Southern Indiana Living Magazine - Sept / Oct 2023

Artists of Southern Indiana
In a rustic corner of Floyd County,
near Elizabeth, on land comprised
of forest, caves, sinkholes
and natural springs, Indiana artisan
Carl deGraaf established his
home, pottery studio and gallery in
1992.
In this out-of-the-way spot
where deGraaf lives with his wife,
M.C., where he creates pottery and
sells his wares, other activities are
brewing.
In 2017, deGraaf gifted this 94-
acre property to Indiana University
Southeast, with the stipulation that
he would continue to live there and
improve the land until his death.
IUS students and faculty, however,
are welcome to use the land now
for academic research, sustainability
efforts, natural resource and
habitat preservation, conferences,
recreation and art classes. A group
of faculty and students were recently
on site looking at sustainability
efforts; they also got an unexpected
lesson in decorating pottery.
DeGraaf, a retired IUS professor
of educational psychology,
hopes this gift of his property “will
foster practical, real-life learning
experiences that students can’t get
sitting in a classroom.”
For example, he said, “sustainability
students can learn to manage
a certified forest, geoscience
students can use the sinkholes for
hydrological research, and pottery
students can use the kilns and studio.”
DeGraaf’s rootedness in the
practical everyday world – his interest
in achieving useful objectives
– is also evident in his pottery practice.
For many contemporary ceramicists,
clay is becoming more of
a purely expressive medium – a fine
art to look at and not touch – rather
than a useful art to create functional
vessels such as cups, plates and
bowls. DeGraaf’s pottery is almost
exclusively functional. He said:
“I’m a Dutchman. My work reflects
Dutch traits like practicality and
functionality. My maternal grandfather
was a carpenter. My father
and grandfather were house painters.
That is my heritage. I am a Pottenbakker,
the Dutch word which
literally means pot baker. My pieces
have to work for a living.”
Some of deGraaf’s bowls, coffee
mugs, tumblers and plates are
used daily by him and his wife in
their kitchen. The couple have also
collected several functional pieces
26 • Sept/Oct 2023 • Southern Indiana Living
Floyd County’s Pottenbaker
Artist Karl deGraaf creates visually intriguing, useful art
of the world-famous Dutch pottery
known as Delftware, made in Delft,
Netherlands.
DeGraaf believes that a piece
of pottery is not truly finished until
it is used in daily life. His stoneware
is all safe for food and is
dishwasher- and microwave-safe.
“Handmade pottery should bring
Story by Judy Cato
Photos by Lorraine Hughes
Story and Photos by ??????
inspiring moments of artful living
to everyday routines,” deGraaf
said.
During construction, his coffee
mugs receive the most attention. “A
mug is a very personal object that
has the potential to create strong
emotional reactions for the user,”
deGraaf said. “For example, a mug