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May 27, 2019 by tomdalzell

Dorothy Herger

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

This post is about Dorothy Herger, a retired art teacher who lives in Vallejo. It is about her life, the art she has made, and the art she has collected.

Quirky Berkeley All-Star Doug Heine suggested/insisted that I meet Dorothy, who was his art teacher in high school.  Heine was not wrong with his instincts.  Herger is the very essence of Quirky Berkeley, if we ignore for the moment the fact that she does not live in Berkeley.  Heine’s introduction and our holiday field trip rule give her an admission pass to Quirky Berkeley.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Dorothy Herger was born on September 20, 1924 in San Francisco.  She was raised in Vallejo, living on Georgia Street.  Her father worked at Mare Island.  She attended San Jose State from 1943-1946, and then taught art history, design and ceramics or the Vallejo Unified School District for 37 years.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

This is her view – sun, light, water, Vallejo.

As a little girl, Dorothy learned from her mother how to draw a bird with a single line.  She made paper dolls, drawing in intense details.  Art was her world.

She studied at the Oakland School of Arts and crafts.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Photo courtesy Dorothy Herger

This photo shows Herger with several other students as she completed work on her Masters Degree at the Oakland School of Arts and Crafts.

When Herger started teaching, Vallejo High had 11th, 12th, 13th, and  14th grades.  Several of her students went on to work as artists – Doug Heine, the Braden twins who went into set design, and John Kalamaris.

Dorothy first saw the pottery of Marguerite Wildenhain at Gump’s, a high-end art collectible store in San Francisco. Inspired by what she saw, she attended the summer workshops organized by Wildenhain from 1951-1960.

After two years teaching at the California College of Arts and Crafts, Wildenhain founded the Pond Farm Workshops, which she ran from 1949-1952 with textile artist Trude Guermonprez (born Jalowetz), metals artist Victor Ries, collage artist Jean Varda and sculptor Claire Falkenstein. 

Over the years,Herger became friends with with Marguerite Wildenhain.

Screen Shot 2019-04-05 at 4.54.33 PM

Marguerite Wildenhain. Photo courtesy baynature.orgr

Marguerite’s pottery used the Bauhaus-style kick wheel, students created hundreds of ceramic forms such as flower pots, bowls, pitchers, cups, and tea pots. During the workshops, the students focused on the mastery of process rather than the glazing and firing of wares.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

International travel became a big part of Herger’s life starting in 1950.  She got to many places, including the high Arctic and the Antarctic.

In her travels, Richard Halliburton was her spiritual guide. He was a, traveler, adventurer, and author who put himself on the map by swimming the length of the Panama Canal.  He went missing at sea in 1939 while trying to sail a Chinese junk, the Sea Dragon, across the Pacific Ocean from Hong Kong to the Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco.  He was a prolific writer who inspired Herger.  “Because of his books, I wanted to go everywhere.”

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Photo courtesy of Dorothy Herger

Through the kindness of strangers, Herger got to spend time at the village of Château Double in France.  As you go through the photos of the art made by Herger below, you will see that Chateau Double inspired her to make art.  She got fierce praise for her work.

Quirky Berkeley visits Vallejo, Calif. on September 18th, 2018.

The church that is the centerpiece of the photo was made by children in Czechoslovakia with pieces of rolled up foil. On the left is a model of a float from a Gion festival in Japan.

Let’s reduce the words used and look at photos of Dorothy’s world – art found, art made, art bought, art given.

Quirky Berkeley visits Vallejo, Calif. on September 18th, 2018.

A chair that Dorothy bought in New Delhi.

Quirky Berkeley visits Vallejo, Calif. on September 18th, 2018.

This stone figure is from the ancient Middle East

Quirky Berkeley visits Vallejo, Calif. on September 18th, 2018.

Sculpted clay made by Marguerite Wildenhain.

Quirky Berkeley visits Vallejo, Calif. on September 18th, 2018.

A figure from Crete.

“Snake goddess” is a type of figurine depicting a woman holding a snake in each hand found in Minoan archaeological sites in Crete. The figurines were found only in houses , where the figurine appears as “the goddess of the household”, and they are probably related to the Paleolithic traditions regarding women and domesticity.

Quirky Berkeley visits Vallejo, Calif. on September 18th, 2018.

