Phenomenal Fairyland Lustre
For All Souls Day, we have been investigating the interest in supernatural phenomena during the trauma of World War One. Many of the bereaved sought solace in spiritualism and its attempt to find proof of existence beyond the grave. Some escaped into fairyland convinced of the veracity of the photographs
A Universe of Things
Micky Wolfson, the founder of The Wolfsonian–FIU in Miami Beach, has become a great friend to WMODA and to our founder Arthur Wiener. This year, Micky turns 80 and Arthur has presented him with a spectacular birthday present – a Fairyland Lustre vase depicting the Dragon King. The Wolfsonian has
Rock the Red Ribbon – Ardmore
By Louise Irvine On World AIDS Day, December 1, we are reflecting on the legacy of the Ardmore artists in South Africa who have died from the disease and those who live with HIV. More than 35 million people have died of HIV or AIDS since the virus was first
The Flamingo: A Florida Icon
The elegant pink birds are everywhere in advertising, in place names, and even on the logo for the state lottery - but few residents see them in the wild. Fortunately, they can be enjoyed through the eyes of Boehm porcelain artists in the Flights of Fancy exhibition, which previews on
Paul J. Stankard – The Art of the Flame
The Art of the Flame, an exhibition honoring the illustrious glass artist Paul J. Stankard, opens this month with 68 works spanning his 50-year career as a flame-worker. The first forty years of Paul’s career in glass were marked at an exhibition entitled A Floating World at the Museum of
Word Search
We are always thinking about interesting ways that you can enjoy WMODA at home. Elyse Buchanan, who works in our collections management department, is a big fan of word search puzzles. She has compiled a WMODA word search inspired by the fired arts exhibits on display in the museum. You
Paul J. Stankard – The Art of the Flame
In a career that has spanned more than 50 years, Paul Stankard has become the acknowledged master of flame-working. See the stunning Paul J. Stankard · The Art of the Flame exhibition spanning his illustrious career at WMODA. Stankard melts thin rods of colored glass with a flame-worker’s gas-fueled torch
Intriguing Masks
By Louise Irvine I have been researching the work of Paul Stankard for our upcoming exhibition in November and was intrigued by these two experimental paperweight designs featuring face masks on a mossy ground, which were acquired recently by Arthur Wiener. They seemed appropriate for our Halloween issue, so I
Fantastical Faces
The exhibition opening of The Fantasy Art of Josephine Wall was a huge success during our Celebration of Ceramic Art weekend, so much so that Dr. Pat Sager Lane will be returning for our Sensational Saturday program on October 12. In the run-up to Halloween, she will focus on the
Creepy Crawlies
Insects might seem unusual subject matter for the fired arts, but many porcelain and glass artists have found inspiration in spiders, snails, and other creepy crawlies. Spiders are particularly associated with Halloween so beware of this Highlights if you suffer from arachnophobia! Spiders have become a symbol of Halloween as