Annual Art Pottery Convention Heads to Michigan in May

by Kate Nixon

 

American Art Pottery Association Convention and Sale

May 1st – May 4th, 2024

The Kingsley Bloomfield Hills and the city of Detroit, Michigan

Click here to register for the convention / Click here to reserve a room in the group block at the Kingsley (Book by April 9th!)

 

Learn the history of Marblehead Pottery, explore the changes in the art pottery market, hear from a contemporary potter on his art and shop from some of the best art pottery dealers in the country in the motor city for the first time next month, courtesy of the American Art Pottery Association.

 

 

 

The annual springtime AAPA convention on the history of American art pottery – celebrating its 44th year – will head to the cities of Detroit, Michigan and nearby city of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Art pottery collectors and enthusiasts will travel to the Motor City from April 30th to May 4th, 2024 , where the Kingsley Hotel of Bloomfield Hills (a Doubletree hotel by Hilton) will play host to the convention, housing both lectures and the exhibitor shows. This marks the first visit by the AAPA to the state of Michigan and the Detroit area, home to Cranbrook Educational Community and Art Museum, the Detroit Institute of Art, and the historic art pottery firm Pewabic Pottery – all of which will be visited by attendees during the convention.

 

The Kingsley Bloomfield Hills

AAPA group block – reserve by April 9th!

Click here to reserve a room in the AAPA group block!

 

On Wednesday, May 1st, attendees will have the option of tours of the Cranbrook Educational Community, the Detroit Institute of Art, the Detroit Historical Museum, or the Detroit Library Main Branch. At 8:45 am, buses will leave for either Cranbrook or the Detroit Institute of Arts Museum. You can board a bus to Cranbrook, where you’ll see Cranbrook Academy, the Eliel Saarinen home and the 300+ acre Cranbrook campus including the Cranbrook Museum, loaded with art, art objects, and lots of pottery. Cranbrook is known for its architecture of the Arts & Crafts style by architects Albert Kahn and Eliel Saarinen – the campus itself was founded in 1904 by newspaper mogul George Booth and his wife Ellen Scripps Booth. Alternatively, you can see the Detroit Institute of Arts Museum includes a collection of 5,000 objects and murals from Diego Rivera and the public library with painted glass windows, opulent white marble halls and a fireplace with Pewabic Pottery tile.

 

 

The next day on May 2nd at 8:45am, attendees will be able to go to the Detroit Institute of Arts for a guided tour of their collections by the curators. The bus will then continue to iconic art pottery studio Pewabic Pottery, where the pottery of founder Mary Chase Perry Stratton will be explored and contemporary Pewabic pottery can be purchased. Alternatively, attendees can go to Henry Ford Museum, Greenfield Village, and an example of architectural excellence in churches – Kirk in the Hills.

In addition to tours, attendees will be treated to five presentations throughout the early May convention exploring the historic firms of Flint Pottery, Marblehead Pottery and the Cranbrook collection of art pottery as well as the changes in the art pottery market and the art of being a potter. From historic origins to contemporary explorations, the schedule of presentations is listed below, scheduled to present on Friday, May 3rd at the Kingsley Hotel to convention attendees.

 

Friday, May 3rd – AAPA Convention Lectures at the Kingsley Hotel

 

8:45 AM – Margaret Carney

Flint Faience Tiles – A to Z: the history and artistry of Flint tiles

Margaret Carney, co-author of “Flint Faience Tiles A to Z” is a ceramic historian who holds a Ph.D. in Asian art history.

 

10:00 AM – Marilee Meyer

Marblehead Pottery 1905-1936: Simplicity and Roots of a Distinctive Style

Marilee Boyd Meyer is an independent consultant, researcher, author and appraiser recognized for her over 40 years of work in the Arts and Crafts Movement at the turn of the early 20th Century.

 

11;15 AM – Paul Katrich

Imagination, Chemistry, and Commerce: The Art of Being a Potter

A studio potter of almost 30 years, Paul J. Katrich is a modern traditionalist specializing in “lost” techniques and rare glaze processes.

 

1:45 PM – Kevin Adkisson

The Pottery Collections and Ceramic Educational History at Cranbrook Art Academy

Curator Kevin Adkisson assists in the preservation, interpretation, and programming across the many buildings and treasures of Cranbrook.

 

3;00 PM – David Rago

Changes in the Art Pottery Market

David Rago, partner of Rago-Wright-Toomey-LAMA, will discuss changes in the Art Pottery market he has witnessed over the last 35 years.

 

Following the lectures, convention attendees can preview the 44th AAPA exhibitor shows in a special show preview.

May 4th, the last day of the show, will be devoted to the AAPA shows open to the public. The shows will not only feature exhibitors from across the country, but a special table of experts will be on hand to identify unknown pots and authors will be able to sign books for those interested.

 

Interested? Get your room reserved today at the Kinglsey and register for the AAPA convention!

Click here for Convention registration

Click here to reserve a room at the Kingsley hotel in the group block by April 9th!