The history of American Art Pottery is closely intertwined with the early years of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. In her lecture, Gadsden will explore how the MFA nurtured and supported this blossoming craft community by collecting and exhibiting their wares, and advising pottery makers. Potteries to be discussed include the Chelsea Keramics Art Works, Dedham Pottery, Rookwood Pottery, Newcomb Pottery, Grueby Pottery, and Durant Kilns.
The Morse Museum’s 2019 lecture series is organized in support of its major new exhibition, “Earth into Art—The Flowering of American Art Pottery.” Internationally recognized for its innovation, quality, and beauty, American Art Pottery was a distinctive artistic achievement for the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Organized potteries emerged in Cincinnati following the 1876 Centennial International Exhibition and soon multiplied in other regions of the country.