China Students' Club of Boston 75th Anniversary Exhibition

Fired Up: 75 Years of Collecting and Studying Ceramics

An Exhibition Celebrating the China Students'Club

Now through October 28, 2011 at the Discover Portsmouth Center, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Founded in Boston during the height of the Great Depression, the China Students' Club is the oldest American organization dedicated to the study of ceramics. One of the earliest art forms, ceramics are a gateway to the world's past. Through these objects, we connect with the hands that once made and used them as well as those that later discarded or treasured them.

This exhibition celebrates the collectors and scholars - past and present - whose passion for ceramics of all kinds continues to make the China Students’ Club a vibrant and lively study group featuring monthly lectures at the College Club of Boston. Members include museum curators, educators, collectors, connoisseurs and practicing potters. Fired Up , drawn entirely from the private collections of our members, is divided into five sections representing different approaches to collecting and interpreting ceramics:

Intrigued by Aesthetics

Moved by Materials

Fascinated by Form

Mad for Blue and White

Inspired by Histories

These categories reflect the diverse and often overlapping ways in which we value and appreciate ceramics – nearly all of the works on display could fit into any of them. We hope the exhibition will inspire you to begin your own collection or to at least reconsider your coffee cup with new eyes!

Deborah Bassett and Nicholas Johnson, exhibition co-chairs with assistance from Abigail Homer, Sarah Hwang, Nan Wolverton, Karina Corrigan, Louise Richardson, Barbara Renner, Deborah Richards, Adrianne Gren, and Karen Moreau Ceballos.

To learn more about our ongoing activities, visit www.chinastudentsclub.org

The China Students' Club gratefully acknowledges Northeast Auctions and Ron Bourgeault for their generous support of this exhibition.