Shadow puppets from Bali. At the bottom of the strip of textiles are a piece from Iran and a dog-teeth necklace from New Guinea.

Quirky Berkeley visits Vallejo, Calif. on September 18th, 2018.

Saint reading. Mexican folk art.

Quirky Berkeley visits Vallejo, Calif. on September 18th, 2018.

Quirky Berkeley visits Vallejo, Calif. on September 18th, 2018.

Seaweed wreath found on the coast of California, embellished with fishing lures that Dorothy has found all over the world.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

A necklace from New Guinea – boars’ tusks and beads. The bracelet is from Afghanistan.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

A textile from India showcasing treasures from around the world.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Blanket from Oaxaca, masks from Mexico City.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Top: An Adam and Eve clay plaque by Marguerite Wildenhain.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

A fallen angel by Marguerite Widenhain

Fallen angels are angels who were expelled from heaven. The term “fallen angel” is not found in the Bible or in other Abrahamic scriptures, but is used of angels who were cast out of heaven or angels who sinned.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018 Treasures up close; knight in shining armor bought in Tuscany.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

From Myanmar.

Traditional Burmese puppet theatre (yoke thay) dates from the 15th century. In the 19th century it reached the peak of its popularity.

Puppets perform on a raised platform, contrasted with human dancers who perform on ground level. When not in use, the puppets hang behind them. The performances usually last all night.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Dorothy’s Adam and Eve made in a clay class in Berkeley. Below: figures from Peru.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

In the background, Dorothy drawings. In the foreground, an acrylic landscape of a Sonoma County vineyard.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Crayon drawings that Dorothy made in a the Var region of southern France. On the right is the France’s champion boule player.

In keeping with recent tradition, I now present photos from the shoot that are expressed with a landscape orientation.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

In the summer of 1946, Dorothy bought this painting by Chiura Obata at the studio of Ansel Adams in Yosemite. Obata was a well-known Japanese-American artist and popular art teacher at the University of California, Berkeley.

Quirky Berkeley visits Vallejo, Calif. on September 18th, 2018.

Japanese prints and Chinese calligraphy.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

An Egyptian tapestry, bought in Cairo in 1951.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Scrolls that Dorothy bought in Japan in 1956.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Crayon drawings that Dorothy made in the French village.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Treasures from Alaska, Peru, and Spain. How many bottle openers can you spot?

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Clay figures that Dorothy made in Vallejo.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

On the left, Marguerite’s last plaque,based on drawings she made in Guatemala . The mask is also Guatemalan.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

A decorative wooden panel from China.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Sculptures from New Guinea.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Church textile decorations from Ethiopia.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Dorothy crayon piece from photograph of sunset.in Vallejo

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

The black and white drawings were made in the French Village using an nk stick.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

An incised drawing in clay by Marguerite WIldenhain.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Kitchen table.  A clutter of treasure.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Guatemalan villager by Marguerite Wildenhain.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Another Marguerite Wildenhain figure. She gave Dorothy the necklace that adorns the statue.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Another clay plaque by Marguerite Wildenhain, depicting apple farmers in Guerneville.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Another Marguerite Wildenhain plaque. An early one.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Chinese tile boxes made from broken pottery. Destined to hold what?

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

A rice goddess from Bali.

Dewi Sri, or Shridevi is the Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese pre-Hindu and pre-Islam era goddess of rice and fertility, still widely worshipped on the islands of Bali and Java.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

The Resurrection by Marguerite Wildenhain. The clay figures are by Dorothy Herger

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

More Dorothy drawings from the French village.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Herger made the sketches here of restaurant/bar customers and a feral cat in the village of Chateau Double in the Var department.   I can’t put my finger on it, but these crayon drawings from the French Village really knocked me for a loop.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Dorothy crayon drawing from an Irish drawing.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Dorothy drawings from the 1950s.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Drawing of an Irish barbershop.

