We were thrilled to meet Laurence Gartel, the ‘Father of Digital Art’, at our recent Sensational Saturday event. He came to hear his friend Lloyd Goradesky talk about his latest work Let Love Guide Your Way. Now Laurence has fallen in love with all the Fired Arts at WMODA. He

In National Poetry Month, we are featuring some rare Royal Doulton figures with verses from famous children’s poems. Poetry for children captures the essence of childhood, the fun, the laughter and the tears. Poetry can ignite a passion for the spoken and written word as young readers explore their imaginations

Stephen Rolfe Powell (1951-2019) We are celebrating the life of one of the great American glass artists, Stephen Rolfe Powell who died suddenly at his home in Kentucky on March 16 at the age of 67. Steve was due to demonstrate at the Glass Art Society conference in St. Petersburg

In a previous Highlights, we talked about the Minton Mermaids jardinière in the WMODA collection that appears in the musical movie Annie. Now we have spotted Minton china cachepots in two classic movies. The Minton cachepots were obviously favored Hollywood studio props to suggest opulence and glamour. In Pillow Talk

By Louise Irvine Each year, Earth Day - April 22 - marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. However, Earth Day Network works year-round to solve climate change, to end plastic pollution, and to protect endangered species. Discover how the Ardmore studio highlighted sustainability of

In National Poetry month we are honoring Arion, an ancient Greek poet and musician credited with inventing the dithyramb, a passionate poem venerating Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility. In Arion’s compositions, a Greek chorus of 50 men sang wild, ecstatic hymns in unison while dancing around an altar

Events in our beach community have often inspired us to look at how the wonders of the deep have been represented in the Fired Arts. See how WMODA is awash with weird underwater critters including fish, mollusks and crustaceans. On the surface, curious crabs and lively lobsters might seem like

It’s Carnival time with beads and balloons in abundance at parties and parades. But did you know that the Royal Doulton figure makers had to pierce a hole in each one of the balloons on their iconic balloon figures to prevent the figures exploding in the kiln? The balloons in

The ocean’s depths are the ultimate uncharted wilderness and still have the power to frighten and enthrall with tales of krakens, sea serpents, and other fantastic creatures, such as mermaids and sirens. Grog-fueled sailors with scurvy induced hallucinations mistook whales and giant eels for sea monsters, and manatees nursing their

One of the most potent emblems of the Abolitionist movement in the 18th century is a Wedgwood medallion depicting a kneeling slave in chains asking, “Am I not a man and a brother?” The medallion was produced by Josiah Wedgwood at his own expense for the Society for the Abolition