![]() ![]() I will surround myself with things that help me grow, grow There will be no more feeling that I'm all alone New life on the inside I am changing, changing Right before your eyes I am changing, changing Her sculptures were commissioned for Radio City Music Hall in New York City, General Motors Technical Center in Detroit, and at the Hawaii State Art museum–– just to name a few.And I know there will be mistakes that I will makeīut I know they're not worse than chances I don't take, take ![]() She worked on designing Pewabic Tile murals at Bethel Evangelical Church and Sacred Heart Convent (now Grosse Pointe Academy). Indeed, Gwen Lux made “no small name” for herself. Photo of a nude sculpture by Gwen Lux from Pewabic’s Archives Later… she had full opportunity for specialized study both in this country and in Europe and has made no small name for herself.” Mary Chase was very intent on encouraging, not discouraging, a new generation of women to explore the furthest reaches of their imagination and artistic expression. She concludes, “I shall never forget the change in the trembling lip and tearful brown eyes, when I suggested that Gwen be allowed to fill her time with her favored talent and she became a part time contributor in connection with Pewabic work. She had a keen eye for design, and a way to cut through to the heart of the matter with her words. Right: Gwen Lux and Mary Chase Perry Stratton at Mary Chase’s former Grosse Pointe Park residenceĮxperience had shown that Pythagoras and Michael Angelo were not usually on speaking terms.” This witty remark is very characteristic of Mary Chase’s writing. Mary Chase never subscribed to this line of thinking, hence her establishment and retention of a successful art business in the face of many personal setbacks and global financial crisis. She goes on to write, “I recalled a statement by Charles Moore in connection with the American Academy at Rome, to the effect that if examinations in mathematics were required in order to enter that institute, there would be no more sculptors in attendance. Lux, not unlike Mary Chase herself, was expected to keep her education well rounded as it was rare for women of that time to earn a living strictly through their art. In one excerpt, she notes that Gwen had a “.good deal of talent in clay modeling” but “.”suddenly backed in her tracks like a young horse” when confronted with her algebraic studies. Mary Chase writes admiringly of Gwen in her unpublished autobiography. Pioneering American sculptor, Gwen Lux, studied directly under Mary Chase at Pewabic Pottery starting at the young age of fourteen in 1922. Left: Gwen Lux in her studio–– photographed by Peter A. Ella Peters was not only a true friend and confidante, she assisted in keeping Pewabic afloat during challenging financial times. This allowed Mary to focus on cataloging the more technical aspects of glaze development and ceramic design in her handwritten day books. She took the task of typing out Mary’s more public statements–– such as this hand-typed summarization of her Iridescent glaze success. THE ADMINISTRATIVE MAVENĮlla Peters with student work at Pewabic Pottery circa 1940Įlla knew the intrinsic value of the pieces that Mary and her team of makers meticulously crafted by hand. Their skepticism was tempered when they saw the raw beauty of the work that took a direct page from an under-represented art movement in the United States during that time –– the flourishing Arts and Crafts movement most popular in the United Kingdom. Otherwise, there was no fun about our adventure, and most of all, even though we are hoping to make ends meet, we wanted to work with real pleasure and satisfaction.”Įlla ensured that Mary Chase was not under-charging for Pewabic’s work during a time where a still male-dominated industry was skeptical of a “woman potter”. That is exactly what we did do, taking a stand once and for all, that our product, in pottery at least, should express our own judgment and artistic taste. ![]() She writes, “It was not easy at the peak of a profitable line to make up our minds to give up. Mary Chase documented her struggle to balance her entrepreneurial motivations with her artistic ideals. Her bookkeeper and secretary for thirty-seven years, Ella Peters, recounts the internal conflicts that were no stranger to Pewabic’s ingenious Co-Founder. Mary Chase’s work has been displayed at the Smithsonian Institution, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and even the Louvre in Paris, France. Left: Portrait of Mary Chase Perry Stratton printed in the New York Times, 1940 ![]()
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