Shearwater at 80: Walter Anderson Museum of Art celebrates the 80th anniversary of Shearwater Pottery.
The Walter Anderson Museum in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, is pleased to announce Shearwater at 80 opening on Thursday, September 18 at 6 pm and running until January 18, 2009. This retrospective exhibition celebrates 80 years of creativity and production of a historic American crafts site and facility. The whimsical world of the Anderson family has been a major attraction in Ocean Springs since 1991 when the museum was opened, displaying the traditional Shearwater pottery along with American master Walter Inglis Anderson’s famous murals, drawings, and watercolors, based predominantly on the lush natural surroundings of the town and nearby Horn Island. There have also been countless exhibitions of related works from new artists over the years, continuing the legacy of a unique artists’ mecca in this sleepy Gulf Coast town.
Worlds away from the hustle and bustle of sprawling American metropolises, the ebullient creativity of this quiet community is testament to what can happen when a profound relationship with nature is explored in any medium. Just a short drive from Louisiana, this Gulf Coast town is a haven to those looking for a peaceful retreat for any reason at all. Walter Anderson wrote once, “Man’s eyes are windows and may be closed.” Many of us live with our eyes closed more than we’d like, in order to get things done, to function, but the doldrums of modern life inevitably wear one out. A few days spent in Ocean Springs will surely open the eyes and cleanse the soul. People have flocked here over the years not only to enjoy the peaceful natural surroundings, but also to see what artists begin to perceive, living in such a naturally inspiring environment.
“This exhibit has been 80 years in the making. I don’t think anyone will be disappointed,” says Gayle Petty-Johnson, Museum Director. “So many collectors and family members have come together to make this exhibition a one of a kind.”
Included in the exhibition are classic examples of the functional ware as well as vases, figures, and tiles old and new. Peter Anderson’s exquisite saucers, bowls, and vases will be on display featuring early, discontinued glazes such as copper red, uranium (which produces a brilliant yellow-orange) and orchid. Some fairy tale and cat figures, as well as the magnificent “chesty” horse created by Walter, will be shown as well as examples of reticulated, carved, and decorated vases and bowls done by Mac Anderson. Plates, vases, cups, and other ware thrown and glazed by Peter, Jimmy Anderson, and Peter Wade in one-of-a-kind Shearwater glazes such as the brilliant alkaline blue, creek, desert sage, and shoal will be on view. Casseroles, cats, bowls, and pitchers decorated by Walter, Mac, “Mère,” Patricia A. Findeisen, and Adele A. Lawton are sure to attract longtime Shearwater admirers and win new enthusiasts.
The story of the Anderson family distinctively demonstrates the ideological virtues voiced by the American Arts and Crafts movement—to extend knowledge of the arts and principles of design among the people. It all began in 1918 when Annette McConnel Anderson, called “Mère” by her family, purchased 24 acres at the mouth of Biloxi Bay in Ocean Springs. She planned to make it into a studio and art colony for her family and community, and soon afterwards the family moved to this new home, called Fairhaven, from their home in uptown New Orleans. Peter, the eldest son, began traveling out to Deer Island by boat to take instruction from Newcomb Potter Joseph Fortune Meyer, and his passion grew from the moment he began. He went on to train with potters at the New York State School of Ceramics and other Newcomb potters in New Orleans who had inspired him since his childhood trips to the Newcomb pottery facilities. After his travels, he settled back in Fairhaven and built a wood-burning kiln on the property. Annette bought him a unique tool at auction, a wheel once owned by the late “mad potter” George Ohr, and helped him found Shearwater Pottery, established in 1928.
Peter Anderson became the master potter of Shearwater Pottery, now known for the classic forms, functional ware, nature-based decorative motifs, and the unique glazes developed by Peter. His wife gave the glazes names like “desert sage,” “shoal,” and “morning glory.” The whole family worked at Shearwater Pottery for many years; Walter, Annette, and Pat worked predominately as decorators, and Mac not only decorated but also made molds and oversaw production and the firing process. Their output was astounding, and working as a family team saved them from the most intense hardships of the Great Depression, while others were losing jobs, being forced to close their studios, and struggling to put food on the table.
The family’s collaboration, resourcefulness, and application of the ideals of the Arts and Crafts movement have given them an unshakable foundation ever since. The legacy of the original founders lives on through their children and grandchildren who now run the museum and continue working in the artists’ colony. While Walter’s exceptional work was put on display as the forefront of the museum in 1991, the Shearwater Pottery school is no less important to the family, the community, and the museum, and this exhibition is particularly meaningful after the devastation done to Ocean Springs by Hurricane Katrina. Nearly all of the buildings, homes, and their contents at Shearwater were destroyed. Thankfully the workshop and showroom were quickly restored by Walter and Peter’s grandsons, Stebly and Patrick Ashley, and reopened soon after the disaster. Shearwater Pottery is also grateful to the many collectors and family members who have generously loaned cherished pieces of their Shearwater Pottery collections for this exhibition. ✦
