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More on The Artful Teapot • Exhibition Homepage • Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art • Twinings Tea

Great coffee or tea events never seem to take place locally, so I was surprised to hear about this teapot exhibit right here in Toronto. My wife and I charged up the digital camera, and off we went. I was just amazed at how many artists had been inspired by the simple teapot. We both enjoyed the show.

The exhibit is a display of a small portion of the 6,000 piece private collection of teapots belonging to Sonny and Gloria Kamm of Pasadena, California. Their collection includes rare antiques, one-of-a-kind modern creations, mass produced teapots, and everything in between. There seems to be no limits to the range of materials used or themes explored. They find inexpensive teapots at flea markets, or spend top dollar for a specially commissioned pieces. Their collection is the largest in North America, and probably the world.

The Artful Teapot exhibit is a specific display of 20th century contemporary pieces. Many of the teapots on display are true works of art and sculpture. There are 260 teapots on display in the Artful Teapot collection, and I wish I could show you photos of them all. Here at the Gardiner Museum, there are also several talks and symposiums scheduled to accompany the show. Later in May, the Yixing master Ah Leon will be giving a slide talk. I hope to attend that myself.

A lovely colour 260-page catalog has been produced to accompany the show. Details can be found at the exhibit website.

The Artful Teapot show has been travelling to galleries and museums around North America since mid-2002, and will continue to be on display until mid-2004. It is currently at the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art in Toronto and will be here until May 25, 2003. The next stops are:

June 20 - September 14, 2003
Long Beach Museum of Art, in Long Beach, California

October 18 - January 4, 2004
Chicago Cultural Center, in Chicaco, Illinois

February 1 - June 1, 2004
Mint Museum of Craft + Design, in Charlotte, North Carolina

If you are in any of these areas, I would recommend visiting the Artful Teapot exhibit. Even those who have no particular passion for teapots will enjoy it.