engineer, Wright Aero Division of Curtis Wright, Woodridge, NJ
• 1954-1956: Supervisor of Packaging Engineering, Wright Aero Division of Curtis Wright, Woodridge, NJ
• 1958-1965: Instructor of Ceramics, Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Ohio
• 1965-1976: Professor, Head of Ceramics & Glass, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island -: Visiting Artist, Fall Semester, New York State College of Ceramics, Alfred, NY -: Visiting Artist, Spring Semester, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
• 1978-1982: Norman Schulman Studio, Penland, NC
• 1982-1984: Head of Ceramics, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
• 1984–Present: Norman Schulman Studio, Penland, NC

Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Ohio Lee Hall Gallery, University of Northern Michigan, Marquette, Michigan Cooper Gallery, Newport Rhode Island New York State College of Ceramics, Alfred, New York Asheville Art Museum, Asheville, North Carolina Goldsboro Art Center, Goldsboro, North Carolina Southeast Center for Contemporary Art (with painter), Winston-Salem, North Carolina Lee Hall Gallery, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina Rowe Gallery, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina Gallery II, Sangren Hall, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan American Art Gallery, Atlanta, GA Columbus Cultural Arts Center (with 2 painters) Columbus, Ohio North Kentucky University, Highland Heights, Kentucky Gaston County Museum of Art & History, Dallas, North Carolina Chelsea Gallery, Western Carolina University, Cullawhee, North Carolina Holden Gallery, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, North Carolina Maurine Littleton Gallery, Washington, D.C. Day Dreams & Fantasies, Harper Gallery, Presbyterian College, Clinton, New Jersey

The Human Figure as Subject, Green Hill Art Gallery, Greensboro, North Carolina Ceramics: Southeast University of Georgia Gallery, Athens, Georgia NCECA Past President’s Invitational, Wichita Art Institute, Wichita, Kansas American Porcelain, Renwick Gallery, Washington, D.C. N.C. Sculpture Exhibit, North Telecom, Raleigh, North Carolina “Porcelain” SITES, Smithsonian International Traveling Exhibition, Washington D.C. “Soup, Soup, Beautiful Soup: Tureen Show”, Campbell Museum, Glassboro, New Jersey The University of Ohio Ceramics Faculty Show, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio “Porcelain”, Pewabic Pottery Museum, Detroit, Michigan “4 Artists”, Piedmont Crafts Gallery, Winston-Salem, North Carolina “Ohio Connection” Ohio Designer Craftmen’s Gallery, Columbus, Ohio “Decade of Eighties Crafts”, Piedmont Crafts Gallery, Winston-Salem, North Carolina Cedar Creek National Teapot Show, Creedmore, North Carolina Functional Potters Exhibition, Arrowmont School, Tennessee Majolica Exhibition, North Carolina Art Center, Durham, North Carolina Teapots: Contemporary Views 1992, ProArt Gallery, St. Louis, Missouri N.C. Clay 1992, Foundation Gallery, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C. Contemporary Artifacts, National Museum of Jewish History, Philadelphia, PA Penland Overlook, Asheville Art Museum, Asheville, North Carolina “The American Craft”, Trinity Art Group, Atlanta, Georgia “The Fine Art of N.C. Craft” Lee Hansley Gallery, Raleigh, N.C. Third Annual Teapot Exhibition, Craft Alliance, St. Louis, Missouri Common Borders, Rudolph Lee Gallery, Clemson University, South Carolina Working Potters Around Penland: Chester Springs Studio, Chester Springs, PA Jewish Ceremonial Art, Asheville Art Museum, Asheville, North Carolina NCECA Symposeum Show, Odyssey Gallery for Ceramic Art, Asheville, NC

1st World Congress of Craftsmen (Conference Panelist), New York City, New York; Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Kansas; Master’s Tea, Calhoun College; Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut; North Kentucky University, Highland Heights, Kentucky; University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, Montana; Asheville Art Museum Lecture series, Asheville, North Carolina.

Utilitarian Clay Conference #3, Arrowmont School of Crafts, Gatlinburg, SC

Norm Schulman lives with his wife Gloria Schulman in Penland, North Carolina.