Two Loan Exhibitions Provide More Eye Candy At The New York Ceramics & Glass Fair
New York: With the opening of two distinct loan exhibitions at the 2016 edition of The New York
Ceramics & Glass Fair, visitors will be treated to a healthy dose of eye candy. The first, “Mended Ways:
The Art of Inventive Repair,” takes the observer back to a time when necessity was truly the mother of
invention—as richly evidenced by Andrew Baseman’s display of 150 examples of revamped ceramics and
glassware from the 17th century through the mid 20th.
Before the invention of Krazy Glue, broken everyday household items were brought back to life with flair
and ingenuity. Traveling tinkers applied crude but endearing efforts to the replacement or repair of missing
or fractured handles, lids and spouts on mugs, teapots and jugs, whereas highly skilled silversmiths made
intricate and detailed overhauls that only the wealthy could afford. In China, metal staples and rivets were
the standard media for repair, perfected by itinerant china menders.
“Mended Ways” is bursting with outstanding examples of these artistic rehabilitations. Among them:





An American blown- and cut-crystal candlestick from the early 1900s incongruously stuck onto a
block of wood
An English transfer-printed jug from the 1830s with woven wicker handle
A circa-1700 Chinese Yixing teapot with a magnificently carved replacement handle and engraved
silver mounts
A 17th-century Dutch delft ewer with a replaced jeweled metal spout and handle
A set of six delicately painted early-18th-century Chinese export plates sutured with enough handforged metal staples to conjure Frankenstein's monster
Baseman’s passion for collecting these heirloom orphans began at an early age in a home furnished with
antiques, including cupboards filled with early Chinese porcelain and English pottery. “Most pieces were in
excellent condition, but I remember being drawn to a small cracked ceramic plate tucked away in a corner
and miraculously held together with a few small metal staples,” recalls Baseman. “There was something
about this humble injured plate, exiled from the others, that caught my attention. I had no idea that anything
other than paper could be stapled, so I was mystified how a plate, of all things, could be held together in
this manner.”
Baseman’s next encounter with stapled ceramics occurred in London in the early 1990s. “On Portobello
Road I spotted a small hexagonal-shaped Chinese porcelain cup and saucer from the early1700s, both
pieces stitched all over with metal staples,” says Baseman. “The dealer charged me £5 for both and was
thrilled to get rid of them. And I was thrilled, too, at the realization that I just found a way to afford
ceramics similar to the one I admired in my youth. I experienced the exhilaration that antiques collectors
have when they discover something unique and exciting to go after, and before I knew it, an obsession was
born!”
About Andrew Baseman:
Andrew Baseman writes the blog Past Imperfect: The Art of Inventive Repair, which chronicles his worldrenowned collection of antique ceramics that have been inventively repaired, also known as “make-do’s.”
His collection was featured in a cover story in The New York Times Home section. As an expert on the
subject, he has lectured all around the United States and abroad. For more than two decades, Baseman
worked as a designer, decorator and stylist on diverse film and television projects, including The Nanny
Diaries, Eat Pray Love, The Americans, Gotham and The Normal Heart, collaborating with notable
directors like Ryan Murphy, Bill Condon and Jane Campion. In 2003, he founded Andrew Baseman
Design, Inc., an interior design firm specializing in upscale residential interiors for clients in the visual arts,
including film and theatrical producers and fashion designers. Baseman is the author of The Scarf (Stewart,
Tabori & Chang, 1989), an illustrated art book chronicling the history of the printed scarf.
“Colorfield” Presented by the Clay Art Center
Curated by Adam Chau, Clay Art Center program manager, “Colorfield,” aims to look at the focused use of
color within ceramics. Three dimensional work is integrating themes of traditional painting and landscape.
For example, Dalia Berman's miniature vessels explore the values of color and illustrates the beauty in
variation, inviting a conversation that addresses the role of production pottery as a hybrid of studio
ceramics and industry. Other works use the feelings of color to juxtapose extreme narratives such as wall
tiles by Marylin Richeda; blending candy colored environments with dark macabre figures to evoke a sense
of unease. To use color as a tool for communication is an added discussion in the field of ceramics that
seems fresh and valuable.
About Clay Art Center
In looking at the breadth of work coming out of the Port Chester, New York-based Clay Art Center it is
apparent that the institution has a multi-faceted way of thinking about ceramics. Traditional and innovative
ways of making are converged under one roof in a community that is passionate about clay. Perhaps it's due
to the range of skill sets and programs that are integrated together: the artist-in-residency program, private
studios, 400 adult students a year, and educational community programs for youth. Founded in 1957, the
Clay Art Center's exhibitions program is open year-round and engaged with emerging, mid-career, and
established ceramic artists and the shop carries ceramic works from artists at the local and national level.
For more information visit www.clayartcenter.org.
Clay Art Center is a 501(c)(3) ceramic arts center.
About The New York Ceramics & Glass Fair
With over 30 international contemporary and traditional specialists, the 17th annual New York Ceramics &
Glass Fair opens at the Bohemian National Hall, 321 East 73rd Street (between First and Second Avenues),
with a Private Preview on Wednesday, January 20, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and to the public on
Thursday, January 21 through Sunday, January 24. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday through
Saturday, and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $20 per person and can be used throughout the
duration of the fair.
The New York Ceramics & Glass Fair is produced by Meg Wendy of MCG Events LLC and Liz Lees of
Caskey Lees Inc.
In addition to the New York Ceramics & Glass Fair, Caskey-Lees currently produces the San Francisco
Tribal & Textile Arts Show in San Francisco.
For more information, visit www.newyorkceramicsand glassfair.com.