Ceramics: Global Connections

Ceramics are one of the most ancient forms of art and became part of broader human culture once humans discovered that clay could be mixed with water, formed into a useful shape, and dried in the sun. In conjunction with two major exhibitions—Hear Me Now: The Black Potters of Old Edgefield, South Carolina and Dutch Art in a Global Age: Masterpieces from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston—this multiweek course, led by Julia Forbes, will explore the history of ceramics across time, geography, and cultures. Alongside these special exhibitions and works in the High’s collection, learn about the fascinating ways artists use this medium to create spectacular objects for daily use and for dramatic, standalone works of art. Sessions will include a combination of classroom lecture, in-gallery discussion, and supplemental readings provided online.

This class will meet on April 16, 23, and 30 and May 7. On the first day of class, please make your way to the Admissions and Information desk to have your ticket scanned before heading to the check-in cart, located in front of Ellsworth Kelly’s Blue, Green, Red. Education staff will greet you and guide you to the education center lecture room, located in the Lower Level of the Stent Family Wing.

For more information, please email culturecollective@high.org or call 404-733-5034.

About Your Instructor
Julia Forbes is the High’s Senior Head of Institutional Research. Prior to this, she served for over eighteen years as the High’s Shannon Landing Amos Head of Museum Interpretation. She has more than thirty years of experience writing and teaching art history and has held education positions at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Washington National Cathedral, Walters Art Museum, and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. She is coauthor of the book Family Spaces in Art Museums: Creating Curiosity, Wonder, and Play (2022), and she holds degrees in art history and cultural anthropology from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a master’s from George Washington University in art history and museum training.