Fired & Inspired Ceramics Exhibit to Open at Rough Point

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Mar 10, 2015, 09:30 ET

NEWPORT, R.I., March 10, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Ceramic pieces appear in almost every house. Plates, mugs, candlesticks, and other items of everyday use are made from earthenware, stoneware, or porcelain. The history of ceramics can be traced from modern day to ancient times, in cultures around the world. What began as a medium to serve a functional purpose has evolved into one of the most celebrated art forms.

Visit Rough Point, the Newport, RI home of heiress and philanthropist Doris Duke, now a house museum. Tour the stunning grounds, originally designed by the office of Frederick Law Olmsted, with two gardens and 270 degree ocean views.

The 2015 Newport Restoration Foundation's exhibit Fired & Inspired: Ceramics at Rough Point puts a spotlight on the diverse ceramics displayed in Doris Duke's Newport home, now a house museum, and presents newly commissioned clay works by seven contemporary artists. Visitors will view objects from the Duke family collection, including pieces personally purchased by Doris Duke. These items appealed to her aesthetically, but she also understood their importance in the history of decorative arts and wanted to ensure their preservation and appreciation.

"Miss Duke's love of ceramics is most evident in the collection of rare Asian pieces she purchased in the 1970s specifically for Rough Point," said Kristen Costa, Exhibit Curator. "While those items are on display in the Great Hall and part of the Rough Point house tour, there are many significant items that are not. We are thrilled to bring some of these important pieces to the forefront in the exhibit, where our guests will have the opportunity to view them up close."

The contemporary work in the exhibit has been inspired by Rough Point's art, history, and both interior and exterior environments and will be displayed throughout the house, providing a fresh new context for experiencing the collections and grounds. Participating artists include Nicole Cherubini (Brooklyn, NY), Marc Cooper (Boston, MA), Kathy King (Boston, MA), Judit Kollo (London, England), Warren Mather (Weston, MA), Marco Vargas (Mexico), and Zhu Yang (Jingdezhen, China). Allison Newsome (Warren, RI), clay artist and educator, is the guest curator.

"We know that throughout her life, and even in her death, with the creation of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Miss Duke was a true supporter of the arts and artists. The creation of this exhibit is a continuation of her legacy," Costa continued. "In addition to an aesthetic appreciation, Miss Duke displayed a curiosity for how things worked. She participated in creating and preserving ceramics by learning how to repair pieces herself."

In the exhibit visitors will see trays of broken pieces that Miss Duke, an amateur restorer, kept in the house to practice her skills at ceramic repair.

The exhibit displays a wide variety of ceramics organized around three thematic topics: function versus decoration, symbolism and beliefs, and cultural status. In addition, objects span time from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) to the modern day, and represent cultures from Asia, Italy, England, Germany, France, Spain and the Czech Republic.

Fired & Inspired: Ceramics at Rough Point will be on exhibit in the galleries at Rough Point March 26 through November 8, 2015. Guided house tours, which last approximately 75 minutes and include the exhibit, cost $25.Children 12 and younger are admitted for free. Tours will now be offered from 10:00am-2:00pm, Thursday-Sunday, March 26 – May 10. From May 12 to November 8, tours are offered 10:00am-3:45pm, Tuesday-Sunday. In addition, the galleries will be open during a series of special events, as well as during educational lectures and programming. For more information or to buy tickets, visit www.NewportRestoration.org or call (401) 847-8344.

Rough Point was bequeathed to the Newport Restoration Foundation by Doris Duke upon her death in 1993, complete with all of its contents. It was her express wish that it be opened to the public as a house museum. Founded by Miss Duke in 1968, the Newport Restoration Foundation, a non-profit institution, was formed with the express purpose of preserving, interpreting, and maintaining landscape and objects reflecting Aquidneck Island's 18^th- and 19^th-century architectural culture.