I actually just received a very nice email from Laura Ackerman Shaw, the daughter of California ceramicists Evelyn and Jerome Ackerman. The Ackermans are currently the subject of a the Masters of Mid-Century California Modernism Exhibit at the Mingei Museum in San Diego’s Balboa Park. We recently got a chance to check out the exhibition and were amazed by the breadth of design and artwork that the pair has turned out over the years.

Laura wrote to say that her parents have a new website up, and I highly recommend anyone interested in their work who didn’t get a chance to visit the exhibition to check it out. It’s located at: ackermanmodern.com and features wonderful photos and history.

I think there are a huge number of people who would really enjoy the Ackermans’ work. It’s still pretty amazing that their work is not known on a wider basis. They’ve really flown under the radar, but now that the whole Mid-Century Modern thing has gained so much popularity, I think it’s only a matter of time before they gain wider recognition. I’m just waiting until we see an Ackerman piece or two on Mad Men! My wife and I feel like they are like Charles and Ray Eames, but their work has less of an industrial beauty and more of a warm, folksy, quirky and down-to-earth quality. (I believe quite a few people have been quoted as saying something similar.)

Their exhibit at the Mingei is currently running until January 10, 2010. They were also the recipients of 2008 Henry Award for Excellence in Design from the Museum of California Design. In addition to a LA Times article, there’s also a nice article in the June/July issue of American Craft that you might want to check out. Also, as I’ve previously mentioned, if your local library has copies of the museum book series California Design, the Ackermans are featured in EVERY issue from 1955 to 1976.