By Louise Irvine Ardmore Ceramics are in the spotlight during Black History month. Founder Fée Halsted has been discussing her Pride of Africa theme for this year which highlights the importance of family. As Fée says, “In the African bush, family can mean the difference between life and death: the

By Louise Irvine The Marquesa Sylvestre, featured at our Venetian Fantasy event, is a star of the Russian Ballet’s production of the Les Femmes de Bonne Humeur or The Good-Humoured Ladies. The ballet is set during the Carnival of Venice when masked women young and old, single and married, take

By Louise Irvine One of the stars of our Art on Fire ·The Chihuly Connection exhibit is Lino Tagliapietra, who Chihuly claims is the “greatest glass blower in the world.” When Lino Tagliapietra first visited Seattle in 1979, he didn’t speak a word of English but he certainly communicated with

In Black History month, we are highlighting Josephine Baker, one of the stars of our Cabaret & Carnival exhibit. The sensational African-American dancer was one of the most spectacular cabaret performers of the Art Deco era. Josephine stepped on to the stage at La Revue Nègre in Paris at the

Play is our constant work Some of the most striking figures of the Art Deco era were made by the Lenci factory, which was established in 1919 in Turin, Italy by Helen (Elena) Konig and her husband Enrico Scavini. ‘Lenci’ was Helen’s pet name and an acronym was created in

Time for Tea? Teatime at WMODA is always a special occasion. Discover more about the history of tea drinking from China to the USA in our popular Art of Tea exhibition. Louise Irvine, our Executive Director, shares anecdotes and etiquette tips for enjoying traditional English afternoon tea. Is it High Tea? The ritual

The Martin Brothers “When you enter the shop… you find yourself in a dim-lit passage with crowded shelves of stoneware jugs carved into leering, laughing, grinning and ogling heads, jostling with the most impossible, and most fascinating, pot birds with strangely anthropological expressions…” The ‘pot birds’ were also known as

On January 25, Scots around the world will honor Robert Burns, Scotland’s national poet (1759-1796). At a Burns supper, guests enjoy traditional Scottish fare washed down with whisky and recite his most famous poems, including his Address to a Haggis. The first Burns supper was held by his friends at

Devilishly Hot Doulton! One of the very first Doulton figures depicts Mephistopheles, a demon who corrupts men and collects the souls of the damned for Lucifer. Only one figure from 1897 is known in a vivid scarlet costume and it comes up for sale at Whitley’s Auctioneers on January 19.