The Bay Area has long been known for its innovative ceramic artists.  Artists such as Robert Arneson, Clayton Bailey, David Best, Squeak Carnwath, Stephen De Staebler, Viola Frey, David Gilhooly, Marilyn Levine, Michael Llucero, Jim Melchert, Ron Nagle, Richard Shaw, Irv Tepper, and Peter Voulkos have been at the forefront of testing the limits of the ceramic medium in every way from scale to imagery.