Mike Jackson, Owner
Garry E. Ball
(1941-1981)
Garry E. Ball was born on January 11, 1941, in Topeka, Kansas. He was raised in Assaria, a small town south of Salina. It was there that two local potters, Paul and Lillian Bates, hired him to do odd jobs, including mixing their clay and glazes.
Garry graduated from Fort Hays State College with a degree in art education. He then taught high school art for eight years in Kansas. Ball also dabbled in silversmithing and photography but in 1973 accepted the position of head of the ceramics department at the Wichita Center for the Arts. This allowed him to devote more time to work as a full-time potter.
His work ranged from sturdy, functional stoneware pieces to delicate crystalline glazed porcelain. Ball actively involved with and exhibited at the annual Smoky Hill River Festival
Garry Ball’s work has been shown in many one-man exhibits across Kansas. His pottery is included in many private and public collections. He died of leukemia at the age of 40.