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RERAMIC STUDIO 
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POTTERY AT THE ARTS AND CRAFTS EXHIBIT 
CRAFTSMAN BUILDING, SYRACUSE 
AKEN altogether, it is doubtful if 
a more representative crafts exhibit 
has been made anywhere in the 
U. S. and certainly nowhere has such 
an exhibit been seen against so fit- 
ting a background as the one recently 
held at', Syracuse, The Craftsman 
building being finished throughout 
in the severely simple style of the 
crafts movement. We have space 
here only for a short review of the pottery, though the work 
in the other crafts was all extremely interesting. 
The display of Rookwood was as beautiful as always, and 
Grueby showed some intere.sting new tile work, but we expect 
to review their architectural faience in a later article and wish 
to speak here rather of the individual potter's work and of the 
newcomers in the field. 
The Van Briggle Pottery is perhaps the most important 
of the new work. The shapes, modeled decorations and 
color are simple and artistic, the body, a faience, firing prob- 
ably at about the same temperature as Rookwood. The glaze 
is mat, similar to the Grueby effect, but showing rather the 
coloring of the Rookwood Iris ware. It is, however, quite 
individual and relies more on modeling and general color 
effect than on local application of design in color. The motifs 
used are usually floral forms simply and gracefully convention- 
alized. Mr. Van Briggle obtained his knowledge of pottery 
in this country and increased his art in the studios of Paris and 
the foreign potteries. His work promises to add appreciably to 
the reputation of American faience. The pottery has been 
running for a little over two years, and already has gained quite 
a reputation among lovers of ceramic art. 
Newcomb College sent a number of interesting pieces of 
pottery executed by pupils, the vases decorated in dull blue 
on a greyish white ground being rather more attractive than 
those with the olive green tones, the designs are all good and 
we regret that no photographs were taken of these that we 
might show them to the readers of Keramic Studio. 
The Miami Pottery is the product of the Dayton (Ohio) 
Society of Arts and Crafts. It is made from an ordinary 
yellow clay, found in the valley of the Miami River, and fash- 
ioned by hand into simple shapes, and sometimes decorated 
with modeling in low relief. The chief interest, however, lies 
in the character of the glaze, which in the most successful 
pieces, is of a rich dark bronze color, full of life and having a 
Van Briggle Pottery Co., Colorado Springs. 
soft, luminous quality in its mat surface, which is distinctive 
of the work. 
Miami pottery is not the product of experienced crafts- 
men or accomplished artists. It represents, for the most part, 
the efforts of young students in the handicraft classes of the 
Dayton Society, which is under the direction of Forrest Em- 
erson Mann. 
As can be seen from the cuts, the designs are unique and 
artistic, and the work is altogether unusual from amateurs. 
Mrs. S. S. Frackleton sent a few pieces of her blue and 
grey stoneware, which has already been noticed in Keramic 
Studio. 
Miss M. Louise McLaughlin was well represented and 
showed some experiments in color and inlaid glaze both white 
and colored, that were very interesting. The clay is cut out 
in openings which are then filled with glaze. As yet she has 
no rival in this country in the making of true porcelain. The 
only criticism that we would make is that the relief decora- 
tion is sometimes a little heavy and not always interesting. 
But we understand that she has been applying her energies 
rather to the technical perfecting of her bodies and glazes. 
She writes in a recent letter: " Inlaid glazes white and colored, 
and trials of varied color effects in decoration is what I am 
working on. Now that I have settled upon a body and glaze 
which suits my purpose, and have learned how to fire it, I 
feel the more free to work upon schemes of decoration. New 
Miami Pottery, by Mrs. .J. B. Thresher. 
Miami Pottery, by William Cochrane and Albert Loose. 
