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About Robert Chapman Turner
- Robert Chapman Turner (July 22, 1913 – July 26, 2005) was an American potter known for his functional pottery, sculptural vessels and inspired teaching. Born in Port Washington, New York, Turner attended Swarthmore College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1936.
- He then studied painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 1949.
- Turner established the studio pottery program at Black Mountain College in North Carolina between 1949 and 1951.
- Later he returned to Alfred Station, establishing himself as a studio potter.
- In 1958, he joined the Alfred University faculty, where he remained until his retirement as Professor Emeritus of Ceramic Art in 1979. Like many studio potters, Turner began his career producing functional ceramics.
- During the late 1960s, Turner turned to nonfunctional explorations of the vessel tradition.
- His many honors include an honorary doctorate in fine art from Swarthmore, the American Craft Council Gold medal, and the Member of Honor of the International Academy of Ceramics.
- The Milwaukee Art Museum organized a retrospective of his ceramics career, which toured from 1985 to 1987.
- Turner was also honored by the establishment of the Robert C.
- Turner Chair in Ceramic Art at Alfred University, now occupied by the well-known potter and ceramics teacher Wayne Higby.
- He died July 26, 2005, in Sandy Spring, Maryland.
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