New Work: London Design Festival

As many of you likely know, Anthropologie hopped the pond a while ago with several UK stores and a European online shop. My work has been well received abroad and I have to admit, I have had my eye on having a solo exhibition in the Anthropologie King's Road shop in London ever since I watched my first "Man Shops Globe" episode. The Sundace Channel program followed Keith Johnson, art and object buyer for Anthropologie all over the globe as he purchased items to make the Anthropologie stores so gorgeous. There was one episode in-particular where Keith helped curate a show in the King's Road Gallery.

Well, a few years later its my turn! My solo is happening during the famous London Design Festival, to add a cherry to the sundae treat--Polly Leonard the editor and founder of possibly my favorite magazine will be interviewing me in the gallery about the work from 6-8pm on Tuesday September 17th. I am one very excited lady!

I wanted to share the work with you--its a small gallery so there are 5 pieces:

Here is the press release:

ANTHROPOLOGIE PRESENTS
MOLLY HATCH FOR LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL 2013
Anthropologie is delighted to announce that to celebrate London Design Festival 2013, we will be hosting an inspirational exhibition by the celebrated international artist Molly Hatch.
Art and creativity are at the heart of the Anthropologie ethos, meaning that London Design Festival is always an important and exciting time of year for our customers and staff, and we are proud to be bringing work by Molly to London to coincide with LDF.
At our King’s Road Gallery, the artist-designer and Massachusetts resident, Molly Hatch, will be presenting a collection of her celebrated ‘plate paintings’. Entitled Render, the work will take inspiration from the vintage textiles and ceramic archives Molly has been unearthing in the collections of the V&A.
Molly will discuss her influences and artistic career in an interview with Polly Leonard, of Selvedge magazine, in our King’s Road store on Tuesday, 17th September from 6 – 8 p.m.

STATEMENT:

MOLLY HATCH - RENDER
In an effort to claim the functional surface as a painting surface, RENDER is a new collection of plate
paintings and vases made sourcing the textile and ceramic collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
In the translation and re-working of historic fabric patterns to the ceramic surface of a group of plates, Render becomes an exploration of the relationship between the historic and the contemporary with artworks crossing over categories of decorative art, design and fine art. Through shift in scale, color and context, the compositions of plates both abstract and highlight aspects of the textile patterns, encouraging a new dialogue in pattern.
Fascinated by how we live with objects, how and why we acquire objects and what happens to them throughout history, I see this exhibition as a reflection of the life of surface pattern through the decorative art continuum. 

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!

New York Ceramics Fair

Last week I had a meeting in NYC that coincided with the New York Ceramics Fair. As you all know, I am in love with historic ceramics and decorative arts. This fair is FULL of fantastic old stuff and I definitely found some amazing things to source.

Trips like this one are often golden nuggets of inspiration for me. I find myself snapping away thinking of new things to go home and make in the studio. This is really where my research begins and the creative juices flow.


I thought I would share a few of my finds with you!

Fantastic snuff boxes...I am particularly taken by the "Pocket Watch"

These place card holders are inspiring me to make some "vase" place card holders of my own...Keep an eye out!

I would have bought ALL of these plates if I could have. They are amazing. I am working on a botanic calendar, might have to borrow the butterflies!

who doesnt love a ceramic dog? I need to see these become piggy banks, dont you think?

Lunch Date: Museum of Arts and Design NYC

Here’s something to know about me: I love lunch dates.

Rainy Day in NYC--meeting Sarah Archer and David McFadden at MAD

Back in November, I drove all the way to New York City for a lunch date. I lunched with David McFadden, chief curator of the newly opened Museum for Art and Design (MAD), and Sarah Archer, the curator who has brought my forthcoming solo show to the Philadelphia Art Alliance (PAA). The show—Reverie—opens on February 7^th.

David is writing the catalogue essay/interview for Reverie!

When asked about the distinction between art and craft, and how one draws the line between art and craft, David’s answer is brief: don't bother.

This explains why the work I am doing for the PAA show might be compelling to him. For this show, I’ve taken inspiration from my family’s collection of 18^th and 19^th century plates, in order to create a series of “plate paintings” in which design elements from “source” plates are drastically scaled up and applied in a matrix on a grid of new plates (see image). In this way, I create a completely new way of experiencing a familiar pattern. Along with my enjoyment at reinterpreting collected heirlooms, I love the chance to make a utilitarian object like a plate into a painting--a work of art for the wall.

After Blue Willow: 2012, 25 Hand-painted plates with glaze and underglaze measures: 50" x 50"

Domestic history, craft, design, and art, these are the themes that constantly have me thinking—and rethinking.

New York City is a place of beauty that sometimes is hard to categorize. I love the shapes and the reflections, more interplay, between landscape and interior. And of course, there was lunch: the restaurant—Robert—is on a first-name basis with everyone and it’s also on top… 

of the MAD Building, ninth floor, Columbus Circle. It was hard not to seem distracted. 

Across from David McFadden dining at ROBERT atop MAD

My lunch companions that day happen to be two interesting and lively people, who care about the same things I do. But there was the terrific view in competition.

Final note: there is an incredible "Art of Scent" exhibit up at MAD through February 24,2013 Well worth the visit if you are in the city with time to spare...

Lecture at Cleveland Institute of Art!

Tea Social: Molly Hatch Event at Cambridge Anthropologie

This past Saturday I drove east to Cambridge with Emily and Oliver Rich of Tea Guys so we could all participate in a Tea Social hosted by the Harvard Sq Anthropologie Store.

Cambridge Anthropologie

We arrived with plenty of time to set up our teas for tasting as well as arrange for a comfy spot for the tea readings...the store had already been laid out nicely for us!

Tea Reading Nook

All 5 Flavors of Tea Guys Teas that are available for purchase were provided for tasting

Each person who got a reading received a lovely surprise gift from the store with a hand-drawn tag! GORGEOUS.

There were yummy sweets provided (loved the polka dot doilies!)

The tea readings were POPULAR! As you can see there was a long wait just to sit with me--amazing! It might have had something to do with the surprise giveaway...

Reading Tea Leaves, SUCH a line!

Visit: Laura Zindel

Last week I visited my good friend Laura Zindel at her new studio in Brattleboro, VT. Laura recently moved her studio from her home into a large industrial space at 21 Browne Court suite 21 in Brattleboro, just off of Rte 5 North. 

Laura's new space is GORGEOUS! There is a big gallery that you enter through that opens up into almost 6,000 sq feet of studio. Laura chose to paint her gallery a nice rich color, really sets off her white clay and surface decoration nicely.

I LOVE that she has a separate office loft--a good seating area and I am super jealous of her design area, she has room for inspiration boards!

Her studio has a separate room for glazing and decal.

Kilns are located in a spacious and super ventilated room. 

Slip casting is in its own space as well.

She even has a sweet break room and kitchen for her and her staff!

The biggest perk for her staff is their own studio space located in the back half of the studio, they have more space than I do in my 350 sq ft studio. AMAZING.

Laura is having her annual seconds sale this weekend. I got to pick up a few myself last weekend and let me tell you, there are some lucky folks out there this year! She has a HUGE selection and the prices are unreal. If I were you I would head over there this weekend and load up. I already did!