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Laura Andreson, Bowl, 1939, earthenware with uranium glaze, 4 x 11 7⁄8 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Forrest L. Merrill, 2021.98.2
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Bowl
- Artist
- Date
- 1939
- Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 4 x 11 7⁄8 in.
- Credit Line
- Gift of Forrest L. Merrill
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- earthenware with uranium glaze
- Subjects
- Object — other — dish
- Object Number
- 2021.98.2
Artwork Description
This relatively simple form shows off the mustard-yellow glaze, made brilliant by uranium (a radioactive element no longer used in ceramics). Laura Andreson boldly experimented with glaze formulas in the 1930s, when there was scant documentation on the chemistry. She founded the ceramics department at the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1933 and taught thousands of students until her retirement in 1970. The surface of this bowl suggests the crackled texture of the California desert.
This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World, 2022
Exhibitions
May 13, 2022–April 2, 2023
This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World showcases the dynamic landscape of American craft today.