Workshop Follow UP: MFA Boston

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of teaching two workshops at the MFA Boston demonstrating the techniques I used to make my piece that is in the 'New Blue and White' exhibition that is currently up through July 14th.

I wanted to share a few images from the two days with you. I was totally surprised and flattered by how many of my friends and colleagues came a long way to see me working as well as to see the show! It was really fun to be demonstrating to the rotating crowd.

The view of the exhibition entry from where I was demonstrating

My piece was nicely lit by the sunny window!

It was fun to be a fly on the wall as people discussed my work...

The demonstrations were announced nicely with signage which I got to keep!

One of the pieces I brought for people to touch during the demo

You can see the MFA Cafe behind me while I demo Mishima slip inlay to onlookers

everyone got to give the process a try themselves--all around a great demo!

Marathon installations

For the last two weeks I have been on the road—and up on the ladders! Some people run marathons, right? Mine required a different sort of endurance. Rather than get into my sneaks and work up a long, slow sweat, I installed exhibitions at the Philadelphia Art Alliance and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston within the span of about two rather intense weeks.

My show at PAA is called Reverie. As exciting as it was to dream about and anticipate, it’s even more amazing to see the sign in front promising the thing I went inside to make happen. 

It all started with hanging the custom fabric on the walls. (thank you Spoonflower).

As the PAA show’s installation took shape—with art, with lighting, with display cases and signage describing the pieces in detail—there was such a sense of, well, reverie. It’s one thing to imagine what you might make and even to make it. To see it so intentionally up there to regard—and to have others regard and enjoy, that’s kind of awesome. 

And since Philadelphia is home to Anthropologie, I feel a kinship with the city. It’s a home base for my design life. It was really fun, as always, to share my work in the city.

Boston has “home” to it. The city is close to my heart. I’ve lived there and I attended the Museum School. SO this show, the New Blue and WhiteExhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, that’s a homecoming of sorts and a really incredible arrival: my first major museum show.

Blue and White, it’s close to my heart, too. There’s so much tied into those colors for ceramicists, history and design and a beloved color scheme.

To hang a show is not an uncomplicated matter. We really take pains to set it up right. And still, like the broken shoelace at Mile 22, things can go awry. In my case, I had to repair a broken piece of hardware. I installed my work beside my friend and fellow artist Giselle Hicks (and her beautiful work). We had help from the museum’s preparators.

MFA preparators help install

One last plate to go up after repair!

repair needed at the last minute...never an installation without some kind of drama!

Giselle Hicks working on install at the MFA

Giselle Hicks' gorgeous piece in New Blue and White

It’s a really great gift to get the opportunity to step back and see your work, especially in such incredible institutions.

After all of this, I am needing a little post-marathon stretch and rest and refueling--but there is no rest for me! I am up and running already--onto the next big project!