The New York Ceramics & Glass Fair – the only fair of its kind in the United States that specializes in ceramics, pottery and glass from the 17th-21st centuries – celebrates its 17th anniversary, from January 21-24, at the historic Bohemian National Hall, 321 East 73rd Street in New York City.
The show is set on two floors of the Bohemian National Hall and features 30 top-tier vetted Galleries, Private Dealers and Artists from the United States, England, Europe and Asia. On display will be everything from 17th century to contemporary objects, including porcelain, pottery, glass, cloisonné and enamels.
The show opens to the public on Thursday, January 21, and runs through Sunday, January 24. Hours are 11am to 7pm and on Sunday, 11am to 4pm. Ticket price with is $20 per person, and can be used throughout the duration of the fair. The opening night preview on Wednesday, January 20 marks the start of Americana Week in New York.
Highlights of the event include:
Lecture by Lindsy Parrott: Lindsy Parrott, Director/Curator of the Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass. 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, Ms. Parrott explores the history of Tiffany’s glass and highlights some of the special types of glass found in his celebrated windows and lamps. Thursday, January 21, noon.
“Past Imperfect — The Art of Inventive Repair”: Andrew Baseman, founder, Andrew Baseman Design Inc., New York City based interior designer, set decorator, author and blogger. Andrew will chronicle his world renowned collection of antiques with inventive repairs, also known as “make do’s”. Thursday, January 21, 4 p.m.
Lecture by Glenn Adamson: 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. Friday, January 22, 4 p.m.
“Cockles and Mussels: Shells and English Ceramic Design History”: 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 these earthenwares is underscored with a provocative discussion of their important aesthetic and symbolic effect on the British and American consumer psyche. Saturday, January 23, 4 p.m.
Clay Art Center Loan – “Colorfield”: COLORFIELD aims to look at the focused use of color within ceramics. Three dimensional work is integrating themes of traditional painting and landscape – Dalia Berman’s miniature vessels look at the values of color and describes the beauty in variation, inviting a conversation that addresses the role of production pottery as a hybrid of studio ceramics and industry. Other works use the feelings of color to juxtapose extreme narratives such as wall tiles by Marylin Richeda; blending candy colored environments with dark macabre figures to evoke a sense of unease. To use color as a tool for communication is an added discussion in the field of ceramics that seems fresh and valuable.