Erica Deichmann Gregg D.Litt. (; 23 July 1913 – 21 May 2007) was a Canadian

studio potter Studio pottery is pottery made by professional and amateur ceramists working alone or in small groups, making unique items or short runs, especially those that are not intended for daily use as crockery. Typically, all stages of manufacture are ...

. In the 1930s she and her first husband Kjeld Deichmann created Deichmann pottery, Canada's first

studio pottery Studio pottery is pottery made by professional and amateur ceramists working alone or in small groups, making unique items or short runs, especially those that are not intended for daily use as crockery. Typically, all stages of manufacture are ...

Early life

Erica Luisa Matthiesen was born in

Denmark, Wisconsin Denmark is a village in Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 2,408 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village is located within the town of New Denmark. Denmark began ...

, one of five daughters of a Danish

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

. The family returned to

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

when Erica was seven years old and she spent her childhood there. In the late 1920s the family moved to Canada and lived in

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

, where she met Kjeld Deichmann, a Danish immigrant. She married Deichmann in 1932 in

Saint John, New Brunswick Saint John () is a port#seaport, seaport city located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. It is Canada's oldest Municipal corporation, incorporated city, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign ...

, and they settled on a farm on the

Kingston Peninsula The Kingston Peninsula is a peninsula in southern New Brunswick, Canada, located between the Saint John River and the Kennebecasis River in Kings County. The peninsula was the site of the first United Empire Loyalist settlement in New Brunsw ...

near Saint John.

Art career

The Deichmanns spent a year in Europe, where Kjeld apprenticed as a potter with Axel Brüel, helping him to build a kiln, and Erica studied weaving. On their return to New Brunswick they set up a pottery studio at their home, which they called Dykelands because of the presence of several small dykes on their property. Kjeld built a wood-burning kiln in which they made their first firing in 1935. The Deichmanns were largely self-taught and perfected their production methods through constant experimentation regarding kiln design, clay composition, and glazes. Erica was responsible for inventing the glazes, of which she made over 5,000 experimental mixtures during her career as a potter. She also decorated the pottery, usually painting on the raw clay before the work was fired in the kiln, and hand-modelled fanciful miniature animal forms which she called "goofi". In 1956 the Deichmanns moved their pottery studio to Sussex, New Brunswick. Kjeld Deichmann died suddenly in June 1963. Erica closed the studio after her husband's death and stopped making pottery.

Later life

In 1964 she married the Canadian war hero, politician and diplomat

Milton Fowler Gregg Brigadier Milton Fowler Gregg, (10 April 1892 – 13 March 1978) was a Canadian military officer and a First World War recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and ...

, and was thereafter known as Erica Deichmann Gregg. She was named a member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

in 1987. The citation to her appointment noted that in addition to being an "influential, international award-winning potter", she was an active volunteer for many organizations including "the Society for the Preservation of New Brunswick's Covered Bridges, the

Beaverbrook Art Gallery The Beaverbrook Art Gallery () commonly referred to simply as The Beaverbrook, is a public art gallery in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. It is named after William Maxwell "Max" Aitken, Lord Beaverbrook, who funded the building of the gallery ...

, the Conservation council of New Brunswick and the Critical Natural Areas of New Brunswick Project". In May 1992 the

University of New Brunswick The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English language, English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universiti ...

awarded her an honorary

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...

degree. Erica Deichmann Gregg died in

Hampton, New Brunswick Hampton is a town in Kings County, New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fu ...

, on 27 May 2007. She and Kjeld Deichmann had one son and two daughters, one of whom was the novelist and poet

Elisabeth Harvor Erica Elisabeth Arendt Deichmann (26 June 1936 – 8 October 2024), known as Elisabeth Harvor, was a Canadian short story writer, poet, and novelist. Biography Harvor was born to Danish immigrant artisans in Saint John, New Brunswick and grew up ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gregg, Erica Deichmann 1913 births 2007 deaths Canadian potters Members of the Order of Canada American women potters American potters 20th-century American ceramists Canadian women ceramists American emigrants to Canada Canadian expatriates in Denmark People from Denmark, Wisconsin Canadian women potters 20th-century American women 20th-century American people 21st-century American women Ceramists from Wisconsin