Luce Foundation Center

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Open daily, 11:30 a.m.–7 p.m.

The nation’s first collection of American art, an unparalleled record of the American experience.

Plan your visit

Renwick Gallery Stairwwell

Renwick Gallery

Open daily, 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.

Located just feet from the White House, a branch of the museum that is home the nation's collection of contemporary craft and decorative art.

Plan your visit

How Do I Research My Art?

Want to learn more about the painting you found while clearing out the attic? For answers, be prepared for a little detective work.

How to Care for Your Collections

Regardless of the monetary value of your artwork, if it is personally meaningful, you should consider having the object conserved.

Recording a Changing Nation

This resource uses images from photographic surveys in 55 communities in 30 states across the United States as source documents to spark sustained inquiry.

Critical Thinking in Action

These 60-to-95-minute units pair thinking patterns with works of art to instill a thinking disposition transferable across classroom curriculum and into the wider world.

Event Venues and Space Rental

Museum Store Online

Detail of brown ceramic jar with writing and the signature "Dave" inscribed around the top.

David “Dave” Drake: Potter and Poet

Craftsman David “Dave” Drake, enslaved for most of his life, produced uncommonly large ceramic jars in 19th-century South Carolina adorned by his poetic verses

A black case that is open to reveal smaller compartments and utensils mounted in the lid. Boxes wrapped in brown paper are stacked on the side.

Contemporary Craft in Focus: The Weight of Deferred Gratification

Metalsmith David Harper Clemons creates art that gives new meanings to everyday objects

Director’s Circle

A national membership group of museum friends who share a love of American art and craft and our commitment to celebrating the extraordinary creativity of our nation’s artists.

A membership group for young professionals who are interested in immersing themselves in the American art experience.

Chatterly

Media - 1999.57.16 - SAAM-1999.57.16_1 - 57606

Copied Charles Miner, Chatterly, 1995, glass, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Carol and Don Wiiken, 1999.57.16

Artwork Details

Title: Chatterly
Artist: Charles Miner
Date: 1995
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum
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Luce Foundation Center
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4th Floor
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56A
Dimensions: approx. 6 x 10 in. (15.2 x 25.4 cm) diam.
Credit Line: Gift of Carol and Don Wiiken
Mediums Description: glass
Classifications: Decorative Arts
Glass
Keywords: Object — foliage — fern
Object Number: 1999.57.16
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1999.57.16

Artwork Description

Charles Miner learned to carve porcelain while taking workshops in clay. He transfers this skill into glass by cutting elaborate patterns into the walls of his cast vessels. The simple form of Chatterly highlights its luminous color and detailed surface design.

Luce Object Quote

"I believe that these Ancient Vessels will live long lives of romance, mystery and passion with whomever they travel." Charles Miner, 1999