AIGA Corporate Leader Heath Ceramics
Heath Ceramics is recognized for their progressive policies, corporate philosophies, and provocative notion of what beautiful and functional design is, as a women-founded, partially employee-owned, and community-focused business with a true vision for sustainable goods that last.
News
Watch a special Fireside Chat with Robin Petravic, Co-owner and Managing Director of Heath Ceramics and Bennie F. Johnson, AIGA Executive Director
Watch NowHonoring the Past, As We Create for the Future. Video courtesy Heath Ceramics.
Words by Heath Ceramics. Published on June 22, 2022.
Founded in 1948 in California, Heath Ceramics is a design-led manufacturer of ceramic dinnerware and tile. Heath makes all of its products in two Bay Area factories—their original mid-century building in Sausalito and a LEED-certified industrial building in San Francisco, which is shared with other local, creative businesses. By conducting everything from design through production to sales in-house, the small company maintains its own accountability for every aspect of the product and business.
Heath was founded by Edith and Brian Heath, and is now owned and operated by wife-and-husband team Cathy Bailey and Robin Petravic. Together, they have stewarded Heath’s legacy and built upon its original foundation, leading a small local company with creative heart and genuine intention to make a positive impact on the community and a light footprint on the land.
Press Release
Heath Ceramics will be presented with the AIGA Corporate Leadership Award at AIGA Design Conference during the afternoon general session on October 22, 2022. The AIGA Awards Reception will take place Friday, October 21, 6:45–8:30 p.m. PT.
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Heath Clay Studio Neck Vase, 2021. © Heath Ceramics
Fisherman's Camp Dual Glaze Triangle Tile, 2021. © Heath Ceramics
Coupe Dinnerware Line, 2018. © Heath Ceramics
Heath + Artek. © Heath Ceramics
Tile installation inside Heath Sausalito. The glazes on the Tea Trolley tile tops were inspired by the vintage tile installations at Heath Sausalito, many dating back to Edith Heath's time.
People
Cathy and Robin have led Heath to become an employee-owned company with a strong commitment to social equity and equal opportunity. In 2020, Heath launched its Living Wage Initiative, raising its starting hourly wage and committing to annual living wage adjustments in accordance with the local cost of living. The 401(k) program was also restructured to offset the cost of the living wage initiative and redistribute the remainder on a more equitable basis. The effort resulted in pay increases for 70% of Heath's employees, 58% of which were Latino or Asian workers. The restructured 401(k) program has made it possible for all employees to save for retirement, regardless of their income.
Dual Glaze Triangle Tile Installation in Zinnia Blend, with Emerald Bud Vase, 2019. © Heath Ceramics
Alabama Chanin Collection, 2022. © Heath Ceramics
Heath Ceramics: The Making of a California Classic. Image courtesy of Heath Ceramics.
Credit: Brian & Edith Heath Foundation/Environmental Design Archives, University of California, Berkeley.
Edith Heath on-site at the Pasadena Art Museum observing the installation of her tile, 1969. Heath Collection, EDA, UCB. © Heath Ceramics
The Environmental Design Archives (EDA), University of California, Berkeley, is relaunching its long-standing Berkeley Design Books series with Edith Heath: Philosophies. Co-published by Berkeley Design Books and Information Office, the book is available April 2021.
Planet
Heath is currently in the process of achieving B-Corp Certification, which officially ensures long-term commitment to accountability, transparency, and environmental responsibility. Part of that goal includes becoming a Zero Waste facility by minimizing solid waste sent to landfills through reuse, recycling, and composting. As of 2022, Heath’s waste diversion rate is 82%, and the entire carbon impact of the company’s non-hazardous waste streams (reuse, recycling, composting, and trash) has been reduced to a negative footprint of -89 tons of carbon dioxide.
Product
At its heart, Heath is a design company built on one of the oldest human craft traditions. Heath’s ceramic dinnerware and tile are made with materials sourced primarily within California, and designed with the same simple, durable, timeless forms initially created on Edith Heath’s potter’s wheel, and later on the simple machinery her husband, Brian, built to step up production. Heath is known and celebrated for its wiped rim and visible clay body; its classic glazes that transcend trends; and its deep ties to the modernist, environmentally-conscious ethos of mid-20th century California. But not all of the product remains the same from decade to decade. Heath’s founders also prized experimentation and creative discovery—a value that remains vital today in Heath’s studios, where glaze development and design research turn out new pieces for a community of long-time Heath fans and design enthusiasts just discovering this icon of American design.
Building Partnerships With A Vibrant Community
The National Partnership Program is about leadership, relevance, and impact—with, within, and through design—to build and sustain programs, initiatives, and resources that champion a more contemporary and inclusive profession.
