Kenneth Richard Ferguson

What, Ham AGAIN?!!!!

I am doing my Ceramics final on Ken, partially because I like his work and because my maternal Grandmother's name was Ferguson. I hope I can do him justice with only four pages, double-spaced. Sincerely, Brenda Haggerty

I always think of my father as a young soul. Everyday the world was new to him; he saw everything as if it was for the first time every day of his life.



When my father had been in the hospital for several weeks battling the cancer, he suffered from hospital psychosis and struggled to remember who he was and where he was through the fog of drugs. He said one day to my mother when I was visiting, “ I made things no one else ever thought of before,” as if he had just remembered who he had been in life before the hospital life. And my mother said, “yes, you made wonderful things.”



Yes he did

I met Ken in the summer of 1979 at Notre Dame University in Indiana. We made a brief and lasting conection that I will always value. He was truely an inpiration. I was greatly saddened by the news of his death. The world will be a lesser place because of his loss. God be with him and his family.

kcai, class of 1967....



dear gertrude, russell, charles and emily,



i be dere for the services in april. is there anything i can assist you with for the reception party at your home, if you are doing that?

i had the great pleasure of working/studying with ken. his ability to push and have you question everything you do was amazing. kens influences on me are not only in art, but how i view things and people. i will miss not being able to call or write ken. even if it was to update him on my life. i'm sure many others feel the same way. my prayers go out to his family and his dear wife gertrude. mark knott

As a student of pottery, I have found Ken Ferguson's mastery in form, carving, stylistic designs and written contributions in the art of ceramics to be an inspiration in claywork.

I met Ken as a high school student in the late 70's. He volunteered his time for a weekend workshop at my school. I had no idea what a grand potter he was at the time. I just remember he could throw perfectly and he was open to the point of bluntness. I was inspired by his comments and his skills. I saw Ken again at Stephen Hill's studio a couple of years ago. He was a little slower on the wheel but his demeanor was the same, vivacious!! What a grand man. Thanks to his family for sharing.

Kelly Pinet

Ken Ferguson will live on in all of us who were touched by his love of clay, integrety and passion for excellence. In many ways he was a Zen master. I feel fortunate that I was able to study with him for many years.

My prayers go out to his family and friends who will miss him.

Lois Mirkin, Ceramics '75

There was no greater influence in my life and work than Ken Ferguson. He was the driving force behind all of his students, COMMANDING excellence and creativity. Class of '75.

I had the wonderful benefit of attending one of Ken's workshops. I had always admired his work, but then developed a great admiration for him personally. He is truly a loss to the world of ceramics and has left a legacy that will always live on.

Blessings to all of his family and those suffering from the pain of his departure.

Sherrill Eatherly

Many years ago I took some courses from Ken. No one comes away from contact with him without being altered. His patience or maybe lack of it teaching inept students was remarkable. Sentimentality would be the last thing that I would use in describing his gift as a teacher. At times it was like standing too close to a grizzly bear. If you were there for therapy or to just dabble in art a bit you were in the wrong place. You quickly realized that you were in the presence of a powerful talent and that you had better hunker down and give it your all. His power to inspire and open the mind to truly observing the beauty of the world is with me still. He is missed by many of us.

Aloe and greetings. I am one of many potters who will never forget the influence Ken Ferguson had on all of us. There are all too few epiphanies in our lives---I am blessed to have experienced an "awakening" on the day I met Ken Ferguson in the winter of 1978, during a workshop being held at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. I recall that day saying to myself and outloud that I had witnessed a great Truth. Moreover, I had found a method of manifesting that Truth. It was in the teachings of Ken Ferguson that my philosophy would be tempered. As a direct result of meeting Ken that day in 1978,and subsequently attending KCAI, I currently work nearly every day exploring clay and all it has to impart. I feel Ken's breath in the clay I work with, and I thank him for sharing his soul as a extrodinary teacher and as a Human Being. "I will miss you , but you will always be around, on and on..."

DIANE AND I ARE SADDENED TO LEARN OF KEN,S PASSING.KEN DID THE ALABAMA CLAY CONFERENCE FOR US IN 1998.HE WAS A GREAT POTTER AND A WONDERFUL PERSON.WE ENJOYED HIM GREATLY.THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES.

Ken Ferguson had the ability to size you up and point you in the right direction. He was no baloney. I will miss him.

Ken's artistic skills and significant contributions as a maker and a teacher are recognized around the world. He will be missed by so many of his admirers.

I did not know Ken personally, but his reputation is of a great ceramist and educator. Many of his former students are now accomplished potters in their own right. I am sure he will be sadly missed.

I retired from the Kansas City Art Institute 1989 after 17 years where I had the opportunity to work with Ken. He was a great instructor, and person and will be sadly missed by all. My heart and prayers go out to his wife Gertrude and children.