Kyllikki Salmenhaara (14 July 1915 – 13 July 1981) was a Finnish ceramicist, and one of the leading ceramic artists and designers of the post-war period internationally.

Education

Salmenhaara finished secondary school in 1937, and went on to study ceramics design at the Central School of Industrial Arts (''Taideteollisuuskeskuskoulu'', now part of the

Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture; ; ), was formed of two separate schools: the faculty of architecture (previously part of the Helsinki University of Technology) and the University of Art and Design Helsinki (UIAH, known in ...

), graduating in 1943. In 1946, she travelled to Denmark to continue her studies under Nathalie Krebs. In 1956, she was awarded a scholarship to further her studies at the

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

in New York, USA.

Career

As designer

Salmenhaara was hired straight after her graduation from ''Taideteollisuuskeskuskoulu'' by a now-defunct glass manufacturer, . From there she moved in 1947 to the leading Finnish ceramics manufacturer,

Arabia The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world. Geographically, the ...

, where she remained for nearly 15 years. Salmenhaara's design philosophy was rooted in pottery as a craft, which she emphasised with down-to-earth shapes, rough, rustic surfaces, and often random, almost 'accidental' glazing and colouring. Among her signature designs are large, shallow bowls, and tall, narrow vases.

As teacher

Having injured her hand in throwing clay, Salmenhaara had to scale back her design work, and focused in her later career on teaching instead. She held a number of academic positions, teaching ceramic design at her ''

alma mater Alma mater (; : almae matres) is an allegorical Latin phrase meaning "nourishing mother". It personifies a school that a person has attended or graduated from. The term is related to ''alumnus'', literally meaning 'nursling', which describes a sc ...

'' from 1963 onwards, later heading up the ceramics department, and in 1970 was the first industrial designer to be tenured there as Professor, a position she however had to retire from for health reasons after only three years. In the early 1960s, she was a senior lecturer and consultant in ceramic industrial design at the Ceramic Trading Institute in Taiwan, and returned to the country as the director of the Taiwanese school of modern ceramics in the early 1970s. She would have stayed in Taiwan longer, but was persuaded by her fellow designers

Kaj Franck Kaj Gabriel Franck (9 November 1911 – 26 September 1989) was one of the leading figures of Finnish design and an influential figure in design and applied arts between 1940 and 1980. Franck was born in Vyborg, Grand Duchy of Finland to parents ...

and

Armi Ratia Armi Maria Ratia née Airaksinen (13 July 1912 – 3 October 1979) was the co-founder of the Finnish textile and clothing company Marimekko Oy. She is among Finland's most famous female entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extra ...

to return to Finland, for a teaching position at the Finnish National Gallery,

Ateneum Ateneum is an art museum in Helsinki, Finland and one of the three museums forming the Finnish National Gallery. It is located in the centre of Helsinki on the south side of Rautatientori square close to Helsinki Central railway station. It has ...

. Salmenhaara also held positions as visiting lecturer or professor at several North American universities in the 1960-70s, including at the

University of Saskatchewan The University of Saskatchewan (U of S, or USask) is a Universities in Canada, Canadian public university, public research university, founded on March 19, 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatch ...

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

Sheridan College Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, formerly Sheridan College of Applied Arts and Technology, is a public polytechnic institute partnered with private Canadian College of Technology and Trades operating campuses ...

, Alfred University and

Albion College Albion College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Albion, Michigan. The college was founded in 1835 and its undergraduate population was approximately 1,500 students as of Fall 2021 ...

. She was known as a demanding, but also motivating and encouraging, teacher, who gave her students honest feedback, both positive and negative. She was highly regarded for her comprehensive knowledge of every aspect of ceramics design and craft.

Awards and honours

At the Milan Triennial exhibitions of art and design, Salmenhaara won silver medal in

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...

, honourable mention in

1954 Events January * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head ...

, the ''Grand Prix'' in

1957 Events January * January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany. * January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch. * January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricke ...

, and gold in

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

. In 1961, Salmenhaara was awarded the ' medal of the

Order of the Lion of Finland Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

. Her book ''Keramiikka'' ( 'Ceramics') (Helsinki: Otava, 1974; ) won the Finnish state award for industrial design in 1975.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Salmenhaara, Kyllikki Finnish ceramists Finnish industrial designers 1915 births 1981 deaths People from Tyrnävä Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture alumni Academic staff of the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture Pro Finlandia Medals of the Order of the Lion of Finland