Maiolica Not Majolica


A ceramic plate blazes with the colors of the sun. Stoneware glows with autumn tones. Tawny lions relax in the afternoon, and cranes take flight across the shoulders of an urn. Majolica has come to the Farmer House Museum.

7 Bloomington maiolica artists are showing work at the Farmer House Museum from Oct. 5 to Dec. 6, 2012. They are leExposition Universelle Susan Snyder, who learned the tradition and art of maiolica in Faenza, Italy from traditional artisans and began to share her knowledge with ceramic artists in Bloomington upon her return, by way of England, in the 1990s. "Majolica", spelled with a "j", is the word for a 19 century English and French style, that has little to do with the Italian style, except for the use of metal-based glazes. Snyder practices and teaches the original craft of maiolica, which began in Italy in the 1400s. It is a folk style, in which linear designs are painted in bright colors on plates, bowls and other vessels.

The majolica show at the Farmer House is part of an ongoing project exploring local and regional pottery from an historical and contemporary perspective. Traditional crafts, such as pottery, are often thought of as remnants of the past, but the vibrant clay arts today in Bloomington contradict that. As Jan Arbogast, A potter show currently in the Farmer house, points "handmade pottery reflects the beauty and rhythm of nature. As the seasons repeat, year after year, the cycle of making pots repeats - the clay is worked, and forms come into being; always something new and something timeless."


The Farmer House Museum, located at 529 North College Avenue (just across the street from Waffle House), is the former home of Ed and Mary Ellen Farmer. They left their house and their substantial collection of 20th century artifacts to be used as a community resource. Hours are 10-1 Wednesday-Friday, 10-4 Saturday, 10-2 Sunday. Call 336-5597 for more information. There is no admission charge.



Complete List of clay artists in the show: Barbara Fuqua, Susy O'Donnell, Karen Green Stone, Jan Arbogast, Susan Snyder, Ed McEndarfer and Chizuko Johnson.


All of these artists will also have work available at the Local Clay Potters Guild 15th Annual Holiday Show & Sale, Friday Nov. 9 5pm-9pm and Saturday November 10, 9 am-6pm at St. Mark's Methodist Church. 100 N. Hwy 46 Bypass

• TIME: 10 a.m.-1p.m.

• WHERE: Farmer House Museum, 529 North College Av, Bloomington. 336-5597

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