Donald Lester Reitz (November 7, 1929 – March 19, 2014) was an American ceramic artist, recognized for inspiring a reemergence of

salt glaze pottery Salt-glaze or salt glaze pottery is pottery, usually stoneware, with a glaze of glossy, translucent and slightly orange-peel-like texture which was formed by throwing common salt into the kiln during the higher temperature part of the firing p ...

in United States. He was a teacher of

ceramic art Ceramic art is art made from ceramic materials, including clay. It may take forms including artistic pottery, including tableware, tiles, figurines and other sculpture. As one of the plastic arts, ceramic art is one of the visual art ...

at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...

from 1962 until 1988. During this period, he adapted the pottery firing technique developed in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, which involved pouring salt into the pottery kiln during the firing stage. The method was taught in European ceramic art schools, but largely unknown in United States studio pottery. In 1982, Reitz was in a serious car accident involving a truck and was hospitalized for several months. While recovering from his injury, he began to create a series of ceramic pieces that came to be known by a collective name, ''Sara Period.'' In 2007, Reitz suffered a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which m ...

and would undergo close to a dozen surgeries, including a

valve replacement Valve replacement surgery is the replacement of one or more of the heart valves with either an artificial heart valve or a bioprosthesis ( homograft from human tissue or xenograft e.g. from pig). It is an alternative to valve repair. __TOC__ Proc ...

. He continued producing works with the help of studio assistants. Reitz died on March 19, 2014, at the age of 84 of heart failure and was eulogized by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' and the

American Craft Council The American Craft Council (ACC) is a national non-profit organization that champions craft based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded in 1943 by Aileen Osborn Webb, the council hosts national craft shows and conferences, publishes a quarterly maga ...

. His works are featured in several museums including the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

American Museum of Ceramic Art The American Museum of Ceramic Art (AMOCA) is an art museum for ceramic art, located in Pomona, California. Founded in 2003 as a nonprofit organization, the museum exhibits historic and contemporary ceramic artwork from both its permanent collect ...

, and

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 paintings and more than 450,000 works ...

Early life and education

Pitcher, Coffee Pot, and Teapot, Don Reitz, 1962 (cropped)

Reitz was born on November 7, 1929, in

Sunbury, Pennsylvania Sunbury is a city and county seat of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in Central Pennsylvania's Susquehanna Valley on the east bank of the Susquehanna River, just downstream of the confluence of its main and wes ...

, just over a week after

Black Tuesday The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange colla ...

. He was raised in

Belvidere, New Jersey Belvidere is a town in Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the town's population was 2,681, and graduated from Belvidere High School in 1948. In 1948, he enlisted in the United States Navy, and served for five years as a diver. He later had several other occupations including working as a butcher. He spent his days as a butcher and would paint at night. He attended college utilizing the

G.I. Bill The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, bu ...

. He went to Kutztown State Teachers College, where he studied

abstract expressionism Abstract expressionism is a post–World War II art movement in American painting, developed in New York City in the 1940s. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve international influence and put New York at the center of the ...

and only discovered his passion for working on the

potter's wheel In pottery, a potter's wheel is a machine used in the shaping (known as throwing) of clay into round ceramic ware. The wheel may also be used during the process of trimming excess clay from leather-hard dried ware that is stiff but malleable, ...

in his last semester. He graduated from the college in 1957 with a bachelor's degree in

art education Visual arts education is the area of learning that is based upon the kind of art that one can see, visual arts—drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, and design in jewelry, pottery, weaving, fabrics, etc. and design applied to more practi ...

. Reitz went on to attend

New York State College of Ceramics The New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University (NYSCC) is a statutory college of the State University of New York located on the campus of Alfred University, Alfred, New York. There are a total of 616 students, including 536 undergrad ...

Alfred University Alfred University is a private university in Alfred, New York. It has a total undergraduate population of approximately 1,600 students. The university hosts the New York State College of Ceramics, which includes The Inamori School of Engineerin ...

. At first, his work involved functional pieces in the "

modernist Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

-style." Reitz graduated from Alfred with a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1962.

Career

Trophy Bowl, Don Reitz, salt-glazed stoneware ca

After graduating from the College of Ceramics, Reitz began teaching at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He took over teaching ceramics, a position that had become available when

Harvey Littleton Harvey Littleton (June 14, 1922 – December 13, 2013) was an American glass artist and educator, one of the founders of the studio glass movement; he is often referred to as the "Father of the Studio Glass Movement". Born in Corning, New York ...

, the previous ceramics teacher, had instead began a glass program at the University. Early in this period, Reitz began exploring other forms of pottery, moving beyond the functional

tableware Tableware is any dish or dishware used for setting a table, serving food, and dining. It includes cutlery, glassware, serving dishes, and other items for practical as well as decorative purposes. The quality, nature, variety and number of obj ...

. At Alfred University, he was exposed to and began experimenting with

. The method results in brownish "luminous colors and a sparkling surface." He taught the method at the University and popularized it. Some art historians like Martha Drexler Lynn and fellow potters like

Phil Rogers Philip John Rogers (born 24 April 1971) is a former breaststroke swimmer who competed in three consecutive Summer Olympics for Australia, starting in 1992. He was an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder. At his Olympic debut he w ...

have called him a pioneer of salt glaze in United States

studio pottery Studio pottery is pottery made by professional and amateur artists or artisans working alone or in small groups, making unique items or short runs. Typically, all stages of manufacture are carried out by the artists themselves.Emmanuel Cooper, ...

In 1977, he was named a Fellow of the

. Two salt-glazed pieces, "Tie Down Salt Glazed Covered Jar" (1980) and "Large Pitcher" (no known date) are held by the

. In 1982, Reitz was involved in a serious truck accident. He was hospitalized for several months, at which time, he began a mail correspondence with his niece Sara. His niece, who was receiving treatment for cancer, would send him get-well cards that contained pictures she had drawn. Reitz began incorporating her drawings in his ceramics, "tracing them into large platters of clay" and other ceramic vessels. His series of works during this time came to be known as the ''Sara Period.'' Reitz would say of the series, "The Sara series is very important. It was a healing series, a spiritual series, and we both valued it so much." "I never did any drawings of figures in clay until the Sara series. That, I think, started the drawing, the real drawing, and that was actually by accident when Sara and I were both healing each other." His niece would recover and he would continue to create ceramics well into the 21st century. Several pieces from this period are held at the Lacoste Gallery in

Concord, Massachusetts Concord () is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. At the 2020 census, the town population was 18,491. The United States Census Bureau considers Concord part of Greater Boston. The town center is near where the confl ...

Later years

Later in the 1980s and 90s, he became involved with wood firing ceramics as a collaboration with several artists, traveling to many ceramics studios to utilize different

kiln A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects made from clay int ...

s for their varied effects. In 1988, he retired from the University of Wisconsin, but continued to work at his private studio in

Clarkdale, Arizona Clarkdale (Yavapai: Saupkasuiva) is a town in Yava