DUCERE, 2022 Commissioned by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts for “Parall(elles): A History of Women in Design” running February 18–May 28, 2023. From Artnet News article titled “8 Essential Shows to See Around the World in 2023, From a Fresh Look at Alexander McQueen’s Genius to the Louvre’s Treasures of Love.” Artnet News says: “Designs by American and Canadian women are the subject of this sprawling exhibition, organized in collaboration with the Stewart Program for Modern Design. Objects from the mid-19th century through today highlight the breadth of styles and media that female designers made while marginalized in social, political, and personal settings. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) has also commissioned ceramicist Molly Hatch to create a giant mosaic of 198 hand-painted plates that will take over the exhibition pavilion.”
Description: For DUCERE, Hatch appropriates and deconstructs the surface design of historic British industrial designer Christopher Dresser’s 1872 Minton Moon Flask. Hatch worked to create a repeating pattern offering a visual sense of unity and repetition both for the viewers eye, but also to mimic the historic appropriation and repetition of eastern patterns by western makers/designers throughout history. Christopher Dresser’s significant role in history of industrial design is co-opted by Hatch in her use of Dreser’s surface design in DUCERE as a contemporary woman designer and artist claiming space in the art and design fields.
The original ceramic flask references cloisonné, a straightforward surface quality to achieve on the surface of Hatch’s own plates in DUCERE. Each plate is hand-painted, with most colors requiring 4 layers of glaze material to achieve a solid surface, some requiring 5 layers. With an additional 3 layers of clear glaze and a separate firing to apply the hand-painted, 22K gold luster. Because of the intense layering of glaze material, there is a slightly raised surface where the glazes are, leaving a recessed area for the gold luster, creating a textured surface that helps to emulate cloisonné.
Year: 2022
Materials: 198 hand-painted earthenware plates with glaze and 22k gold luster
A sweeping story of perseverance, creativity and triumph.
Parall(elles) highlights the breadth and complexity of design pieces made by American and Canadian women by situating these works against the backdrop of social, political and personal issues that shaped their experiences across time. The exhibition also considers the intersectionality of gender, identity, race, culture and class to provide a deeper understanding of the varied roles and achievements of women. It traces the development of educational and professional opportunities available to women, the evolution of the status of crafts and the impact that women’s rights movements had on their practices. Finally, beyond revisiting traditional definitions of “design,” Parall(elles) opens a window onto a world of magnificent beauty and skill.
FROM THE MUSEUM:
A SWEEPING STORY OF PERSEVERANCE, CREATIVITY AND TRIUMPH.
Parall(elles) highlights the breadth and complexity of design pieces made by American and Canadian women by situating these works against the backdrop of social, political and personal issues that shaped their experiences across time. The exhibition also considers the intersectionality of gender, identity, race, culture and class to provide a deeper understanding of the varied roles and achievements of women. It traces the development of educational and professional opportunities available to women, the evolution of the status of crafts and the impact that women’s rights movements had on their practices. Finally, beyond revisiting traditional definitions of “design,” Parall(elles) opens a window onto a world of magnificent beauty and skill.
A MONUMENTAL WORK BY MOLLY HACTH
The MMFA commissioned Molly Hatch to create a massive mosaic composed of 198 hand-painted terracotta plates that would dominate the grand staircase of the Michal and Renata Hornstein Pavilion. To execute this work, the American potter drew inspiration from the Museum’s recently acquired, exquisite pseudo-cloisonné enamel vase produced by the Minton Manufactory based on a drawing by Christopher Dresser.