ROOKWOOD POTTERY LED THE ART MOVEMENT

Rookwood Tiles at the Kellogg Estate. 

American Ingenuity there's nothing like it . 

There was a woman who is almost forgotten who changed the business of American pottery for US artists in the 1890s with the creation of the Rookwood tiles. 

Enter Mary Longwood, an artist and one of the wealthiest of the era.  She went to the Chicago World's Fair in 1880 and saw that the perception of American Artist was really terrible in front of the whole world.  No one thought anything of American potters who were considered inferior and unrefined. 

Mary was bound and determined to change the perception. Fortunately, she was able to do so because she was so well off. To further complement her charm, she was such an inspirational person. She asked her father, a millionaire, to help fund her goal, her dream, and he did.

As a result she opened a studio in Cincinnati  where the battery of craftspeople could invent and come up with different ideas than the rest of the world. She actually was the pioneer I think who started the movements of Arts and Crafts in America.  

In fact this woman was just so motivated to change the perception of the world's thoughts about American pottery artists that she didn't really think about what she was doing for the American women. She moved forward for all pottery artists. 

As a result she she developed the tile called Rookwood which was named after her father's estate. It's the picture that you're seeing. This is an example of Rookwood Pottery on the floor at the Kellogg Estate.

In fact, because of her, the tiles won First Place in 1889 during the Paris Exhibition Universelle shocking the world.  

 Thousands have walked over these tiles throughout the years not just hundreds not just thousands but tens of thousands. Look how well they stand to the test of time. 

What you're seeing here is a combination of a the middle of a flower petal with all the petals around --  a beautiful floor. 

I believe she was one of the first in America to bring on interns and ceramic Pottery students so that they could come up with different ways to develop designs in glazes. Glazing is very important to Pottery because that can help make or break it -- no pun intended.  What she did was develop an atmosphere where creativity flourished. 

As a result of her single woman effort, Pottery has a beautiful place in our country. It didn't happen overnight. It took a lot of energy and determination from Mary Longworth who developed and pursued her idea along with bulldog determination. 

Some feel that determination makes America so different because there are people who are so determined to live their dreams and help others as well.  Look. One woman changed perceptions. Think of what each one of us can do!