Please note that some of our lectures continue to be held via video conferencing and all members receive an email notice with the ZOOM link. Otherwise, in-person meetings are held in the greater Boston area and are free and open to the public, unless otherwise indicated. Also note that the WSB now offers to its members the ability to enjoy past lectures they may have missed or wish to revisit. Please go to the Members Zone page and follow the easy instructions.
Next Meeting
Unpacking the V&A Wedgwood Collection, Part II
On Sunday, May 18, at 2:00 p.m. ET, the WSB, in conjunction with the WSWDC, will welcome Michael Ruddy, Assistant Curator at the V&A Wedgwood Collection in Barlaston, England, who will present part-two of his lecture on “Unpacking the V&A Wedgwood Collection”. The lecture is an opportunity to see and learn about the amazing discoveries made during the unpacking and cataloguing of the 65,000 objects currently boxed away in the V&A Wedgwood Collection storeroom.
Michael joined the V&A in 2022 and was promoted to his current position in 2023. Prior to, he held positions at the Arts Council England, the Leonard Cheshire Archive, and the Buccleuch Living Heritage Trust. He earned his BA in history from the University of Derby and his MA in Museum Studies from the University of Leicester.
This meeting is our annual Elizabeth Chellis Memorial Lecture and will include the AGM. The event will be presented via ZOOM and WSB members will receive a link the week prior to the meeting. The link will be posted also on this WSB website’s members only zone. If you are not a WSB member and would like to enjoy our 6 events and newsletters per year, click onto the Become a Member tab above.
Meeting and Lecture Schedule
2024-2025 Meeting and Lecture Schedule
Sunday, September 15, 2024 at 2:00 P.M. Members’ Participation: “Annual Wedgwood Bits & Pieces”; to be held remotely via Zoom.
Sunday, November 17, 2024 at 2:00 P.M. Bryding Adams, Curator Emerita, BMA: “Lucille Stewart Beeson: Wedgwood Collector & Donor Extraordinaire”; to be held via Zoom
Sunday, January 12, 2025 at 2:00 P.M. Woody Johnson, Collector: “All Eyes Were Fixed on the Vases: A Gift of Wedgwood Jasper for the Emperor of China in 1793”; to be held via Zoom
Sunday, January 19, 2025 at 2:00 P.M. (Bonus meeting in conjunction with WSWDC), Wedgwood Curator: “Unpacking the V&A Wedgwood Collection, Part I”; to be held via Zoom
Sunday, March 16, 2025 at 2:00 P.M. Ben Miller, Curator Potteries Museum: “Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue”; to be held via Zoom
Sunday, May 18, 2025 at 2:00 P. M. The Elizabeth Chellis Memorial Lecture: Wedgwood Curator: “Unpacking the V&A Wedgwood Collection, Part II; and “Annual General Meeting”; to be held via Zoom
Saturday, July 19, 2025, at 12:00 pm. Members & Guests Participation: “Third Annual Summer Social” to be held at a restaurant, followed by private collection tour, at members’ home in Mystic, CT.
Highlights from Previous Meetings
Wörlitz by Harwood Johnson
Having visited Wörlitz in Germany, Woody Johnson shared the history and images of the Wedgwood objects acquired by Leopold III Friedrich Franz, Prince von Anhalt-Dessau (1740–1817). The 18th century palace and its collections still stand intact to this day. The example here is a pair of Wedgwood & Bentley variegated vases on basalt plinths.
Classic Black by Brian Gallagher
Curator Brian Gallagher of the Mint Museum, Charlotte, N.C., presented “Classic Black: The Basalt Sculpture of Wedgwood and His Contemporaries,” an exhibit he staged along with an accompanying book. Shown here is Somnus (the sleeping baby).