It seemed fitting to begin by showing the work of Tom Rohr, who lived in Winnipeg from 1998 to 2000. In this brief period, Tom and his wife Kathryn Finnerty, who was teaching ceramics at the University of Manitoba at the time, left an indelible mark on our students and on the Manitoba ceramics community. It is an honour to be able to show a small sampling of Tom’s legacy in Case Study No. 1. Thank-you to Chris Pancoe, Remo Mamaril, Pancho Puelles, and Michael Zajac for lending their beautiful Rohr works.
In Tom Rohr: Potter, Craftsman and Bon Vivant by Lisa Favero, curator and art historian, London, UK, she states “Fire was in Tom’s heart. It fueled his indefatigable energy, his warmth and unfailing commitment to people and to the projects he undertook. . . . he had a desire to take life in and the rare innate ability to bring it all harmoniously together. Tom shared his love of the tactile and his knowledge of the body, his grounding in his own body, with us through his pottery.”
Sadly, Tom passed away in 2009, but his legacy lives on in his remarkable pottery. An opening for the Tom Rohr exhibit took place on Friday, February 8, and his work will remain on view until February 28, 2013.