A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of Shakespeare's most popular plays and has been portrayed frequently in ceramic art as can be seen in our Fantastique exhibition. In ancient Greece, midsummer was marked with an event called Adonia when Adonis left the underworld to spend six months with his paramour Aphrodite.

Steve Mullins, the founder of the American Toby Jug Museum, died on June 2. His museum in Evanston, IL will carry on his remarkable legacy inspiring fellow collectors and designers across the globe. Tributes have arrived from around the world including Fée Halsted, the founder of Ardmore, whose museum visit

Blowing bubbles from soapsuds with a ‘magic’ wand is one of the great pleasures of childhood. Watching the orbs shimmer, sparkle and pop as they float into the sky stimulates the imagination and has inspired several artists as can be seen at WMODA. Bubble therapy is great for relaxation and

Arthur Wiener has long been a fan of Paul Stankard’s mystical glass worlds and, thanks to Linda Saft, a visit was arranged to his New Jersey studio in July. Louise Irvine is now planning an exhibition of the artist’s work to be held at WMODA in the fall. Paul Stankard

One of the stars of the Fantastique exhibit at WMODA is Miss Margaret E. Thompson who depicted the enchanting world of Fairyland in Faience for Royal Doulton in the early 1900s. Little is known about Margaret Thompson’s personal life, but it is believed that she was born in Calcutta, India

Chihuly’s work on paper is as exciting and unpredictable as his work in glass. As Chihuly says, “The drawings have given me a new freedom – if I can do it on paper, I can do it with the glass.” The two paintings at WMODA date from 1996 and were

The Mermaid Parade will march down Surf Avenue in Coney Island on June 22 marking the beginning of summer for residents of this seaside community. It’s as if our Sirens of the Sea exhibit in Fantastique has come to life! The Mermaid Parade started in 1983 and is cited as

The World of Wedgwood hosted a wonderful weekend and collectors fair on June 1 and 2 where Louise Irvine introduced WMODA to a new audience. Specialist dealers presented choice pieces of Royal Doulton, Wedgwood, and Moorcroft art pottery to eager collectors, including several who had traveled from the USA. Caroline

Fantastique FaienceForty years ago this summer, The Doulton Story exhibition opened at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and launched my career in the world of ceramics. I have been taking a trip down memory lane and tracing many of the original objects on display at this ground-breaking exhibition