The Potteries of Trenton Society is set to present the 11th annual Trenton Ceramics Symposium April 5.
This year, the symposium celebrates the life and work of sculptor Isaac Broome, the first sculptor to work in the American ceramics industry. The symposium is set to take place the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton.
Broome is known for his Baseball Vase, created for Ott & Brewer’s display at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876.
The symposium begins with lectures discussing Broome’s life and work as a sculptor and tile designer in Trenton. After a catered lunch in the State Museum’s galleries, the afternoon talks will examine Broome’s famous Baseball Vase.
This year’s keynote speaker is Molly Randolph, who recently completed her thesis on Broome for her masters degree in the history of decorative arts from the Smithsonian-George Mason University program. She is set to present an overview of Broome’s life and work.
Historian Michael W. Padwee is set to present “Isaac Broome and the Spirit of Innovation and Design in the Tile Industry after the Centennial Exhibition.” Padwee has published A Field Guide to the Key Patterns on the Backs of United States Ceramic Tiles, 1870s-1930s and writes a regular column for Flashpoint, the newsletter of the Tile Heritage Foundation.
Ellen Denker is set to discuss Broome’s Baseball Vase as a key document in the history of American baseball and as the first work in American clay officially classified as art. She may be assisted in this endeavor by members of the Neshanock Base Ball Club, a group of reenactors from Flemington who will be costumed in authentic uniforms of the late 1800s and who will explain the game as it was played in Broome’s day.
The day will finish with a closing reception sponsored by the Trenton Museum Society at Ellarslie, the Museum of the City of Trenton, in Cadwalader Park. Participants will be able to view the society’s collection of Trenton ceramics, including an exhibition case devoted to Broome’s work.
In addition, POTS has secured a group of tickets for the Trenton Thunder game on April 5 for Symposium registrants who would like to linger over baseball. Those who register in advance will be able to add tickets for the game to their order for the symposium.
Advanced registration is $35, if paid by March 14. Admission is $40 at the door. Registration includes all lectures, lunch and the reception.
More information is online at potteriesoftrenton.org.
