Pewabic Pottery

Pewabic Pottery is a studio and school located in Detroit, Michigan, founded in 1903 by the artist and teacher Mary Chase Perry Stratton.

The word Pewabic, derived from the Chippewa word for the color of metal, refers to the unusual glaze covering the pottery and tiles created in a manner outlined by the Arts and Crafts Movement.

Listed as a National Historic Landmark, Pewabic Pottery continues to operate in a 1907 Tudor Revival building as a non-profit educational institution. They offer classes in ceramics, hold exhibitions, sell pottery made in house and offer design and fabrication services.

The work created by the studio can be found gracing numerous buildings throughout Michigan and the rest of the United States.




History
Pewabic Pottery was built in 1907 for ceramic artist Mary Chase Perry. Concerned with raising the artistic standards of American ceramicists and influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, Perry enjoyed designing pottery pieces in simple shapes and used spectacular irridescent glazes in rose, green, gold, purple, and copper. Pewabic is a Chippewa Indian term that means "clay with a copper color" and is a tribute to the Upper Michigan Peninsula Copper Country where Perry was born. Under Perry's leadership, Pewabic Pottery gained national recognition for its iridescent glazes, as well as for its production of architectural tiles that were installed in such buildings as the Guardian Building, the Detroit Institute of Art, the Ford Factory in Oklahoma, and the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Washington, DC. Pewabic Pottery was designed by Frank D. Baldwin and William B. Stratton, who later wed Mary Chase Perry in 1917. Stratton and Baldwin were two of the most influential architects in Detroit during the early twentieth century and their firm was the first in Michigan to be headed exclusively by architects trained in American schools. The building has changed little since its construction and the original cabinets, tables, clay-making machine, and dumbwaiter are still in use today by the ceramists of the Pewabic Society. Pewabic Pottery was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991.




Pewabic's Museum Store
Pewabic's Museum Store offers historic reproductions of embossed gift tiles handcrafted at the Pottery for nearly a century and is open to the public seven days a week.

Choose from hundreds of images in authentic Arts & Crafts glaze colors. Other glaze choices include gold, silver and the beautiful iridescent glazes which have brought Pewabic international fame. Hand-painted, multicolored tiles are new.




Pewabic's Galleries
Pewabic also sells the work of 50-75 national ceramic artists representing some of the best ceramic art in America. This juried selection offers a wide range of decorative pieces, tableware and tile art. Choose from the best in contemporary ceramic art in porcelain, stoneware with a dazzling array of glaze choices. And of course, we'll ship gifts anywhere in the U.S. for you.

Other museum store gifts include hand-thrown pottery using the unique ceramic forms of historic Pewabic vessels, tableware, candlestick holders, garden vessels and ornaments. Unique embossed giftboxes and gift cards available.

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Pewabic Pottery Art School Location

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