Pond Farm, located in Austin Creek State Recreation Area in rural Guerneville, California, was the home and studio of Bauhaus-trained ceramicist Marguerite Wildenhain. The first woman to receive the designation of Master Potter in pre-World War II Europe, Wildenhain left Germany in 1933, eventually accepting an invitation from Gordon and Jane Herr to help create a 140-acre experimental artists’ colony in Guerneville.

In December 2023, Pond Farm was designated as a National Historic Landmark (NHL).

“NHLs are some of the nation’s most historically important buildings, sites, structures, objects and districts, which communicate themes in history, archaeology, architecture, engineering and cultural significance. NHL designation is the highest federal recognition of a property’s historical, architectural, or archaeological significance, and a testament to the dedicated stewardship of many private and public property owners who seek this designation.” – U.S. Department of the Interior, Dec 13, 2023

Within the field of ceramics, Wildenhain is an acknowledged master, as central to the understanding of 20th-century pottery as Walter Gropius is to 20th-century architecture. For more than thirty years, Wildenhain produced work now recognized as masterpieces. Each summer, she led a 9-week intensive, highly disciplined workshop for promising ceramic artists. Many of her more than 300 Pond Farm students became leaders in 20th-century ceramic arts.

Pond Farm consists of three original buildings– the Barn/Studio, Wildenhain’s house, and the guesthouse (designed by Albert Lanier)– and an 8-acre once-cultivated garden and landscape. Learn more »