The Mark and Marie Latta Collection i Featuring Weller Pottery’s Hudson Ware
Friday, July 14, 2023, Gallery Talk by Mark and Marie Latta, at 2 pm, at the ZMA
Friday, July 14, 2023, Exhibition Opening, 5 pm, at the ZMA
Last year, the American art pottery collectors Mark and Marie Latta generously donated the first of several planned gifts of art pottery to the Zanesville Museum of Art. Their prominent art pottery collection will redefine the holdings of this Ohio museum and help the ZMA become a nationally recognized regional museum specializing in Ohio art pottery.
Passionate collectors, the Lattas began collecting American art pottery over three decades ago. Today, these Iowa natives have created a sizeable and distinguished collection that demonstrates the incredible range of ceramics manufactured in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries at regional potteries in the United States. Among the most important works donated by the Latta’s are those manufactured in Zanesville, Ohio, by Weller Pottery Company.
At the turn of the last century, Zanesville, Ohio was recognized as the “Clay City” and the “Pottery Capital of the World.” This region had abundant natural resources important to the manufacture and production of pottery including rich deposits of clay and silica—a key ingredient in clays and glazes. As a result, as early as 1820, a robust ceramics tradition existed in and around the city, which provided the foundation for larger manufacturing ventures to thrive by 1890. Other factors contributed to the development of the local ceramic industry as well, such as easy access to water and rail transportation that delivered wares to distant and developing middle class American markets; the availability of wood, coal, and gas to fuel the large kilns needed to produce wares in volume; and a pool of talented engineers capable of creating innovative machinery for the potteries. A significant contributing factor in the success of the potteries was that many of the major manufacturers were led by dynamic entrepreneurs who attracted experienced decorators, designers, mold-makers, and potters to their companies. Figures like Samuel Weller of Weller Pottery Company transformed local pottery companies into nationally recognized concerns.
American art pottery production became mechanized to meet the growing consumer demand for decorative wares, and competition among the companies for the consumer was fierce. Popular glazes created by one company were recreated by other companies. As an example, Weller Pottery Company launched its Hudson ware line which was likely inspired by Rookwood Pottery Company’s Vellum line.
Weller Pottery introduced the Hudson line in 1917 and its popularity among the buying public ensured its production through the mid 1930s. For around two decades, Weller offered consumers a variety of options that are all classified as Hudson, which are commonly referred to as Hudson White and Decorated, Blue and Decorated, Early and Late Scenic Hudson, Mineral Slip Decorated Hudson, Black Hudson, and Glazed and Glossy Hudson. In addition to this assortment, Weller also produced a series of Hudson State Flower vases and vases commissioned by the Indianapolis association Kappa Kappa Gamma.
The Mark and Marie Latta collection at the ZMA demonstrates the range and beauty of the Hudson line and why this line stands out from rest of the company’s manufactured wares. Hudsons have a lush satin glaze, creamy pale colors, and hand-decorated motifs painted by pottery decorators such as Naomi Walch (1895–1984), Sarah Reid McLaughlin (1885–1939), Eugene Roberts (1876–1931), Mae Timberlake (1870–?), Dorothy England (1895–1982), and Hester W. Pillsbury (1862–1951) to name a few. Many of the Hudson vases on view in the American Art Pottery Gallery that Mark and Marie Latta spent more than a decade collecting feature unique subject matter, rare glaze variations, and virtuoso surface decoration.
Passionate educators, the Lattas have been committed to enhancing the appreciation of art pottery. They have been long-standing members of pottery organizations such as Pottery Lovers, the American Art Pottery Association (AAPA), and the Iowa Art Pottery Association and have held leadership positions in these organizations. In addition, Mark Latta has written about his collection, Rookwood Pottery, and art pottery in general.
Passionate advocates of the arts, the Lattas have advanced the cause of local and regional organizations like the Zanesville Museum of Art, the Brunnier Museum, in Ames, Iowa, and the Muscatine Art Center, in Muscatine, Iowa, where Mark Latta has held a position on its Board of Directors.
The Mark and Marie Latta Collection exhibition is now on view at the Zanesville Museum of Art.
Friday, July 14, 2023, Gallery Talk by Mark and Marie Latta, at 2 pm
Friday, July 14, 2023, Exhibition Opening, 5 pm
These events and museum general admission are free and open to the public.
