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Figge Art Museum exhibit displays 45 teapots by contemporary artists

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By David Burke | Monday, June 9, 2008 4:21 PM CDT | () comments

(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

Short and stout? Not necessarily.

Handle? Spout? Maybe on both counts.

Steamed up, shouting, “Tip me over and pour me out”? Sorry, not this time.

Yes, teapots are the subject of a new exhibit at the Figge Art Museum in downtown Davenport, opening next weekend, but it’s not the way you’re thinking.

“They are functional, but they don’t look like teapots, and that’s one of the points of the show,” Figge curator Michelle Robinson said. “The teapot, everyone is familiar with what it’s supposed to do. It’s supposed to pour a liquid.”

“Teapots: Object to Subject” opened Saturday and continues through Aug. 10. The 45 teapots on display were selected from the entries in the 2004 Surve of Contemporary American Teapots at the Craft Alliance in St. Louis. They are a mix of ceramic, metal and mixed-media works. The exhibit includes works by Richard Notkin, who, Robinson said, is one of the nation’s most recognized teapot artists, as well as Bennett Bean, Michael Simon and Noi Volkov.

“There are a lot of contemporary artists now who are using this subject matter — the teapot, which has been around for centuries — to do something that pushes the envelope,” she said. “Is it sculpture? Is it functional? What is it supposed to do? Does it make a statement? Is it politicized? Is it purely decorative?”

Robinson said the exhibit is purposely timed to contrast with “When Gold Blossoms: Indian Jewelry from the Susan L. Beningson Collection,” which began last month and continues through late August featuring rare jewelry from southern India.

“I thought it would be fun to do something completely different on the other floor, something that was more whimsical, something completely different from that show — not so serious, not so precious, not quite so glittery,” Robinson said. “This is a show that’s a lot of fun to look at.”

While there are many teapot collectors, she said, it also provides a familiar jumping-off point for those not as familiar with the form and function.

“It’s a form that’s easily recognizable: There’s a body, a spout, a handle, sometimes a lid,” she said. “Artists like to have new subject matter to explore. There are a whole lot of artists out there who are using the teapot as the subject of their work. They’re using materials that you wouldn’t necessarily think a teapot should be made out of. They’re pushing boundaries.”

David Burke can be contacted at (563) 383-2400 or dburke@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.

IF YOU GO

What: “Teapots: Object to Subject”

When: Through Sunday, Aug. 10; hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays through Sundays, and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursdays

Where: Fourth floor, Figge Art Museum, 225 W. 2nd St., Davenport

How much: $7 for adults, $6 for students and senior citizens, $4 children 12 years and younger, free for museum members

Information: (563) 326-07804 or FiggeArtMuseum.org on the Web