FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 9, 2007

CONTACT:
Michael Johnson, Director of Communications
816-421-1388
michael@maaa.org

Exhibition of Unique and Unusual Teapots Embarks on National Tour

Teapots: Object to Subject, an exhibition featuring examplary craft teapots, has begun its nationwide trek. Currently en route to its first venue, the Forbes Gallery in New York, New York, Tepots opens to the public on January 28, 2007.

Toured by ExhibitsUSA, a national program of Mid-America Arts Alliance, this exhibition takes a closer look at what is normally considered a simple utilitarian vessel; however, these teapots are anything but ordinary.

Viewers will encounter examples of the most ingenious approaches to the contemporary teapot being produced today. The 45 objects included in Teapots: Object to Subject were selected from among the finest entries in the 2004 Survey of Contemporary American Teapots at the Craft Alliance in St. Louis, Missouri. The best of both established artists and the most promising, innovative new artists from the survey are represented.

Of course, teapots are still produced in the traditional materials of ceramics, metal, and glass, but artists constantly stretch and test the boundaries of the genre. They strive to challenge the concept of the teapot as a predictable, traditional vessel. Some of these visionaries incorporate fabric, precious metals, or found items from nature, and their artistic approaches vary from tromp d’oeil to the whimsical and sculptural.

Teapots: Object to Subject is organized by Craft Alliance and toured by ExhibitsUSA. ExhibitsUSA is a national program of Mid-America Arts Alliance, the nation’s oldest regional arts organization. Founded in 1972 to foster cultural growth in heartland communities, today Mid-America serves Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas, though it also develops and delivers arts and humanities programs for a national audience. Mid-America programs attract upwards of one million people annually in more than 300 communities.

For more information, please visit www.maaa.org. You can also contact Andrew Graham via email at andrew@maaa.org or phone 816-421-1388.

Tour Schedule as of January 9, 2007. Click here for more information and recent schedule.

January 28, 2007–March 17, 2007
Forbes Gallery
New York, New York

April 6, 2007–August 11, 2007
Museum of Texas Tech University
Lubbock, Texas

November 3, 2007–January 7, 2008
J Wayne Stark University Ctr Galleries
College Station, Texas

January 28, 2009–March 16, 2009
CSU Dominguez Hills
Carson, California

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