Ball, Carleton F.

Fredrick Carlton Ball was born April 2, 1911 in Sutter Creek, California. Ball was the grandson of a gold rush pioneer, and had his first lessons in art from a civil war veteran. Prior to turning his attention to pottery and ceramics in the late 1920s, he spent time in the local mines, wiring explosive charges and packing them into blast holes. He was also a recognized prize fighter, known as "California Gene Tunney." However, his first major area of study as a graduate student was fresco painting. He would later shift his focus to ceramics and jewelry making. Ball went on to teach ceramics at several colleges for over 40 years. This included the California College of Arts and Crafts, SOuthern Illinois University, the University of Puget Sound, Mills College, Oakland, and the University of Southern California. He also taught at Tacoma Community College, where he was named artist in residence. During his time at TCC, Ball helped intermediate and advanced ceramics students with their work. Ball's sculptures, jewelry, and pottery art have been on display in nearly forty states and a dozen countries, including Denmark, Morocco, and Japan. He has displayed his art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Smithsonian Museum. He has won first prizes at numerous regional, national, and international exhibitions. Fredrick Ball also owned and operated the Old Town Potters, a professional pottery studio, school, and store in Tacoma, Washington. F. Carlton Ball was an accomplished author as well. He wrote four volumes and more than 150 articles on ceramics. He died in Tacoma, Washington on June 5, 1992.