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Contemporary Japanese
Sculptural Ceramics
''Halsey and Alice, you have played, and continue to play, a unique role internationally as advocates for the ceramic artists of contemporary Japan and their accomplishments, focusing the attention of collectors, dealers, and museums and profoundly transforming the awareness of this field of art.''
Julian Raby, Director, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, May 18, 2012.
NEW BOOK: Listening to Clay: Conversations with Contemporary Japanese Ceramic Artists
Halsey and Alice are collectors, patrons, and students of contemporary Japanese ceramics. Since 1994, they have worked with the ceramic artists and with curators from the Freer|Sackler Galleries; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (The Met); and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA Boston) to research, document, and contextualize their collection.
A primary focus of their collecting and advocacy has been to introduce new audiences to this art form. Works from their collection were featured in the pathbreaking exhibition held in Boston and New York, Contemporary Clay: Japanese Ceramics for the New Century, which introduced many people to contemporary Japanese ceramics and created a new coterie of collectors who play a critical role in supporting Japanese artists and spurred a high level of interest by the press and other institutions in this country and Europe.
Halsey and Alice have donated ceramics from their collection to numerous museums, notably The Met. The Met also houses the database, archives, and library for their collection, helping to create a world-class center for the study and appreciation of contemporary Japanese ceramics.
Donated Ceramics on view at
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
| ongoing | Contemporary Japanese Ceramics in Historical Context, Gallery 202, Great Hall Balcony (opened 9-24-2018) |
| to 1-31-2021 | Kyoto: Capital of Artistic Imagination, display in Gallery 232, Arts of Japan |
| to 9-23-2018 | Contemporary Japanese Ceramics in Global Context, Gallery 202, Great Hall Balcony (opened 10-19-2015) |
| starting 2013 | Individual works on view in other exhibitions at The Met, beginning with Brush Writing in the Arts of Japan, 8-17-2013 to 1-12-2014 |
Donated Ceramics on view at
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
| to 7-28-2025 | Tender Loving Care: Contemporary Art from the Collection Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art, Level 2 (opened 7-22-2023) |
| to 2-18-2024 | Tiny Treasures: The Magic of Miniatures Charlotte F. and Irving W. Rabb Gallery, Gallery 155 (opened 7-1-2023) |
Contemporary Japanese Sculptural Ceramics
highlights, starting with the most recent:
| 2007-2020 | With Louise Cort (Curator Emerita of Ceramics, Freer|Sackler) researched in Japan and the United States and wrote Listening to the Clay: Conversations with Contemporary Japanese Ceramic Artists (publication pending). |
| 2013 | The exhibition New Blue and White, MFA, Boston, included works from the Halsey and Alice North collection. |
| 2011-13 | The exhibition Reinventing the Wheel: Japanese Ceramics 1930-2000, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, included a gift from Halsey and Alice North. |
| 2011-12 | The exhibition An Unspoken Dialogue with Japanese Tea, MFA Boston, included works from the Halsey and Alice North collection. |
| 2011 | With Louise, wrote “A Conversation with Fukami Sueharu” published in Fukami: Purity of Form by Andreas Marks, Editor, Hanford, CA: The Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture, 2011, pages 40-51. |
| 2011 | The exhibition Birds of Dawn: Pioneers of Japan's Sōdeisha Ceramic Movement at Joan B Mirviss LTD, New York, NY, included six works from the Halsey and Alice North Collection. |
| 2011 | Purchased rare, pivotal work by Sōdeisha founder Yagi Kazuo (1918-1979), Direction of the Wind – Unglazed Clay Pipes (Fūi – Yakishime paipu), 1955. In 2017, donated the work to The Met. |
| 2010s | In their Upper West Side apartment, led tours of their collection for groups from thirteen museums and, when artists came to NYC, hosted dinners, enabling artists to meet collectors, museum curators, journalists, gallerists, and other clay artists from across America. |
| 2009 | Guest curated Breaking from Tradition: Japanese Ceramics Today at Harvey / Meadows Gallery, Aspen, CO; lectured at the Gallery and at Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass, CO. |
| 2008-09 | The exhibition Celebrating Kyoto: Modern Arts from Boston's Sister City, MFA Boston, included fourteen works from the Halsey and Alice North collection. |
| 2007 | Advised Nishi Maya, researcher, writer, and co-curator of the exhibition Soaring Voices, Japanese Women Ceramic Artists, which traveled to fourteen museums in Japan, France, and the United States. |
