Displaying items by tag: conference

The Industrial Revolution drove countless American ceramics workshops out of business. Traces of these wares, whether well-preserved porcelain cups or smashed storage jars, are inspiring lectures and exhibitions.

From Sept. 18 through 20, “Declaring Independence: American Ceramics in the Making,” a conference at Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, will discuss early producers from places ranging from Massachusetts to Alabama.

Robert Winthrop Chanler lived big, painted big, loved big and was just plain big, 6-foot-4, 200-plus pounds, with a giant crown of shaggy hair. Despite all that, he remains an elusive figure among New York artists of the early 20th century. He is known for his serene fauvist-style paintings and fantastical scenes of forest and marine wildlife, but many of his works are lost; some are documented only through old photographs. 

A conference this month at the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens in Miami, the setting of one of his most outlandish masterworks, may answer some questions.