Pewabic Pottery: A History Handcrafted in Detroit

by Cara Catallo

At the height of America's Arts and Crafts movement, Detroit neighbors Horace J. Caulkins and Mary Chase Perry pooled their talents together to found Pewabic Pottery.

With modest beginnings in 1903, Pewabic transformed from a rented stable in Brush Park to an English Tudor building on East Jefferson Avenue, where it has operated since 1907. Today, the iconic enterprise continues Perry's dedication to handcrafted ceramics and remains known for its iridescent glaze on everything from vessels and architectural tiles to ecclesiastical installations in churches across the country, including the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Author Cara Catallo illuminates the story behind one of the oldest American handcrafted pottery traditions.

205 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 10, 2017

Reviews

[Christopherseelie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The personal journey of Mary Chase Perry and her pottery is charming. There's something almost fairytale about a woman artist and entrepreneur following a vision with a cast of mostly male supporters happy to supply their particular talents and resources in a city (Detroit) that bustles with industry and ambition. There's even a happy ending for Pewabic, as it is well-loved and well-positioned as a non-profit pottery to have a large stake in the revitalization of Detroit.

[Jeff Koslowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I know this will sound ridiculous, this was really heavy on the pottery side and not so much on the Detroit. If you are reading this to learn about Detroit, you'll appreciate maybe about 25 percent while the rest of the time you'll be trying to figure out glazes and color mixes. Still, at about 120 pages it moves quickly.