Art Pottery Love in the City of Brotherly Love: April AAPA Convention in Philadelphia

by Kate Nixon

AAPA Convention

April 22nd – 26th, 2026

Embassy Suites of Valley Forge-Wayne, PA

Philadelphia, PA area

AAPA Exhibitors: Click here to reserve your group rate room at Embassy Suites by Hilton Philadelphia Valley Forge for April 21, 2026 through April 27, 2026.

Non-Exhibitors or seminar passes only: Click here to register for the convention package

Philadelphia is the place to visit this year — and if you’re an enthusiast of American Art Pottery, you’ll be happy to hear this year’s annual American Art Pottery Association convention and art pottery sale will take place in “The City of Brotherly Love.”

Since this year marks the 250th celebration of the nation, this city will play host to a number of art exhibitions… and will host the AAPA convention and sale April 22nd through the 26th, where attendees can go on tours, attend seminars, and shop art pottery from top Art Pottery dealers from Embassy Suites’ hotel room (Pottery Lovers style!)

Continue reading to learn more about this annual convention in a new city with new speakers, new tours, and new chance for memories with friends.

Host hotel

Embassy Suites by Hilton Philadelphia Valley Forge

888 Chesterbrook Blvd, Wayne, PA 19087

Phone: (610) 647-6700

Convention Registration

Registration at the Embassy Suites hotel runs from 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM Tuesday, April 21st to Wednesday morning, April 22nd (7:00 AM – 8:30AM)

Statue in front of Art Museum, Philadelphia, PA. Picture courtesy of user vwalakte and Freepik.com.

Pre-Convention tours

Wednesday, April 22nd – the bus leaves Embassy Suites at 8:30am en route to Fonthill Castle, home of archaeologist, ceramist and scholar Henry Chapman Mercer, in Doylestown. Built between 1908-1912, Mercer’s impressive home (including forty four rooms, over two hundred windows and eighteen fireplaces) contained a large collection of prints and tiles — and served to showcase Mercer’s Moravian tiles, a classic example of the Arts and Crafts style. The Castle includes steep stairs and narrow, uneven passages throughout the interior of the site.

The tour will continue with a tour of the operational Moravian Tile Works, seeing both antique examples and contemporary works in the Moravian catalog.

Thursday, April 23rd – the bus leaves Embassy Suites at 8:30am en route to the Curtis Publishing Company building to see the world’s largest Tiffany Studios mosaic window – known as “The Dream Garden” – designed by Maxfield Parrish in 1916. This 49 by 15 foot mosaic contains more than 100,ooo pieces of glass in over 260 hues. This “world’s largest” is a must-see!

The bus will continue on to the Philadelphia Museum of Art to see the ceramics collection and the museum’s holdings, including important Rookwood examples from the Gerald and Virginia Gordon Collection.

———————————————————-

Also on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art – “A Nation of Artists“ an exhibition highlighting the richness and diversity of American Art over three centuries and works of art collected over the past 150 years.

Click here to see the additional exhibits on view for April 23rd

Seminars

Friday, April 24th

9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Speaker schedule to be announced. Check aapa.info for updates.

Enfield Pottery, Taxile Doat and University City Pottery, Santa Barbara Pottery and Rose Valley Pottery

“The Enfield Pottery and Tile Works” by Vance Koehler

Vance A. Koehler is best known for his work as Curator and Director of the Moravian Pottery and Tile Waorks in Doylestown, Pennsylvania from 1988 until 2012. He has established himself as a leading historian of American Art tile, especially related to Moravian and Enfield tile production and has spoken broadly on these topics.

“Taxile Doat and the amazing University City Pottery” by Dr. Jonathan Clancy

Dr. Jonathan Clancy is the Executive Director of the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms in Morris Plains, New Jersey, formerly Director of Collections and Preservation. He received his Ph.D. in Art History from the City University of New York and his B.A. in History and Art History from Rutgers.

“Santa Barbara Ceramic Design” by Terry Gerratana

Terry Gerratana had a lengthy career as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives and the Connecticut State Senate from 1993-2003 and 2011-2019. Beyond her extensive political work, she is an avid collector and student of ceramics – particularly California pottery. She has been involved with the AAPA in many ways; also contributing articles in the JOURNAL.

“Rose Valley Pottery and History” by Ryan Berley

Ryan Berley has not only been a longtime Antiques dealer – he has been a board member and curator at the Rose Valley Museum in Rose Valley, Pennsylvania. He earned his degree from Washington & Jefferson College. In his role at Rose Valley, he is responsible for developing exhibitions, preserving the museum’s collection, and promoting the history and legacy of the community.

______________________________________________________