Quirky Berkeley visits Vallejo, Calif. on September 18th, 2018.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Benin wood panel from the west coast of Africa.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018 Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Quirky Berkeley visits Vallejo, Calif. on September 18th, 2018.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Herger sketched, drew and made these watercolors along three blocks of whorehouses and bars on Georgia Street.  In 2004, The Fetterly Gallery in Vallejo, during opening day of its “Wild Women 2: Telling Tales” exhibition on March 20, 2004, held a special tribute to “artist, educator and local treasure Dorothy Herger”with the unveiling of a mural “Bright moment, at the beginning of lower Georgia Street, 1969” by Trevor Burrowes, Pete Hubbard and Sarah Nichols.

Photo: http://petehubbard.com/archive/guerilla.php?p=11

Photo: http://petehubbard.com/archive/guerilla.php?p=11

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Doug Heine made this painting.

Dorothy’s childhood doll and stove. Her name is Patsy-Ann.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

 

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

A marionette from Myanmar.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

For a fitting final image, this:

Quirky Berkeley visits Vallejo, Calif. on September 18th, 2018.

Herger bought this dress in Damascus.

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Photo courtesy of Dorothy Herger

Quirky Berkeley in Vallejo 9-18-2018

Doug Heine with Dorothy. Photo courtesy of Dorothy Herger

It’s quite a dress.  Doug Heine is wearing quite a hat!

The event for which Dorothy wore the dress (and Doug the top hat) was a special one for her.

herger

And while talking about Dorothy and the museum, they sell very high quality prints of her Georgia Street drawings.  And – bonus – coffee mugs with the art on them.  They don’t seem to be available online yet.

After working on the photo captions, Dorothy and I walked her house.  We estimated that the photographs that John Storey had taken represent a single-digit percentage of the art hanging on her walls, on shelves, and in closets.  Yikes.

This is a lot of art, made and gathered over decades.

Dorothy has lived a life that can a lesson for all of us.  She found what she loved and she chased it.  Without mercy.  She worked a job that paid a modest salary, yet she lives in a world of art that makes you embarrassed to have even thought about money.  She was frugal, and saw the world and brought back art.   She is in her sixth decade collecting and making art.  She has slowed the pace of acquisition, but every one of the many pieces of art in her home looks like it arrived yesterday and was given its special place.  She is a life lesson for us about pursuing what we love.  I thrill as she talks about Pond Farm in the 1950s – I am There with her.  What a life!

I asked my friend to look at the post.  He did.

“You’d think that I would get used to what you are finding,” he said.  “I haven’t.  You know I dig Vallejo and my pal the shade tree mechanic who has a tremendous eye for antiques and finds just incredible stuff you wouldn’t expect.”

10080801_master“He just found these chairs at a yard sale in Suisun City.  Made by D.I.M (Decoration Intérieure Moderne).  Easily worth twenty grand.  He paid seven hundred bucks. I gave him a grand over that. They’re gonna look great in my quarters.”

Sorry my friend, but we don’t have time for a digression after all these photos.  What does he think of the post?

Quirky Berkeley 05-12-16

 

 

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8 Responses to Dorothy Herger

  1. Howie Gordon says:
    May 27, 2019 at 3:26 pm

    YES!

    Reply
  2. doug heine says:
    May 27, 2019 at 5:05 pm

    Thanks Tom, You and John did an outstanding job on an outstanding human being !

    Reply
  3. Mark Bulwinkle says:
    May 27, 2019 at 6:29 pm

    Beautiful. Just beautiful, Tom. Thanks.

    Reply
  4. Edie Bruce says:
    May 28, 2019 at 2:37 am

    I love this woman and her story. Quirky people are the best!

    Reply
  5. Amy Prentiss says:
    June 4, 2019 at 7:56 pm

    I love your reporting! This was outstanding as was Susan Brooks’ sketchbooks! Many thanks. Keep up the good work.

    Reply
  6. Janet says:
    September 5, 2019 at 9:03 pm

    Dorothy remains one of the liveliest conversationalists I know. She taught an art class I took in the 1980s, and we reconnected years later. She’s delightful. I’m glad to see a record of her entrancing home. Thanks!

    Reply
  7. J. St.Austin says:
    February 9, 2020 at 5:37 am

    Dorothy was my art teacher at Solano Community College. She was a strong influence on me. I create art and still communicate with her. She was/is my favorite teacher ❣ Thank you for interviewing her.

    Reply
    • tomdalzell says:
      February 10, 2020 at 3:01 pm

      She is a treasure. Thanks for writing. Tom

      Reply

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