The Wolfsonian⁆lorida International University (FIU) is presenting “Material and Meaning: Earthenware, Stoneware and Porcelain from the Wolfsonian⁆IU Collection” at the Frost Art Museum at FIU through January 13. The exhibition explores the expressive and functional potential of different kinds of clay and the varied design and production processes employed to make finished ceramics. Roughly 60 ceramic pieces are presented, as well as more than two dozen design drawings.
The array of objects exemplifies how designers and artists from the late Nineteenth to the middle of the Twentieth Century adapted the inherent material qualities of earthenware, stoneware and porcelain to achieve aesthetic, practical and ideological goals.
Clay is an extremely versatile medium that can be held in the hands, used to decorate homes and be incorporated into the built environment. Ceramics are objects of both utility and ornament, articles of industry and commerce, and even vehicles of political persuasion. The exhibit explores the unique versatility of this medium from luxury tea services to propaganda porcelains, and from ornate vases to unadorned, salt glazed stoneware.
The Frost Art Museum is at 10975 SW 17th Street. For information, www.thefrost.fiu.edu or 305-348-2890.
