Provenance
On April 14, 1997, Ms. Marion Katz met with Joseph S. Mella of the Fine Arts Gallery to find a home for her ceramics collection. After reviewing her items, Mella suggested she purchase a Vanderkooi ceramic to donate with her other pieces. Vanderkooi used to do wholesaling, but now limits herself to just 13 retail shows per year. Most of her sales are done in a small studio in the back of her own home. She displays each piece with signs, props and recipes to provide context and uses for the works. The experience is intimate and she even offers tea. Ms. Katz went to select a piece to donate, and came across the water carrier basket. She did not have any rules or guidelines for selection, so she opted to donate this water carrier basket to the Fine Arts Gallery. And today, ten years later, it resides in the vault.