The American Art Pottery Association: Why You Should Join

From the desk of Linda Carrigan
Editor/Managing Director, JOURNAL of the American Art Pottery Association 

 

WHY YOU SHOULD BECOME A MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN ART POTTERY ASSOCIATION

The American Art Pottery Association had its beginnings in Zanesville, Ohio in 1979, where along with a group called Pottery Lovers, an organization of people eager to meet other collectors and learn more about the pottery they loved and collected was formed.  The two groups met at the same time in Ohio until 1983 when the AAPA wanted to expand their reach and go to locations other than Zanesville.  This disagreement caused the two organizations to break off from each other — Pottery Lovers would remain in Zanesville each July, and the AAPA would move around the country.  Thus, the AAPA was incorporated in 1983 in the state of Ohio.  The first issue of the JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ART POTTERY ASSOCIATION was published in 1984 with an article by David Rago about the Art Pottery of New Jersey.

Since that time, the JOURNAL of the American Art Pottery Association has been either a bi monthly or quarterly publication sent to its members as a part of their membership.  The magazine is in the collection of major American museums, including The Metropolitan, the Los Angeles Museum of Art, the Newark Museum, the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and many others.  It has become the publication of choice for researchers of American art pottery to publish their scholarly articles on ceramics. As a non-profit organization, the AAPA does not pay its authors, yet the major chroniclers of art pottery are eager and willing to contribute their work to the magazine. Additionally, the JOURNAL informs members about upcoming auctions, and events.

 

 

 

In addition to receiving this quarterly publication as a part of membership, the AAPA has an annual convention including educational seminars, an auction, local tours and a two-day pottery show and sale that is one of the largest in the country.  Major dealers come together to showcase and offer for sale ceramics not available at any other venue.

More than that, the convention offers members an opportunity to meet fellow collectors, and, as many long-time members can attest, make meaningful friendships that endure for decades. It is an opportunity to explore collections and pottery related sites at conventions.

Over the year’s venues have included San Francisco, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Minneapolis, Boston, Cincinnati, and Kansas City. This year’s convention in Chantilly, Virginia, is the fifth in the D. C. area – previous conventions were held in Alexandria, Virginia, and Rosslyn, Virginia.

The AAPA has a web site at aapa.info that is constantly being expanded and includes notices of major events in the pottery world, auctions, upcoming shows, back issues of our JOURNAL, bonus articles, and the like.

 

 

The American Art Pottery Association is the ONLY national association and publication dedicated to pottery from 1880 to the present.  We urge all collectors to join us with the promise that this will open up a new world and window into a passion we all share.

 

You can become a new member today by heading over to the AAPA website and clicking on the “Membership” tab or you can click here. In the meantime, don’t forget to attend the AAPA Convention in Chantilly, VA starting May 1st and running through May 5th – this year you can get three shows for the price of one! You can see our preview of the event by clicking here.