Harmony in Clay: The Elegance and Refinement of Song Ceramics
WHEN: March 8 – June 24, 2012; opening reception Saturday, March 24, at 6:30 PM
WHERE: Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Road, Morristown
This spring, an exquisite selection from a major Chinese ceramics collection will be on view at the Morris Museum. Harmony in Clay: The Elegance and Refinement of Song Ceramics presents 108 stunning objects from the Jiyuanshanfang Collection, which was assembled over decades by a single family. The exhibition showcases the ingenuity of the Song Dynasty’s (960-1279) ceramics industry, including both stoneware and porcelain. (Left: Qingbai Figure of Quanyin, Southern Song (1127-1279), Jiyuanshanfang Collection)
In conjunction with this exhibition, the museum is presenting a related exhibition of Chinese costumes from the Morris Museum Collection, as well as several special programs (details below).
About China’s Song Dynasty and Song Ceramics
Some of the most exquisite examples of Chinese ceramics emerged during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), a period during which the ceramic arts reached what many believe was their peak of elegance and refinement as well as technical sophistication. Song Dynasty ceramics have long been prized for their elegant shapes, unique glazes, and inventive decoration.
About the Jiyuanshanfang Collection
Decades have been spent in the formation of the Jiyuanshanfang Collection, which embraces many examples of the Song Dynasty’s eight most prominent and complex kiln groups. These examples include Ding, Cizhou, Yaozhou, Jun, Qingbai, Jian, Longquan and Jizhou, the kilns whose wares fill the world’s private collections and museums. These objects were intended both for imperial and non-imperial use and demonstrate the enormous varieties of shapes, glazes and designs created by the genius of the Song potters.
The Harmony in Clay exhibition presents visitors with the unique opportunity to view a large collection representing the Song Dynasty’s eight important kiln groups, as well as including near-complete examples of the works from each group.
RELATED EXHIBITION
The Silk Robe: Traditional Chinese Costumes from the Morris Museum Collection
WHEN: March 1 – June 3
This exhibition will feature a variety of robes, skirts, shoes, and textiles with intricate embroidery and elaborate designs, celebrating the fashion history of a vibrant culture.
SPECIAL PROGRAMS
Opening Reception for Harmony in Clay: The Elegance and Refinement of Song Ceramics
WHEN: Saturday, March 24, 6:30 PM
TICKETS: $15
Please call 973.971.3706 for reservations.
Rosemary Scott, noted scholar, curator and author will present an insightful program on Chinese ceramics. The title of the talk is “Artistic Refinement and Technological Innovation: Chinese Ceramics of the 10th-14th Centuries”. Ms. Scott took a degree in Chinese Art and Archaeology at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, where she went on to do postgraduate research. She is the former Head of the new Museums Department at SOAS, where she was responsible for both the Percival David Foundation and the new Brunei Gallery.
Tea and Chinese sweets will be served following the program.
Appraisal Day—Asian Art with Martin Lorber
WHEN: Sunday, March 25, 1:00 PM
REGISTRATION FEE: $15 Limit 3 objects
To register, please call 973.971.3706
Bring in your Asian Art objects (from China, Japan, Korea, India, Nepal, Tibet and Southeast Asia) for appraisal by Martin Lorber, a specialist consultant with the Winston Art Group in New York. Mr. Lorber comes from a family of Old China Hands and his professional work in the area of Asian art includes thirteen years with Sotheby's New York as Director and founder of the Japanese/Korean/Indian/Southeast Asian Department. He is a featured appraiser on the Antiques Roadshow, a WGBH production televised nationwide on the PBS network.
Chinese Brush Painting Demonstration
WHEN: Saturday, April 21, 2 – 4 PM
TICKETS: $15
To register call 973.971.3718 or e-mail programs@morrismuseum.org
Zhiyuan Cong will demonstrate the art of Chinese brush painting. Zhiyuan Cong is a professor and the director of the Center for Chinese Art at William Paterson University. He holds an MFA from the Nanjing Arts Institute in China, and his work has been exhibited in the United States and China.
Clay Day Family Festival: A Celebration of Chinese Arts, Crafts and Culture
WHEN: Saturday May 5, 11 AM – 4 PM
ADMISSION: Free with museum admission ($7/child; $10/adult)
Celebrate Chinese arts and culture with a great day of hands-on activities and performances.
- Make your own clay pot
- Decorate a dragon and parade through the museum
- Make paper dragons and lanterns
- Join a scavenger hung
Drop in from12:30-2:00 PM to learn the art of Chinese calligraphy with John (Zhou) Shiling, Ph.D.
At 3 PM, the Celadon Youth Music Ensemble (based in Monmouth County, NJ) will present a one-hour program of Chinese song and dance in the museum’s Bickford Theatre.
Chinese Brush Painting Workshop with Diana Kung
WHEN: Sunday, May 6, 1 – 5 PM
FEE: $90
To register please call 973.971.3740 or e-mail StudioArt@morrismuseum.org
Students will learn the use of ink, colors and simple brush strokes to create images of objects found in nature. Learn the various techniques of this freehand brush work that has been used to create beauty in one of the oldest painting traditions in the world. Diana Kung is an award winning professional artist, and has been an art instructor for over 15 years.
Chinese Calligraphy Workshop with John Shiling Zhou
WHEN: Saturday, May 12, 12–1:30 PM
FEE: $65 (plus $10 supply fee)To register please call 973.971.3740 or e-mail StudioArt@morrismuseum.org
Chinese calligraphy is an art form with a long, rich history. This workshop will start with a short presentation on written characters and their changes throughout Chinese history, as well as calligraphic works from various Dynasties. Participants will learn how to use the tools to practice this ancient art: rice paper, brushes, and the ink stone; and will complete a piece of art to take home. John Shiling Zhou is an artist specializing in Chinese brush painting and calligraphy. In the past ten years, his work has been exhibited in galleries in the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Canada and his native China.
About the Morris Museum
The Morris Museum is an award-winning, community-based arts and cultural institution which serves the public through the presentation of high caliber permanent and changing exhibitions in the arts, sciences and humanities. The Museum also offers educational programs, family events, and is home to the Bickford Theatre and its wide range of performing arts offerings. Continuously serving the public since 1913, the Morris Museum has been designated a Major Arts Institution and has received the New Jersey State Council on the Arts’ Citation of Excellence, among other awards. In 2013 the museum will celebrate its Centennial Anniversary. These programs are made possible, in part, by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation; the F.M. Kirby Foundation and the New Jersey Cultural Trust.
The Museum is open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 11 AM to 5 PM; Thursday, 11 AM to 8 PM; and Sunday, 1-5 PM. Admission to the museum is $10 for adults and $7 for children, students and senior citizens. Admission is always free for museum members and is free to the public every Thursday between 5 and 8 PM. For more information, call 973.971.3700, or visit www.morrismuseum.org.
