Pearlware, Polish, and Privilege: Art by Paul Scott on view at the LSU Museum of Art October 27, 2022
Top left: Paul Scott, Cumbrian Blue(s), New American Scenery, Fleurs.de.sel's New York, Hot Dogs, No. 4 (detail), 2020. In glaze screen print (decal) collage on pearlware plate; (bottom right) Cumbrian Blue(s) New American Scenery, Angola 3, No. 2 (detail), 2019. In-glaze screen print (decal) on salvaged Syracuse China with pearlware glaze. Courtesy of Ferrin Contemporary.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana—LSU Museum of Art (LSU MOA) will showcase pearlware plates and platters crafted by Paul Scott amongst a selection of 19th century sterling silver pieces and art from LSU MOA’s permanent collection. The exhibition will explore a range of themes, including environmental impact, colonialism, gentrification, and race and class division, drawing correlations between traditional European decorative porcelain with 19th century American consumption within the ranks of the upper-class. The link between our national history and its lingering effects on America’s current social climate will be examined through the juxtaposition.
British-born artist Paul Scott lives and works in rural Cumbria, a county in Northwest England, bordering Scotland. He explores a variety of visual media and considers himself first and foremost a printmaker. Scott undertakes a thorough investigation into the production and history of traditional ceramic processes and decoration, particularly those used in historic 18th and 19th century mass-produced English wares and tiles, to create his pieces. A leading proponent of ceramics and print media, Scott has been instrumental to revealing the creative potential of industrial techniques employed for hundreds of years to mass-produce decorative ceramic objects. Using reclaimed ornamented ceramic tableware, such as dishes, platters, or pitchers, Scott removes the printed embellishment and replaces the fanciful and idyllic pastoral scenes or floral motifs with politically or socially charged designs and imagery. In some instances, he uses custom pearlware blanks, designing the entire motif, mimicking traditional Blue Willow decoration and colors, patterns appropriated from Chinese artisans by early European producers. This new imagery commemorates and examines a wide-range of contemporary issues, from fracking in America to oil-drilling in the Arctic to nuclear meltdowns in Japan and Chernobyl.
This exhibition is a collaboration between the LSU Museum of Art, LSU School of Art, and LSU College of Art + Design. Paul Scott is the Paula G. Manship Endowed Lecture Series Visiting Artist.
Learn more from Paul Scott on Tuesday, November 15, at 6:00 p.m. during the artist’s gallery talk and reception. Free admission.
Pearlware, Polish, and Privilege: Art by Paul Scott will be on view at the LSU Museum of Art in Baton Rouge, Louisiana from October 27, 2022–February 26, 2023.
Paul Scott, Cumbrian Blue(s) New American Scenery, Angola 3, No. 2, 2019. In-glaze screen print (decal) on salvaged Syracuse China with pearlware glaze. Courtesy of Ferrin Contemporary.
Visit LSU Museum of Art’s Facebook and Instagram pages @lsumoa regularly for program announcements and exhibition updates. For more information: www.lsumoa.org
LSU MOA thanks the generous donors to the LSU MOA Annual Exhibition Fund for making this exhibition possible: Louisiana CAT; The Imo N. Brown Memorial Fund in memory of Heidel Brown and Mary Ann Brown; The Alma Lee, H. N., and Cary Saurage Fund; Charles "Chuck" Edward Schwing; Robert and Linda Bowsher; Becky and Warren Gottsegen; LSU College of Art + Design; Mr. and Mrs. Sanford A. Arst; and The Newton B. Thomas Family/Newtron Group Fund.
ABOUT LSU MUSEUM OF ART
LSU Museum of Art seeks to enrich and inspire through collections, exhibitions, conservation, and education, serving as a cultural and intellectual resource for the University, Baton Rouge, and beyond.
LSU Museum of Art is supported in part by a grant from the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, funded by the East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President and Metro Council. Additional support is provided by generous donors to the Annual Exhibition Fund, members, and community partners. Supported by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture Recreation and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council. Funding has also been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support provided by Art Bridges and Junior League of Baton Rouge. Thank you to the following sponsors of Free Friday Nights and Free First Sundays at LSU MOA: Louisiana Lottery Corporation and IBERIABANK, a division of First Horizon, for sponsoring free admission and Louisiana CAT for sponsoring programming.
VISITOR INFORMATION
The museum is located in downtown Baton Rouge at 100 Lafayette Street on the Fifth Floor of the Shaw Center for the Arts. General admission is $5 each for adults and children age 13 and over. Admission is free to university faculty and students with ID, children age 12 and under, and museum members. Active duty military members, first responders, and their families receive free admission with ID as part of the Blue Star Museums program. Valid during normal operation hours, show your EBT card and photo ID at the admissions desk and receive free admission for up to 4 individuals. Come back anytime, there’s no limit to how often you can visit through Museums for All. Museum Hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursday and Friday 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sunday 1-5 p.m.; and closed on Mondays and major holidays. Free admission occurs on the first Sunday of each month and every Friday night from 5-8 p.m. For more information: visit www.lsumoa.org, call 225-389-7200, and follow the museum on social media @lsumoa for exhibition and program updates.
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