By Rebecca SavageArts & Crafts Pottery Celebrates 100 Years of Ceramic Arts Excellence Founded in 1903, at the height of the Arts & Crafts Movement, Detroit-based Pewabic Pottery, is a thriving and expanding non-profit arts-based organization with a variety of on-site and off-site programs. Having evolved from a family-owned business that operated under the direction of renowned ceramic artist and founder, Mary Chase Perry Stratton, the Pottery has retained much of its rich heritage while becoming a multifaceted institution with diverse education, exhibition, museum, and design/fabrication programs.
SIGNS OF RENEWED VITALITY
Recent improvements to Pewabic Pottery, which is located in Detroit's historic Indian Village neighborhood, signal a renewed vitality for the cultural icon, Michigan's only historic pottery, and one of only three historic Arts & Crafts Period potteries in the U.S.Expanded parking facilities, landscape and exterior lighting improvements are among the first steps of an ambitious campus development plan that aims to create greater visibility for the 1906 Tudor Revival building and its diverse programs. Inside, the revamping of existing space is providing needed room for growth.
An enlarged design studio, displaying hundreds of tiles available to design professionals and building owners, is one of the first improvements to be completed. The Pottery's Museum Store offers a variety of historic and contemporary tiles that can be purchased as decorative home accessories and gifts, and its galleries are attractively arranged to exhibit the work of over 100 ceramic artists from across the U.S.
CELEBRATING RICH HERITAGE
In its infancy Pewabic Pottery, so-named to reflect Stratton's birthplace near the Pewabic mines of Hancock in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, produced nationally renowned vessels, tiles, and architectural ornamentation for public and private installations. From 1903 to 1906, the pottery thrived as a part of the Arts & Crafts counterpoint to the industrialization of American cities. The Pottery's original location was at the corner of John R. and Alfred Streets in what is now Detroit's emerging entertainment district. Moving to its present location near Detroit's historic Indian Village neighborhood in 1906, the Pottery quickly became a prominent landmark on Detroit's east side.From this location, the Pottery produced nationally renowned vessels, tiles and architectural ornamentation for public and private installations, developing its own unique formulas and recipes for glazes and clay compounds. Later when the Depression reduced the demand for costlier wares, the Pottery began producing ceramic jewelry featuring Pewabic signature iridescent glazes.
Following Stratton's death, the Pottery operated briefly under the direction of her former assistant, and in 1966, ownership was transferred to Michigan State University for continuing education programs in ceramic arts. In 1979, the nonprofit Pewabic Society was established to administer the pottery's operations and in 1981, ownership was transferred to the Society, whose board of trustees continues to serve as its governing body.
The building and its contents, which were designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991, offer a glimpse at Detroit's early history and its role in the Arts and Crafts Movement. With echoes of the past in every nook and cranny, Pewabic Pottery is unique kind of tourist attraction and museum that City of Detroit and the State of Michigan point to with pride. Tours of the facility are a popular activity for school and community groups, tourists and visitors to the area from January through December.
CREATING A NEW LEGACY
The center of a growing design and fabrication studio, Pewabic completes over 100 custom tile installations each year. Among its recent claims to fame are the 45,000 platinum glazed tiles installed on curved wall surfaces at Detroit's new McNamara Terminal, ceramic tile murals at Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers baseball team, and a series of six school murals placed in Detroit's newest public schools.Recently completed tile installations for Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, as well as a tile mural for the Solanus Casey Center, in Detroit are among the new generation of Pewabic installations, which are creating a new legacy for Pewabic.
A NATIONAL TREASURE
Growth and expansion are only two reasons why the Pottery is celebrating in its centennial year. Among others is the fact that Pewabic Pottery has been recognized by the National Trust as one of ten new Historic Artists' Homes and Studios, making it eligible for planning and implementation grants ranging from $2,000 to $10,000, and opportunities to participate in national workshops offered through the National Trust for Historic Preservation."From 1907 until 1961, all of the works of Mary Chase Stratton were created here," says Terese Ireland, Executive Director. "Among those works are celebrated iridescent and luster glazed tiles, which grace many of Detroit's historic homes, churches, schools, and libraries as well as other notable buildings throughout the U.S. The Historic Artist's Group designation will enable us to better interpret the work of Mary Chase Stratton and to gain valuable insight through training and workshops sponsored by the National Trust."
NATIONALLY PROMINENT CERAMIC EXHIBITS
A current exhibition of nationally renowned Ceramic Artist, Jun Kaneko, will be in place through October. "We've had an increasing number of visitors in 2003, and we anticipate added recognition as major architectural installations are announced," says Ireland.As a fitting tribute to its 100th anniversary, Pewabic has introduced new tile and vessel designs, which are available through its Museum Store and selected galleries throughout the U.S.
Information concerning Pewabic Pottery Centennial Events, can be found on the Pewabic Pottery website: www.pewabic.com
