- HI.
- ELLIS PRACY: WELCOME TO THE MUSEUM.
MERRILL: THANK YOU.
ELLIS PRACY: SO COME ON IN.
SEKIMACHI: FORREST MERRILL IS BEING VERY GENEROUS.
FORREST IS A VERY DEAR FRIEND.
AND HE HAS THE MOST IN-DEPTH COLLECTION OF MY WORK OF ANYONE.
I THINK HALF THE SHOW WILL BE FROM FORREST'S COLLECTION.
HE'S JUST VERY, VERY SUPPORTIVE.
MERRILL: THIS IS ONE OF THE EARLIEST PIECES IN MY COLLECTION, AND IT SHOWS HOW KAY BEGAN
AS REALLY A RATHER TRADITIONAL WEAVER BEFORE SHE STUDIED WITH TRUDE GUERMONPREZ.
ELLIS PRACY: I THINK SHE REALIZED THAT HER LOVE OF WEAVING MEANT THAT SHE SHOULD BE MORE
ARTFUL WITH IT, AND SHE STARTED TO EXPERIMENT.
MERRILL: YES.
KAY IS CONSIDERED A FIBER ARTIST WHEN YOU PUT A LABEL ON HER.
BUT SHE CAN REALLY EXPLORE THE BREADTH OF DIFFERENT MATERIALS.
ELLIS PRACY: MM-HMM.
THIS IS A NECKLACE.
A NECKLACE.
MERRILL: YES, THIS IS A NECKLACE.
ELLIS PRACY: I WANT TO WEAR IT.
[LAUGHTER] IT'S BEAUTIFUL.
ELLIS PRACY, VOICE-OVER: THERE'S A COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE WHO LOVE ART AND PRESERVE IT AND
SHARE IT WITH MUSEUMS.
FORREST IS FABULOUS THAT WAY.
FORREST BEGAN COLLECTING WITH VERY LITTLE MONEY AS A VERY YOUNG MAN.
HE KNEW THAT HIS LIFE NEEDED TO BE FILLED WITH ART.
MERRILL: I'M NOT CONVINCED THAT "COLLECTOR" IS IN ALL SENSES OF THE WORD A POSITIVE WORD.
I'M INTERESTED IN SHARING THESE OBJECTS.
AND ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO DO THAT IS TO GET THEM INTO MUSEUMS WHERE THEY CAN BE SEEN.
I LIKE THE IDEA THAT THESE THINGS CAN HAVE A PUBLIC LIFE.
THESE PIECES WERE MADE BY VIVIKA AND OTTO HEINO.
OTTO SPECIALIZED IN MAKING LARGE POTS.
VIVIKA'S WORK REFLECTS HER GREAT INTEREST IN EXPERIMENTING WITH GLAZES.
THE HEINOS HAD THIS WONDERFUL PHRASE-- WHAT YOU GIVE AWAY, YOU KEEP FOREVER.
IT EXEMPLIFIED THEIR PHILOSOPHY OF SHARING THEIR GREAT KNOWLEDGE WITH
STUDENTS AND PEOPLE WORKING IN CERAMICS.
THIS COLLECTION IS WORK MADE BY LAURA ANDRESON WHO IN 1933 BEGAN TEACHING AT UCLA.
SHE CREATED THE CERAMIC DEPARTMENT AND THEN WORKED THERE UNTIL SHE RETIRED IN 1970.
LAURA DID A LOT OF WORK WITH CRYSTALLINE GLAZES.
THIS IS AN EARLY URANIUM PIECE, PROBABLY STILL RADIOACTIVE.
MORE URANIUM GLAZES.
AH, NOW HERE SHE HAD A SPECIAL KILN AT UCLA FOR HER LUSTER GLAZES.
AND LOOK AT THE EFFECT SHE GOT WITH THAT.
IT REALLY SPARKLES.
MERRILL, VOICE-OVER: I'M NOT PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN JUST SHOWING PRETTY THINGS.
I WANT THE WORK TO HAVE A STORY.
I WANT THE ARTIST, THROUGH THEIR WORK, TO TELL A STORY.
I WOULD LIKE THERE TO BE SOME MESSAGE OR SOME GOAL TO SHARE WITH PEOPLE THIS TOTALLY DIFFERENT
WAY OF LIFE OF LIVING WITH ART.
THE REASON THIS PIECE IS IMPORTANT TO ME IS TRUDE GUERMONPREZ WAS KAY SEKIMACHI'S TEACHER.
KAY FOUND TRUDE, AND IT JUST TURNED HER LIFE AROUND.
I MADE MY FIRST PURCHASE WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL.
I DIDN'T REALLY THINK OF COLLECTING, I ONLY THOUGHT I'LL BUY A NICE PIECE WHEREVER I GO.
BUT IT REALLY DIDN'T COME ACROSS AS A COLLECTION UNTIL I'D BEEN AT IT FOR QUITE A WHILE.
I AM FASCINATED WITH THE VESSEL FORM.
IT HAS HUMAN QUALITIES, IT HAS A SHOULDER, IT HAS A BELLY.
SOME THINGS HAVE NECKS, FEET.
WHILE I'VE COLLECTED MANY THINGS THAT ARE NOT VESSELS, I KEEP COMING BACK TO THIS FORM.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT REALLY RESONATES WITH ME.
WHENEVER SOMEONE COMES HERE TO SEE MY COLLECTION, I TAKE GREAT PLEASURE WHEN I SAY,
"HOLD THIS, FEEL IT."
THIS IS NOT A MUSEUM.
YOU CAN TOUCH IT AND NOTICE HOW THE WEIGHT IS DISTRIBUTED.
IT'S A GREAT EXPERIENCE FOR PEOPLE.
SEKIMACHI: I GOT MY PAINTING, AND I TOOK MY HOT IRON, AND I JUST PRESSED THE IMAGE ON.
MERRILL, VOICE-OVER: I WAS INTERESTED IN CRAFTSMEN AND ARTISTS WHOM I COULD MEET AND CREATE A
DIALOGUE WITH TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY WERE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH.
SEKIMACHI: AND THIS CROSSING OF THE WARP THREADS WOULD MAKE IT A NEATER FOLD.
MERRILL, VOICE-OVER: THOSE FRIENDSHIPS MEAN A GREAT DEAL TO ME AND ARE REALLY MORE IMPORTANT
THAN THE THINGS THAT SIT ON THE SHELVES.
I LIKE TO SAY, "YES, THESE THINGS ARE VERY NICE,
BUT THE REAL TREASURES ARE THE PEOPLE WHO MADE THEM."
SEKIMACHI: YEAH.
ELLIS PRACY: FORREST IS ALSO A VISIONARY, AND I LOVE VISIONARIES,
WHETHER THEY'RE SCIENTISTS, MATHEMATICIANS, ARTISTS, OR COLLECTORS,
BECAUSE THEY TAKE US FORWARD.