Thursday 10 March 2011
3:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Mint Museum Uptown
Free with museum admission
This public symposium organized by the Mint Museum of Craft + Design is part of a closing celebration for the inaugural exhibition, Contemporary British Studio Ceramics: The Grainer Collection during its final week on view. The symposium, featuring innovative discussions by leading international art scholars and artists on important trends and developments in contemporary British studio ceramics, will be held Thursday 10 March, 3:00-7:00 p.m. at the Mint Museum Uptown and is free with museum admission. The landmark exhibition, drawn from the collection of Marc and Diane Grainer, is the first in the United States and Great Britain to focus exclusively on contemporary British ceramics. Following the talks, there will be a panel discussion moderated by Carlano featuring Harrod, Stair, and Brownsword, as well as Mint Museum Curator of Decorative Arts Brian Gallagher and ceramic artist Kate Malone.
Speakers
- Tanya Harrod - Keynote speaker Tanya Harrod is the principal essayist of the exhibition catalogue, Contemporary British Studio Ceramics: The Grainer Collection (Yale University Press: 2010), and Visiting Professor at the Royal College of Art in London. She is co-editor of the Journal of Modern Craft and author of the award-winning study, The Crafts of Britain in the Twentieth Century, and the forthcoming biography, Michael Cardew: A Life (both published by Yale University Press). Harrod will offer a survey of British studio ceramics over the past 20 years with a focus on the "Englishness" of ceramic production.
- Julian Stair - Ceramic artist and scholar Julian Stair is the recipient of the 2004 European Achievement Award from the World Crafts Council and a regular contributor to craft journals and other prestigious publications. He holds a Ph.D. in Critical Writing on English Studio Pottery from the Royal College of Art in London. Stair will be speaking on the topic of funerary ware, from urns to sarcophagi, related to his most recent work, which includes both thrown and hand-built vessels.
- Neil Brownsword - Born and raised near Stoke-on-Trent, ceramic artist Neil Brownsword began working at the Josiah Wedgwood factory at age 16. He studied ceramics at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, and received his Ph.D. from Brunel University in London following the completion of his groundbreaking series, Collaging History. Brownsword will be speaking on the development of his contemporary ceramic installation art in historically significant Stoke-on-Trent.
- Annie Carlano - Annie Carlano is the Director of Craft + Design at The Mint Museum and the exhibition curator of Contemporary British Studio Ceramics: The Grainer Collection. She holds a bachelor's degree in art history from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and a master's degree in art history from Universita degli Studi in Florence, Italy. An internationally recognized scholar, Carlano has published and lectured on textiles, fashion, and decorative arts. Her recent books include Sleeping Around: The Bed from Antiquity to Now (University of Washington Press: 2006) and Contemporary British Studio Ceramics: The Grainer Collection. She will speak on the topic of collecting ceramics.
- Brian Gallagher - Brian Gallagher is the Curator of Decorative Arts at The Mint Museum and a graduate of the Bard Graduate Center in New York. Prior to joining the Mint, he served as Assistant Curator in the Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts at the Detroit Institute for the Arts and serves as a board member of the American Ceramic Circle.
- Kate Malone - Born in London, ceramicist Kate Malone studied at Bristol Polytechnic and the Royal College of Art. Known for her use of shapes inspired by natural forms and vivid crystalline glazes, this Barcelona-based artist is one of the most fearless innovators in the field of international studio ceramics. The Mint Museum of Craft + Design has commissioned Malone to create a ceramic work for the new Mint Museum Uptown as part of its Project Ten Ten Ten series. She will be the guest artist at the upcoming 10th Annual Mint Condition Gala sponsored by The Founders' Circle.
Schedule
- 1:00 p.m. - Exhibition walk-through and discussion with Marc and Diane Grainer in the Mint Museum of Craft + Design special exhibition galleries.
- 2:00 p.m. - Book signing by the authors of the exhibition catalogue in the Robert Haywood Morrison Atrium
- 3:00 p.m. - Symposium begins in the James B. Duke Auditorium
- 4:30 p.m. - Break and reception hosted by The Founders' Circle in the Atrium
- 5:30 p.m. - Symposium resumes; panel discussions begin
- 7:00 p.m. - Symposium ends
For more information, contact Karen Vidamo at (704) 337-2098 or karen.vidamo@mintmuseum.org.
The Contemporary British Studio Ceramics: The Grainer Collection exhibition, on view through 13 March 2011, and the Symposium are sponsored by Duke Energy.
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Created by Megan Westmoreland. Intern for the Mint Museum Library.