Arthur Joseph Williams

by exquisite art which he had lovingly and judiciously acquired during some sixty-five years of collecting.

In his 20s, when he (and his mother) realized that acting did not provide a steady income, he began work

in the mailroom at CBS and climbed the ladder to making cue cards for “Captain Kangaroo.” He then

worked in production and editing TV advertisements. All the while, his interest in the arts was growing.

Learning the ins and outs of the film editing business from his mentor, Edna Paul, he took a job with an

editing company that eventually fell on hard times. He and his assistant were paid in equipment and in

1970, they opened Editing Concepts. Arthur became Chair of the Board as Editing Concepts expanded to

five divisions of post-production film and video. He was a founding member of the Association of

Independent Creative Editors and its former president.

His successes in the media world gave him the freedom to follow his passionate interest in the arts,

especially ceramics. Arthur became a respected member of the International Academy of Ceramics. He

served on the Advisory Board and was Vice-President of the Watershed Center in Newcastle, Maine. He

said in a 2000 interview with Wendy Dubin (published in Ceramics: Art and Perception}, “Educating

oneself is the most exciting thing if not the most important aspect of collection. Without knowledge, you

can’t grow…”

His vast collection features superb examples of American artists’s pottery and traditional glazes as well as

Pennsylvania Red Ware and Chinese Export Ware. Arthur’s vast knowledge of the ceramic arts led him to

conceptualize the Museum of Ceramic Art—New York, a brilliant idea which, had it been built, would

have greatly enhanced New York’s arts landscape. He leaves it to our imaginations to look with a keen

eye and appreciation of the hand-made object. When he looked around is home, he said to Ms. Dubin, “I

like to be surrounded by art… stuff. It is a great source of comfort. But the greater joy is seeking it out.”

Arthur Williams was born in Elizabeth, NJ on January 25, 1936 to Richard and Ida (Garber) Williams. He is survived by his brother Paul and Diane Williams, nephew Jeffrey and his children Simon, Ilana, and

Benjamin, as well as dear friends Adam Abramowitz and Richard W. Gold, and a wealth of friends, artists,

and lovers of ceramics. Burial will be on Thursday, August 26 at 1:30 pm at the Mt. Lebanon Cemetery in

Iselin, NJ.