Rookwood tile exhibition now open

Company’s roots go back to artists colony established in 1880.

Jim Robinson, Rookwood artist, unpacks some of the Rookwood tiles that will be on display starting this weekend at the VOA Learning Center in West Chester Twp.

Staff photo by Gary Stelzer Jim Robinson, Rookwood artist, unpacks some of the Rookwood tiles that will be on display starting this weekend at the VOA Learning Center in West Chester Twp.

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By Justin McClelland, Staff Writer Updated 3:10 PM Monday, February 20, 2012

WEST CHESTER TWP. — A local artistic institution that dates back more than 100 years is the focus of an art exhibition here this spring.

Miami University’s VOA Learning Center is hosting an exhibit of Rookwood Pottery tiles, which is free and open to the public. Thirty-two pieces of Rookwood tiles will be hung around the center’s main auditorium.

“Rookwood tiles have been and continue to be some of the most advanced artistic endeavors going locally and even beyond that,” Robinson said.

The tiles are large clay slabs, each weighing 10 to 15 pounds, carved and colored in a variety of ornate designs. One piece features the tree of life, with intricately carved roots surrounding the main tree.

Rookwood Pottery was founded in 1880 by Maria Longworth Nichols, who created a Cincinnati-based artists colony based around ceramics, in particular large decorative tiles like the ones on display at the VOA.

“It was the first female-owned, female-operated artists’ colony,” said Rod Nimtz, director of the VOA Center.

In 1889, Rookwood was awarded the First Prize Gold Medal at the Paris Exposition Universelle, bringing unprecedented attention to the arts movement in and around Cincinnati, Robinson said.

“Within a decade it drew worldwide attention,” Robinson said.

“It became the preeminent American art pottery location and manufacturer.”

Today, Rookwood Pottery is owned by Cincinnati patrons Martin and Marilyn Wade and produces works of architectural tile, art pottery and special commissions under its original Rookwood trademarks. The average Rookwood artist has more than 35 years of experience in ceramics.

“What we’re witnessing now is a rebirth of the art form,” Robinson said. “We have so many great, talented people on board and coming in and doing this awesome stuff.”

Robinson and Nimtz both noted there are many facets to ceramic work that the viewer may not always consider.

“We just continue to do so many amazing things,” Robinson said.

“There are so many elements to creating a tile — the clay, the kiln, the glaze.”

“It’s not only the artistry and history behind it, but there’s a science and technology,” Nimtz said.

“Working with the physics and how this all works together ... there’s an art to the piece, a physics to it, chemistry to it and history.”

All 32-pieces in the exhibition come from the historic molds created by the original Rookwood artists’ colony around the turn of the century or recreated from the original molds, and represent a variety of subjects, including nature, the Cincinnati skyline and scenic beauty.

Rookwood took its name from the Longworth family estate in Cincinnati.

Though best known for its pottery, Rookwood’s iconic architectural tiles grace such well-known landmarks as the Great American Ball Park, Union Terminal and the Military Academy at West Point.

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