Gordon & Jane MARTZ

Gordon Martz and Jane Marshall met while they were students at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred NY. In 1951, they joined the Marshall Studios in Veedersburg, Indiana, founded by Jane's grandmother Jesse in 1922, and operated by the family including Jane's father Nicholas Marshall and her mother Grace, originally to produce lampshades and woodwork. For the next 38 years, the Martzes at Marshall Studios designed and produced a wide variety of functional ceramic housewares including stoneware lamps, dishes, and tiles. The bodies of their ware were formed by slip-casting, ram pressing, or jiggering, and the pieces were hand decorated. Their work was recognized by a design award from the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, which also has some of their work in its permanent collection.