Kyllikki Salmenhaara is remembered first
and foremost as a skilful pedagogue, and as a reformer of ceramics teaching
in Finland. For close on twenty years, right up until her death, she was
responsible for higher-level instruction in this field in Finland. She
also taught in Taiwan, the United States and Canada
Before becoming a teacher, Kyllikki Salmenhaara
worked as a ceramic artist at the Arabia Factory in Helsinki, where she
established for herself an impressive reputation as a creative artist and
proponent of the modern art of ceramics. One indication of this was her
success along with other Finnish industrial artists in the Milan Triennale
from 1951 onwards.
Kyllikki Salmenhaara's work both as a creative
ceramist and as a teacher was characterised by continuous research and
a relentless drive towards self improvement. She held an intirllate know
ledge and understanding of the basic natural material clay - to be the
fundamental requirement for the art of the ceramist. Only a high level
of technical skill permitted the artist to achieve true artistic creativity.
Quotation from: Jarno Peltonens foreword in Konsindustrimuseets Publikation
Nr 18, Kyllikki Salmenhaara 1915-1981, ISBN 951-95807-2-7, ISSN 0780-413x
Photographic materials:
Wärtsilä Foto/Gero Mylius
