Mary Chase Perry Stratton (March 15, 1867 – April 15, 1961) was an American

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcela ...

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating the work of art. The most common usage (in both everyday speech and academic discourse) refers to a practitioner in the visual arts o ...

. She was a co-founder, along with Horace James Caulkins, of Pewabic Pottery, a form of

ceramic art Ceramic art is art made from ceramic materials, including clay. It may take varied forms, including artistic pottery, including tableware, tiles, figurines and other sculpture. As one of the plastic arts, ceramic art is a visual art. While ...

used to make architectural

tiles Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, walls, edges, or ot ...

Biography

Stratton was born in Hancock, Michigan, in the

Upper Peninsula The Upper Peninsula of Michigan—also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. or Yoop—is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula b ...

and later moved with her family to

Ann Arbor Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

, following the death of her father, and from there to the Detroit area, when she was in her early teens. There she attended her first art classes at the Art School of the Detroit Museum of Art. She followed that up with two years of studies at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, from 1887 to 1889, where she studied with the regionally important sculptor and educator Louis Rebisso. Returning to Detroit she founded the Pewabic Pottery, named after an old

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

mine (or sometimes, the Indian name of a nearby river) in Michigan's

, with Caulkins in 1903. In 1907 the enterprise flourished and moved from the Carriage House behind the Ransom Gillis House, on John R Street, to a new building designed by Detroit architect William Stratton located on Jefferson Avenue, where the business still thrives. In 1918, she married William Stratton. She died on April 15, 1961.

Legacy

Under her leadership, Pewabic Pottery produced architectural tiles, lamps and vessels. The Pewabic Pottery became known far and wide for its iridescent glazes, and was used in churches, libraries, schools, and public buildings.Craft in America, Mary Chase Perry Stratton
/ref> New York architects McKim, Meade & White asked her to create the tiles for the

roof garden A roof garden is a garden on the roof of a building. Besides the decorative benefit, roof plantings may provide food, temperature control, hydrological benefits, architectural enhancement, habitats or corridors for wildlife, recreational oppo ...

of the

Hotel Pennsylvania The Hotel Pennsylvania was a hotel at 401 Seventh Avenue (15 Penn Plaza) in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, across from Pennsylvania Station and Madison Square Garden. Opened in 1919, it was once the largest hotel in the world. It remained t ...

. Her work can be seen in Detroit at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, the crypt church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the

Fisher Building The Fisher Building is a List of National Historic Landmarks in Michigan, landmark List of tallest buildings in Detroit, skyscraper located at 3011 West Grand Boulevard in the heart of the New Center, Detroit, New Center area of Detroit, Michig ...

, and

Eliel Saarinen Gottlieb Eliel Saarinen (, ; August 20, 1873 – July 1, 1950) was a Finnish and American Architecture, architect known for his work with Art Nouveau buildings in the early years of the 20th century. He was also the father of famed architect Ee ...

's Kingswood School for Girls. Pewabic Pottery is Michigan's only historic pottery. It is designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

. Stratton established the ceramics department at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

and taught there. She taught also at

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

. In 1947, she received the highest award in the American ceramic field, namely the Charles Fergus Binns Medal. Her art was exhibited at the Detroit Art Club in 1995. She was a charter member of the Detroit Society of Women Painters and Sculptors.Gibson, Arthur Hopkins. ''Artists of Early Michigan: A Biographical Dictionary of Artists Native to or Active in Michigan, 1701-1900.'' (Detroit, Michigan:

Wayne State University Press Wayne State University Press (or WSU Press) is a university press that is part of Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 186 ...

, 1975), p. 195. Today Pewabic Pottery offers classes, workshops, lectures, and internships for potters of all ages.

References

External links

Child's history of Pewabic Pottery and Mary Stratton--Michigan Historical Museum

Pewabic Pottery

Pewabic Pottery Virtual Tour
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stratton, Mary Chase Perry 1867 births 1961 deaths People from Hancock, Michigan Ceramists from Michigan American potters American ceramists Arts and Crafts movement Wayne State University faculty University of Michigan faculty Burials at Greenwood Cemetery (Birmingham, Michigan) American women potters American women ceramists American women academics 20th-century American women sculptors 20th-century American sculptors

Biography

Legacy

See also

References

External links