Behind the Scenes: Newcomb Pottery

As “Art Interrupted” is being packed away, don’t fret because the Georgia Museum of Art is making way for an exhibition of Newcomb Pottery, opening May 17. Newcomb Pottery is one of the most significant styles of American art pottery produced in the 20th century. These objects balance form and decoration as they highlight the nature found in the Gulf Shore region where the pottery was located. The objects in this exhibition come from the Newcomb Art Gallery, private collections and the Smithsonian Institute, but the museum is working to create a unique experience for its patrons.

The exhibition, titled “Women, Art and Social Change: The Newcomb Pottery Enterprise,” is the largest presentation of Newcomb arts and crafts in more than 25 years. It emphasizes women in the arts and their impact in post-Civil War society. The women who worked at the Newcomb Pottery helped advance their economy, and their art made a lasting impact on American history.

At the Georgia Museum of Art, the preparation department is working on layout for the exhibition. The preps will create special mounts for the pottery along with handcrafted pedestals. The museum’s main goal is to create an exhibition and color scheme that is aesthetically pleasing. “We are currently trying to create a layout that works with the flow of our galleries and is pleasing to the eye, said Todd Rivers, chief preparator at the museum.

The exhibition is on view May 17 through August 31, 2014, with numerous associated events that can be seen on the side of its page here.

Organized by the Newcomb Art Gallery and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, it is sponsored nationally by the Henry Luce Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, Art Works, and locally by Dr. and Mrs. George Rives Cary, Ceramic Circle of Atlanta, Inc., the Piedmont Charitable Foundation, the W. Newton Morris Charitable Foundation and the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art.