| 2005-2007 | Collaborated with Joe Earle to organize the exhibition and write the catalogue Contemporary Clay: Japanese Ceramics for the New Century at the MFA Boston (2005-6), introducing the Halsey and Alice North collection. Extensive coverage by magazines and newspapers introduced new audiences to this art form. An expanded exhibition of Contemporary Clay: Japanese Ceramics for the New Century appeared at NYC's Japan Society (2006-7). During and after Contemporary Clay, lectured on contemporary Japanese ceramics at the two exhibition sites as well as in other museums, universities, galleries, and art centers. The 2005-6 MFA Boston exhibition included fifty-one works from the Halsey and Alice North Collection; the 2006-7 Japan Society exhibition included sixty-four works. |
| 2004 | Returned to Japan to visit artists and augment the collection for the MFA Boston exhibition, traveling with independent curator Nishi Maya. |
| 2003 | Lectured about contemporary Japanese ceramics at the MFA Boston. Asked by Joe Earle, Department Chair, to work with him to create an exhibition and catalogue based on their collection. |
| 2001 | Expanded the scope of their collection by purchasing works by artists they had not met personally, beginning with works by early members of Sōdeisha. |
| 1999 | Produced and coordinated the North Group/Japan Society tour focused on postwar avant-garde contemporary sculptural ceramics led by Kyoto-based Yagi Sakiyo, daughter-in-law of Yagi Kazuo, a founder of the Sōdeisha group. |
| 1995 | Produced and coordinated the North Group/Japan Society ceramics-focused tour led by Jeff Shapiro, accomplished ceramic artist who lived and studied in Bizen. |
| 1994 | With Louise Cort, accompanied Koyanagi Atsuko, Gallery Koyanagi, Tokyo, to visit ceramic artists in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hagi. |
| 1991 | Produced and coordinated the North Group/Japan Society ceramics-focused tour led by Leila Philip, potter, teacher, and author of The Road Through Miyama. |
| 1989 | Produced and coordinated the North Group/Japan Society tour led by Patricia Massy Towyama, author of Japanese Crafts and the People Who Make Them. |
| 1988 | Started visiting Japan regularly to meet ceramics artists in their own environments, learn about their art, get their advice, purchase their work, and prepare for upcoming North Group/New York's Japan Society tours. |
| 1987 | Attended New York's Japan Society Symposium Historic Japanese Kilns and Contemporary American Potters and met Louise Cort, Curator of Ceramics, Freer|Sackler. |
| 1986 | Five-week trip to Japan to visit craft artists. Purchased first museum-quality Japanese ceramic directly from the artist, Shimaoka Tatsuzō (1919-2007). |
| 1970s-80s | Collected North Carolina and New York State ceramics. Donated that collection to Mint Museum of Craft+Design, Charlotte, NC, 1993. |
| Note: Japanese names appear family name first followed by given name. | |
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The North Group Inc.
1987-2018
Halsey and Alice also headed The North Group Inc. as Chairman and President, respectively, from 1987 to 2018, providing an integrated approach to planning, board development, and fundraising for nonprofit performing arts centers and historic theaters across the country. They led the 1988-90 Advancement Programs for the National Endowment for the Arts, guiding teams of consultants working with 100 arts groups across America. Over the years, their national perspective enabled them to share “best practices” around the country. They have been active in the League of Historic American Theatres and the Association of Performing Arts Professionals as board members, teachers, volunteers, board emeritus, and honorary lifetime members. They have received numerous awards for their leadership and service in the field of performing arts management, including an award named for them — the Halsey & Alice North Award — presented annually by the Association of Performing Arts Professionals.
Prior to 1987 Founding of
The North Group Inc.
Halsey:
| 1983-87 | Executive Director, NYC Cultural Council Foundation | 1980-83 | Vice President, C.W. Shaver & Company, fundraising firm, NYC |
| 1979-80 | Director, Corporate Contributions, Philip Morris Companies (Altria Group, Inc.) |
| 1976-79 | Executive Director, Charlotte Arts & Science Council; opened Charlotte's Spirit Square Cultural Center, an anchor for revitalization of Charlotte's downtown, NC |
| 1974-76 | Executive Director, North Carolina Arts Council, Raleigh, NC |
| 1971-74 | Managing Producer, Little Theatre of Winston-Salem, NC |
| 1974 | Arts Management Program, Harvard University, MA |
| 1971 | MBA performing arts management, Rollins College, Winter Park, FL |
| 1970 | BA economics, Earlham College, Richmond, IN |
Alice:
| 1984-88 | Vice President, First National Bank of Chicago (now JPMorgan Chase) |
| 1982-84 | Vice President, Citibank, N.A. |
| 1977-82 | Assistant Vice President, North Carolina National Bank (now Bank of America) |
| 1977 | MBA finance/international business, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill |
| 1973 | MA United States history, University of North Carolina-Greensboro |
| 1969-1971 | Administrative Director, Earlham College Japan Study Program —faculty/ student exchange, Great Lakes Colleges Association/Waseda University |
| 1969 | BA East Asian history/Japanese language, Earlham College, Richmond, IN |
| 1967-1968 | Junior year at Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan |
| 1965 | Guide, 1965 New York World’s Fair, NYC |
| 1964 | AFS exchange student, Miyagi Gakuin high school, Sendai, Japan |