Born in 1947 in Pretoria, South Africa, Garth Clark is an art critic, curator, author, and chief editor for the CFile Foundation. Known as the preeminent specialist in contemporary ceramic art, Clark began his career working in public relations and later transitioned to journalism. While working as the industrial editor of Business South Africa, Clark and his then-wife, Lynn Wagner, began writing a book on South African pottery. While researching, Clark noted a lack of critical writing on ceramics and became interested in contributing to the field. He and Wagner soon relocated to England, where Clark completed his MA in ceramics at the Royal College of London (1976). After participating in several lecture tours in the United States as a student, Clark was inspired to move to Los Angeles in 1976. A prolific writer, he made a living publishing articles and speaking on ceramics in the years following his graduate studies. Hoping to subsidize his earnings and grow the market for contemporary ceramics, Clark – with longtime partner and collaborator Mark del Vecchio – decided to open Garth Clark Gallery in Los Angeles in 1981. ACC Gold Medalist Beatrice Wood was the first artist they represented. They soon opened a second, blue-chip style gallery in New York and began selling works to museums, helping to establish a place for ceramics in contemporary art. Together, the two also founded the Ceramic Arts Foundation in 1979, where Clark was director until 2005. Over the years, Clark has presented more than 600 exhibitions and published more than 70 books on ceramics. After closing the gallery in 2008, Clark and del Vecchio relocated to Sante Fe, New Mexico, and Clark shifted his focus online, founding the CFile Foundation. A fluid online platform, CFile offers critical resources to individuals and organizations working in contemporary ceramics. Clark has been honored with several honorary doctorates, is a Fellow of the Royal College of Art, and received the 2005 Mather Award from the College Art Association. Garth Clark was elected an Honorary Fellow of the American Craft Council in 2002.