As part of New York’s Winter Antiques Week, dozens of galleries will proffer porcelain, pottery, glass, cloisonné and enamels at the New York Ceramics & Glass Fair from January 21 to 24.
The fair will cast its spotlight on ceramics and glass work from the 17th through 21st centuries, with exhibitors hailing from around the globe, among them: Martin Chasin Fine Arts (Fairfield, CT), Polka Dot Antiques (Waccabuc, NY), Chen Yan Arts (China), Antiques Van Geenan (Delft, Holland), Garry Atkins Antiques Ltd. (London), Michelle Erickson (Hampton, VA), Ferrin Contemporary (Cummington, MA), Jeffrey S. Evans (Harrisonburg, VA), Katherine Houston Porcelain (Boston), Roderick Jellicoe (London), Leo Kaplan Ltd. (NY), Lee Gallery & Studio (Stevens PA), Moylan/Smelkinson (Baltimore), Polly Latham Asian Art (Boston), Ian Simmonds (Carlisle, PA), Philip Suval Inc. (Virginia), Earle D. Vandekar of Knightsbridge (NY), Maria and Peter Warren Antiques (Wilton, CT), Mark J. West (Redhill, England) and Lynda Willauer Antiques (Nantucket, MA).
Work from contemporary artists at the show will include Carrie Gustafson, Gina Piccirilli Hayden, Hideaki Miyamura Studio, Vetro Vero and Michael Boroniec.
Thistle Bottles
Tourmaline Scribble Bowl
“Our fair has always been dedicated to presenting the best in the field of ceramics and glass,” says Meg Wendy, who co-produces the fair with Liz Lees. “By introducing the work of single cutting-edge artists in these mediums, we are broadening the horizon of the fair and pushing its boundaries to illustrate how three-dimensional art has gained a foothold in the world of art and design.” Says Lees, who founded the fair in 1999, “We welcome these new artists whose work is sure to add a new dimension to our fair.”
The fair will take up over three floors of the Bohemian National Hall, at 321 East 73rd Street in New York, kicking off with a private preview on January 20, and opening to the public January 21 through January 24.
The fair will also host a lecture series, with the following lineup:
January 21
“Tiffany Glass: Painting with Color and Light,” with Lindsy Parrott, director/curator of the Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass, 12 p.m.
Louis C. Tiffany used colored glass as a painter uses pigments. This was a radical concept at the turn of the century. It broke with the centuries-old tradition of stained glass, where images were painted onto the surface of the glass. In this illustrated lecture, Parrott explores the history of Tiffany’s glass and highlights some of the special types of glass found in his celebrated windows and lamps.
“Art Pottery at The Metropolitan Museum of Art: The Robert A. Ellison Jr. Collection,” with Adrienne Spinozzi, research associate, American Wing, and Elizabeth Sullivan, associate research curator, European sculpture and decorative arts, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2 p.m.
This lecture is sponsored by the American Ceramic Circle.
“Past Imperfect: The Art of Inventive Repair,” with Andrew Baseman, founder of Andrew Baseman Design, New York City—based interior designer, set decorator, author and blogger, 4 p.m.
Andrew will chronicle his world-renowned collection of antiques with inventive repairs, also known as “make do’s.”
January 22
“Unconventional Clay: Engaged in Change,” 12 p.m.
Catherine L. Futter is the Louis L. and Adelaide C. Ward Senior Curator of European Arts. the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, overseeing the departments of Arts of the Ancient World, European Paintings and Sculpture, and Architecture, Design and Decorative Arts. Broadcast via Livestream from the New York Ceramics & Glass Fair, Futter’s informative presentation will explore the diversity of processes and approaches that contemporary artists employ to engage with clay. The 92Y Ceramics Center and the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts are pleased to co-present the lecture series Virtual Clay, online conversations meant to challenge preconceptions and explore new territory, inspiring you to think about the world in fresh and different ways.
“Fragile Beauty: Re-animate, Repair, Meld and Mend,” 2 p.m.
During the Gilded Age, Doris Duke did restoration work at Rough Point in Newport to repair the downstairs porcelain mishaps in her “cottage by the sea.” Now contemporary artists Paul Scott and Bouke de Vries are using these same processes in their artistic practice to intentionally compose shards (fractured ceramics) into contemporary sculpture. Reuse or re-purpose, the trend of using available material to create contemporary art is worldwide. Seen as commentary on the beauty of decay, history or social issues, the repair and restoration in ceramics brings up the question of intent, value and permanence. Leslie Ferrin will introduce the artists and provide an overview that shows examples including images of works by Ai Weiwei and others who question our assumptions and convey message through the re-animation, repairing and mended ceramics.
“Demolition Man: Peter Voulkos, 1950-1970,” 4 p.m.
Glenn Adamson, Nanette L. Laitman Director, Museum of Arts & Design, will discuss new research on the work of California artist Peter Voulkos. Widely recognized as the most transformative figure in 20th-century ceramics, Voulkos brought tremendous energy to the project of destroying established expectations about his medium, and realizing new technical and aesthetic possibilities in their place. Adamson will particularly address an important and little-known body of blackware works from 1968, which mark the culmination of his early explorations. The lecture will also include discussion of Voulkos’s contemporary legacy and relevance for artists working today, such as Arlene Shechet and Sterling Ruby.
January 23
“Agrestic Modern,” with Garth Johnson, curator of ceramics, ASU Art Museum Ceramics Research Center, 12 p.m.
There is a new generation of potters that make engaging, rustic work that is tailored to the modern home and kitchen. The artists discussed in this lecture, including Rebecca Chappell, Mike Helke and Jordan McDonald, give a contemporary twist to work that draws from a broad range of historical influences.
“Ming Goes Bling & the Slightly Satirical Aroma of Eucalyptus,” 2 p.m.
Stephen Bowers is a South Australian based visual artist with an extensive practice in ceramics whose multilayered, visually rich and complex work can be found in many international public institutions. A kaleidoscope of museum images, studio shots and time-lapse film accompany this presentation, a personal guided tour through some of the history, ideas and images that inspire one of Australia’s leading ceramic artists. Designs and techniques from a thousand years of pottery are explored, their interconnections traced and their impact on a contemporary ceramics practice illustrated.
“Cockles and Mussels: Shells and English Ceramic Design History,” Rob Hunter, author, archaeologist, editor of Ceramics in America, 4 p.m.
For thousands of years, humans have used marine shells for tools, ornamentation and design inspiration. Nowhere is the influence of the shell more pronounced than in the production of 18th-century English ceramics, from humble earthenware to princely porcelain. This lecture will review the world history of shell-inspired ceramics with particular focus on the late-18th-century blue and green shell-edged wares first marketed by Josiah Wedgwood. The significance of this earthenware is underscored with a provocative discussion of their important aesthetic and symbolic effect on the British and American consumer psyche.
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