Programs

Tea set with strawberry pattern.
Terra-cotta-colored tea set with floral pattern.
Light blue jasperware tea set.
Tea set, white with ornate deep red vegetal patterns.

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.

Next Meeting

2023 Annual Summer Social

The closing event of the WSB 2022-2023 season is the first Annual Summer Social, to be held in York, Maine, on Sunday, July 16th. Registration forms were mailed to members with a reminder that spaces are limited. The full-day program includes visits to two private Wedgwood collections and a catered New England lobster clambake. For information, contact Adele at: wsbbarnett48@gmail.com.

If you are not a member, we invite you to become one and see what you’re missing. Go to the Become a Member page.

Meeting and Lecture Schedule

2022-2023 Program

Sunday September 18, 2022 at 2:00 P.M. Members’ Participation: “Annual Wedgwood Bits & Pieces”; to be held in-person at the Dedham Museum and Archives, Dedham, MA

Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 2:00 P.M. Liz Collins: “A Love Affair with Wedgwood Through the Generations”; to be held via Zoom

Sunday, January 15, 2023 at 2:00 P.M. Dale Bowen, former Wedgwood Master Potter: “My Works at Wedgwood and Beyond: A Discussion with Dale Bowen”; to be held via Zoom

Sunday, March 12, 2023 at 2:00 P.M. Rebecca Klarner, Assistant Curator, V&A Wedgwood Museum:  Norman Wilson at Wedgwood”; to be held via Zoom

Sunday, May 21, 2023 at 2:00 P.M. The Elizabeth Chellis Memorial Lecture: Peggy Kerner: Who Was Eleanor Coade and What is Her Connection to Josiah Wedgwood”; and Annual General Meeting; to be held via Zoom

Sunday, July 16, 2023 at 1:00 P.M. Members & Guest Participation: Annual Summer Social”; to be held in York, Maine, featuring a lobster/clam bake and visits to two private Wedgwood collections.

Highlights from Previous Meetings

Bits and Pieces

Tall gray-blue jasper vase.

One of the most-attended meetings each year is the WSB “Bits & Pieces” session. Members have the opportunity to display and discuss a Wedgwood object or two from their collection. Sometimes there is a theme focus, other times it’s a most recent acquisition or simply a favorite piece. Shown here is an example which represents the largest Wedgwood object in one WSB member’s collection. This c. 1895 Mountbatten Vase stands at more than 24″ tall.

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.

Two blue-green variegated vases with gold-colored details.

Classic Black by Brian Gallagher

Grayish-black sculpture of a sleeping baby.

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).