For Immediate Release

For more information contact:

Amber Sesnick
904.899.6034
asesnick@cummermuseum.org

Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens

Newcomb Pottery Exhibition Celebrates Pioneering Women Artists
Jacksonville, Fla. The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens presents Women, Art, & Social
Change: The Newcomb Pottery Enterprise, an exhibition focusing on the works of some of
Americas pioneering women artists. Showcasing work from what was one of Americas most
successful art potteries of the 20th century, the exhibit will be on display October 9, 2015 through
January 3, 2016. The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service has partnered with
Newcomb Art Gallery at Tulane University to present the largest, most comprehensive Newcomb
Pottery collection to tour the country in nearly three decades. The exhibit will visit the Cummer
Museum during its nine-city national tour.
Founded at New Orleans' Tulane University in 1886 by pioneer philanthropist Josephine
Newcomb, the H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College was America's first degree-granting
coordinate college for women. Not only did Josephine aspire to educate women within the allmale university, she hoped to set them on a path towards financial independence, both through
education and also through skill. Work in the arts was seen as an appropriate way for women to
earn a living at a time when their opportunities were limited.
The Newcomb pieces combine motifs from traditional Japanese art, most notably printmaking
elements, with southern staples such as magnolia, crepe myrtle, and Spanish moss. With the start
of World War I, their designs shifted to softer, more romantic versions of southern landscape, and
then towards the abstraction popularized by the Art Deco movement. The movement shifted
along with society, which began to allow women more opportunities to work in numerous fields.
Combined with the nationwide economic depression, which had negatively impacted sales,
Tulane leadership decided to further the artistic instruction of students rather than the business
enterprise, and the Pottery closed in 1940.
Sally Main, Senior Curator at Tulane's Newcomb Art Gallery said, "during the 45 years of the
Pottery's existence, at a critical time in America's history, it demonstrated that women had skills
in the arts that could be developed through education, and that those who participated were able
to earn a living and become self-reliant.

Women, Art, & Social Change: The Newcomb Pottery Enterprise is organized by the Newcomb
Art Gallery at Tulane University and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.
This exhibition is supported by grants from the Henry Luce Foundation and the National
Endowment for the Arts, ArtWorks.

PONCE DE LEN SOCIETY OPENING

WOMEN, ART, AND SOCIAL CHANGE: THE NEWCOMB POTTERY ENTERPRISE
Wednesday, October 7
6 to 8 p.m. | Free for Donors Only
The Board of Trustees and the Director of the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens invite you to
be our guest at the private viewing of Women, Art, and Social Change: The Newcomb Pottery
Enterprise. Please join us for a reception with live music, cocktails, and small bites. For further
information or to make your required reservation, please call 904.899.6038.

MEMBER PREVIEW
WOMEN, ART, AND SOCIAL CHANGE: THE NEWCOMB POTTERY ENTERPRISE
Thursday, October 8
12 to 4 p.m. | Free for Members Only
No Registration Required
Members of the Cummer Museum are invited to view the exhibition before it opens to the
public. Enjoy Docent-led tours every hour on the hour and a 20% discount in the Cummer Shop
and Caf. Reservations for a table at the Cummer Caf are highly recommended. For further
information, please call 904.899.6007.

COMMUNITY OPENING PARTY

WOMEN, ART, AND SOCIAL CHANGE: THE NEWCOMB POTTERY ENTERPRISE
Thursday, October 8
5 to 8 p.m. | Members Free, Non-Members $10
Join the Museum for the opening celebration of one of the most significant collections of
American art pottery of the 20th Century, Women, Art, and Social Change: The Newcomb
Pottery Enterprise. Get a sneak peek of the exhibition before it opens to the public, enjoy small

bites, beer, and wine while listening to live music from Toots Lorraine and the Traffic, and hear
remarks from Chief Curator Holly Keris at 6:30 p.m. For further information or to register,
please call 904.899.6038.

TALKS & TEA

WOMEN, ART, AND SOCIAL CHANGE: THE NEWCOMB POTTERY ENTERPRISE
Wednesday, October 14 or Thursday, October 15
1:30 p.m. | Members and Non-Members $6
You are invited to the Museum to enjoy an insightful talk over a cup of tea and a sweet treat.
Enjoy a talk on the changing role of women and the Newcomb Pottery Enterprise. For further
information or to register, please call 904.899.6038.

ART ADVENTURES: NEWCOMB POTTERY!

Saturday, October 17
10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. | Members $10, Non-Members $15
In this session students will view the Cummer Museums special exhibition Women, Art, and
Social Change: The Newcomb Pottery Enterprise before creating their own pottery using airdrying clay. Projects will be completed within one class period. Open to children ages 6 through
12. Class size is limited. For further information or to register, please email
education@cummermuseum.org or call 904.355.0630.

CONVERSATIONS & COCKTAILS

WOMEN, ART, AND SOCIAL CHANGE SALLY MAIN, SENIOR CURATOR OF THE
NEWCOMB ART GALLERY AT TULANE UNIVERSITY
Thursday, October 22
6:30 to 8:30 p.m. | Members $25, Non-Members $35
Connect at the Museum for Conversations & Cocktails with Newcomb Pottery Senior Curator
Sally Main. As the guest speaker, Ms. Main will discuss her process in organizing the collection
of pottery, metal work, and textiles to create a compelling show. For further information or to
register, please call 904.899.6038.

FREE TUESDAY LECTURE

Tuesday, November 10
7 p.m. | Free

FOCUS CUMMELIA LUNCH & TOUR

THE ART OF THE NEWCOMB POTTERY ENTERPRISE
Wednesday, November 11
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Members $35, Non-Members $45

SPONSORS:
Program Sponsors: ___
Exhibition Season Sponsors: ___
Exhibition Sponsors: ___
Exhibition Partners: ___
In-kind Sponsor: ___

For further information, including high-resolution images and descriptions, to schedule

media tours of the exhibition, or to schedule interviews with staff or guest experts, please
contact Amber Sesnick at 904.899.6034 or asesnick@cummermuseum.org.
For more than 50 years, the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens has been committed to
engaging and inspiring through the arts, gardens, and education. A permanent collection of
nearly 5,000 objects and historic gardens on a riverfront campus offers more than 130,000
annual visitors a truly unique experience on the First Coast. Nationally-recognized education
programs serve adults and children of all abilities. For more information, including hours, visit
www.cummermuseum.org.
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