Ecology Krater II (Out Biking with Aunt Samantha)

Michael Frimkess, Ecology Krater II (Out Biking with Aunt Samantha), 1976, wheel-thrown and painted stoneware, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Renwick Alliance, 1998.6
Copied Michael Frimkess, Ecology Krater II (Out Biking with Aunt Samantha), 1976, wheel-thrown and painted stoneware, 26 142619 12 in. (66.865.949.5 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Renwick Alliance, 1998.6

Artwork Details

Title
Ecology Krater II (Out Biking with Aunt Samantha)
Date
1976
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
26 142619 12 in. (66.865.949.5 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the James Renwick Alliance
Mediums
Mediums Description
wheel-thrown and painted stoneware
Classifications
Keywords
  • Figure group
  • Animal
  • Architecture — vehicle — bicycle
  • Portrait female — unidentified — Samantha
Object Number
1998.6

Artwork Description

Michael Frimkess combines the Greek krater with contemporary subject matter in Ecology Krater II (Out Biking with Aunt Samantha). In the 1960s, Frimkess created a fictitious character, Uncle Sam, who was a Mormon with three wives and two sisters, one of whom was “Aunt Samantha.” Encircling the body of the krater are two bicycles built for four, carrying riders of different ages. On the neck of the pot are images of endangered animals. Frimkess calls his pottery “ethnic melting pots,” making a pun on the diverse neighborhood in East Los Angeles, where he grew up.