![Mary Chase Perry Stratton bottle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Mary_Chase_Perry_Stratton_bottle.jpg)
Mary Chase Perry Stratton (March 15, 1867 – April 15, 1961) was an American
ceramic
A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...
artist
An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...
. She was a co-founder, along with
Horace James Caulkins, of
Pewabic Pottery
Pewabic Pottery is a ceramic studio and school in Detroit, Michigan. Founded in 1903, the studio is known for its iridescent glazes, some of which grace notable buildings such as the Shedd Aquarium and Basilica of the National Shrine of the Imma ...
, a form of
ceramic art
Ceramic art is art made from ceramic materials, including clay. It may take forms including artistic pottery, including tableware, tiles, figurines and other sculpture. As one of the plastic arts, ceramic art is one of the visual arts. Whi ...
used to make architectural
tiles
Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, walls, edges, or o ...
.
Biography
Stratton was born in
Hancock, Michigan
Hancock is a city in Houghton County, Michigan, Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is across the Keweenaw Waterway from the city of Houghton, Michigan, Houghton on the Keweenaw Peninsula. The population was 4,634 at the 2010 United ...
, in the
Upper Peninsula
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by t ...
and later moved with her family to
Ann Arbor
Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), ...
, following the death of her father, and from there to the Detroit area, when she was in her early teens. There she attended her first art classes at the Art School of the
Detroit Museum of Art
The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, has one of the largest and most significant art collections in the United States. With over 100 galleries, it covers with a major renovation and expansion project complete ...
. She followed that up with two years of studies at the
Art Academy of Cincinnati
The Art Academy of Cincinnati is a private college of art and design in Cincinnati, Ohio, accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. It was founded as the McMicken School of Design in 1869, and was a department of the U ...
, from 1887 to 1889, where she studied with the regionally important sculptor and educator
Louis Rebisso
Louis Thomas Rebisso (1837 in Italy – 3 May 1899 in Norwood, Ohio) was an Italian-born American sculptor and teacher.
Biography
In Italy, Rebisso studied with the sculptor Rubalto and in an art academy under Varni. At 20, he joined in Giuseppe ...
.
[
Returning to Detroit she founded the ]Pewabic Pottery
Pewabic Pottery is a ceramic studio and school in Detroit, Michigan. Founded in 1903, the studio is known for its iridescent glazes, some of which grace notable buildings such as the Shedd Aquarium and Basilica of the National Shrine of the Imma ...
, named after an old copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...
mine (or sometimes, the Indian name of a nearby river) in Michigan's Upper Peninsula
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by t ...
, with Caulkins in 1903. In 1907 the enterprise flourished and moved from the Carriage House
A carriage house, also called a remise or coach house, is an outbuilding which was originally built to house horse-drawn carriages and the related tack.
In Great Britain the farm building was called a cart shed. These typically were open f ...
behind the Ransom Gillis House, on John R Street, to a new building designed by Detroit architect William Stratton
William Grant Stratton (February 26, 1914 – March 2, 2001), was the 32nd governor of Illinois from 1953 to 1961.
Early life and career
Born February 26, 1914 in Ingleside, Lake County, Illinois, the son of William J. Stratton, an Illinoi ...
located on Jefferson Avenue, where the business still thrives. In 1918, she married William Stratton.[
She died on April 15, 1961.
]
Legacy
Under her leadership, Pewabic Pottery produced architectural tiles, lamps and vessels. The Pewabic Pottery
Pewabic Pottery is a ceramic studio and school in Detroit, Michigan. Founded in 1903, the studio is known for its iridescent glazes, some of which grace notable buildings such as the Shedd Aquarium and Basilica of the National Shrine of the Imma ...
became known far and wide for its iridescent glazes, and was used in churches, libraries, schools, and public buildings.[Craft in America, Mary Chase Perry Stratton]
/ref> New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
architects McKim, Meade & White
McKim, Mead & White was an American architectural firm that came to define architectural practice, urbanism, and the ideals of the American Renaissance in fin de siècle New York. The firm's founding partners Charles Follen McKim (1847–1909), Wil ...
asked her to create the tiles for the roof garden
A roof garden is a garden on the roof of a building. Besides the decorative benefit, roof plantings may provide food, temperature control, hydrological benefits, architectural enhancement, habitats or corridors for wildlife, recreational oppo ...
of the Hotel Pennsylvania
The Hotel Pennsylvania was a historic hotel at 401 Seventh Avenue (15 Penn Plaza) in Manhattan, across the street from Pennsylvania Station and Madison Square Garden in New York City. Opened in 1919, it was once the largest hotel in the world. ...
. Her work can be seen in Detroit at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, the crypt church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is a large minor Catholic basilica and national shrine in the United States in Washington, D.C., located at 400 Michigan Avenue Northeast, adjacent to Catholic University.
...
, the Fisher Building
The Fisher Building is a landmark skyscraper located at 3011 West Grand Boulevard in the heart of the New Center area of Detroit, Michigan. The ornate 30-story building, completed in 1928, is one of the major works of architect Albert Kahn, an ...
, and Eliel Saarinen
Gottlieb Eliel Saarinen (, ; August 20, 1873 – July 1, 1950) was a Finnish-American Architecture, architect known for his work with art nouveau buildings in the early years of the 20th century. He was also the father of famed architect Eero ...
's Kingswood School for Girls.
Pewabic Pottery is Michigan's only historic pottery. It is designated a National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
.
Stratton established the ceramics department at the University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
and taught there. She taught also at Wayne State University
Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...
. In 1947, she received the highest award in the American ceramic field, namely the Charles Fergus Binns Medal.[
Her art was exhibited at the Detroit Art Club in 1995. She was a charter member of the Detroit Society of Women Painters and Sculptors.][Gibson, Arthur Hopkins. ''Artists of Early Michigan: A Biographical Dictionary of Artists Native to or Active in Michigan, 1701-1900.'' (Detroit, Michigan: ]Wayne State University Press
Wayne State University Press (or WSU Press) is a university press that is part of Wayne State University. It publishes under its own name and also the imprints Painted Turtle and Great Lakes Books Series.
History
The Press has strong subjec ...
, 1975), p. 195.
Today Pewabic Pottery offers classes, workshops, lectures, and internships for potters of all ages.
See also
* Arts and Crafts Movement
* Ceramic tile
A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain, ...
* Studio pottery
Studio pottery is pottery made by professional and amateur artists or artisans working alone or in small groups, making unique items or short runs. Typically, all stages of manufacture are carried out by the artists themselves.Emmanuel Cooper, ...
References
External links
Child's history of Pewabic Pottery and Mary Stratton--Michigan Historical Museum
Pewabic Pottery
Pewabic Pottery Virtual Tour
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stratton, Mary Chase Perry
1867 births
1961 deaths
People from Hancock, Michigan
Artists from Michigan
American potters
American ceramists
Arts and Crafts movement
Wayne State University faculty
University of Michigan faculty
Burials at Greenwood Cemetery (Birmingham, Michigan)
20th-century American women artists
Women potters
American women ceramists
American women academics