Up Nort h Art Watch

BEN MAIER’S ON FIRE

by PATTY LANOUE STEARNS

Functional art for your table.

Ceramicist Ben Maier took a gamble last year and bought a pricey Dutch Blaauw kiln for his Traverse City studio, hoping that the state-of-the-art oven would cut his processing time and help his business grow. Ever since, he’s been smokin’ hot.

Maier recently created a 200-piece set of his modern stoneware for Leland’s Riverside Inn—a collaboration between Maier, Riverside Chef Jeff Gong and Fernhaus Studio’s Kelsey Duda. “Riverside uses all local ingredients, and they wanted to honor the food through the dishware,” Maier says.

The 45-year-old ceramicist—who grew up on Old Mission Peninsula in Traverse City and attended an international study program in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Bates College in

Maine—employs the Japanese atmospheric method of firing raw clay. He honed his clay skills as a student in Jamaica; East Lansing; Snowmass, Colorado (Anderson Ranch); and New Bedford, Massachusetts. Maier has exhibited at shows nationwide, and his works have been showcased by Steelcase, JW Marriott and the Mercy Healthcare System, all in Grand Rapids, among others.

Maier opened his gallery 21 years ago and is constantly inventing new techniques for his pieces and partnering with many local retailers. But for Maier, 2023 has been epic. “I really pushed myself,” he says.

Benjamin Maier Ceramics is at 104 N. Main St. in Leland. maierceramics.com