Object Lessons
This online exhibition highlights objects traditionally made by women, such as utilitarian pottery and baskets.
Jiha Moon, Leia, 2013; Ceramic and glaze, 13 x 8 x 8 in.; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of the Georgia Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts; © Jiha Moon
Overview
Objects often made by women, such as utilitarian or decorative pottery and baskets, have historically been marginalized within the canon of art history. The following works attest to the history of women as makers of objects that simultaneously preserve traditions and push boundaries in materials including clay, reeds, and silver.
This online exhibition was created as a companion to the Objectified theme within Remix: The Collection, on view at NMWA from October 21, 2023, to October 25, 2026.
Daisy Makeig-Jones
Daisy Makeig-Jones (b. 1881, Wath-upon-Dearn, England; d. 1945, Doncaster, England)
Vase, ca. 1929 to 1931
Makeig-Jones was employed by the Wedgwood pottery company for more than twenty years. During that time, she designed whimsical scenes that combined the influences of contemporary fairy tale illustration, Asian art, and Art Nouveau. This work is part of the Fairyland Lusterware line, featuring iridescent glazes, which Makeig-Jones produced for Wedgwood beginning in the 1920s.
Jiha Moon
Jiha Moon (b. 1973, Daegu, South Korea)
Leia, 2013
Moon playfully combines elements of contemporary American culture with those from Korean tradition. Here, the peaches appended to the main body of the pot symbolize longevity and happiness in Korean culture; they evoke the hairstyle of the Star Wars character named in the work’s title.
Francine Alex
Francine Alex (b. 1950, unknown; d. 2014, Conehatta, Mississippi)
Doubleweave basket, 2004
Alex carried on her Choctaw people’s traditions for making baskets, historically created by women. Made from reed, or cane, that grows on riverbanks throughout the Southeast, these baskets were once created for utilitarian purposes such as storing food. Today, these baskets are prized by collectors for their aesthetic qualities.
Alice Burrows
Alice Burrows (Active 1801 to ca. 1819, London)
Regency teapot, 1816
In 1801, Burrows registered as a silversmith in London after the death of her husband, George. It was relatively common at the time for widows to take over the family business upon the death of a husband. Burrows had her own maker’s mark, making it possible to identify works that she produced.
Jami Porter Lara
Jami Porter Lara (b. 1969, Spokane, Washington)
LDS-MHB-WVBR-0118CE-12, 2018
Using methods honed by Pueblo artists such as Maria Martinez, Porter Lara creates strikingly modern shapes referencing the ubiquitous plastic water bottle. Through this melding of traditional artistic practice and contemporary popular culture, Porter Lara asks us to consider where, or when, the dividing line between the two exists.
