Robert Winokur

Robert Winokur’s early work focused on functional ceramic pieces, and he was considered one of the pioneers of the salt glaze technique. After taking a teaching position at Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Pennsylvania, he shifted to creating more sculptural pieces that retained a sense of function. He explored architectural forms as a type of vessel, and houses became a recurring symbol in his work. He took particular interest in the simplicity and innocence of children’s drawings, and his work was imbued with a sense of humor and wonder.

Winokur was the recipient of numerous awards during his career. He was named an honorary fellow of the National Council on Educators in the Ceramic Arts, received a Fellowship in Crafts from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, was inducted into the American Craft Council College of Fellows, and was selected for an oral history interview for the Archives of American Art Oral History Program at the Smithsonian Institution.

Winokur’s work is held in collections around the globe, including the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, Massachusetts; The Hermitage State Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia; the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, Renwick Collection in Washington, DC the Louvre in Paris, France; the Houston Museum of Fine Art, Texas; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California; and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania.

A film interview of Winokur by John Thornton was created in 2012 in conjunction with the exhibition Creative Hand, Discerning Heart: Story, Symbol, Self at the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

Winokur received a BFA from Tyler School of Art at Temple University (PA) and an MFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University.