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When Marguerite Wildenhain first arrived at Pond Farm in the summer of 1942, there was nothing there except an old barn where she and Gordon Herr decided that her workshop would be located. They cleaned out the barn and made it habitable using scrap and salvage because building materials were difficult to acquire during World War II. While she worked on converting the barn, Wildenhain camped outside under walnut trees and cooked on a small sheepherder-stove. After a few months, Herr built a small cabin for her that she described being “like a ship’s cabin, one single room, 12 x 20 feet, one cold water faucet in the kitchen-nook, and a space for a three burner gas plate.” There was no electricity; she had butane gas, and for light and heat, Wildenhain used kerosene. Throughout this challenging period, Wildenhain recalled feeling “so elated at having built-up whatever there was practically with my own hands that weeks and months passed for me in real enthusiasm and hope.” Today, Pond Farm is listed in the National Register of Historic Places - NPS. Learn more about Marguerite Wildenhain in our exhibition, A Potter's Life: Marguerite Wildenhain at #PondFarm or check out our website: http://www.flysfo.com/museum/exhibitions/potter%E2%80%99s-life-marguerite-wildenhain-pond-farm
This image was posted on February 16, 2016.