Ceramic artist Eric Serritella, whose “Sassy Birch Teapot” image graces our homepage, achieved a career goal when the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery added one of his ceramic trompe l’oeill sculptural teapots to its permanent collection. The piece, “Charred Split Log Birch Teapot,” is part of a series of ceramic sculptures Serritella created to highlight nature’s tenacity of spirit and triumph of existence despite human disregard. Serritella hopes the sculptures will challenge viewers to look at nature with new eyes and “walk with softer steps.”
Honoring the Future Project Director Fran Dubrowski congratulated Serritella for achieving recognition by the nation’s premier home for American craft and decorative arts. She also commended the Renwick Gallery for selecting an artwork that “so beautifully exemplifies the burgeoning field of environmental art. America’s artists are producing powerfully compelling art in response to modern environmental stresses, especially climate change,” noted Dubrowski. “It is gratifying to see these pioneer artists begin to be acknowledged for their vision and talent.”
Dubrowski also noted the timeliness of the acquisition. The Renwick Gallery closed earlier this year for a major two-year renovation. When the 1874-era building reopens, it will boast a specially designed, all-LED lighting system that equals or exceeds the aesthetic quality of prior halogen and incandescent lighting. This landmark advance in energy efficiency will reduce the building’s energy needs by as much as 70 percent, making the gallery, Dubrowski observed, “a fitting home for art which challenges us to notice our impact on the environment.”
