The Hawaiian Potters Guild produced handmade glazed earthenware ceramics in Honolulu, Hawaii in the 1930s and 1940s.
Origins In 1931, Sarah Wilder (Mrs. James A. Wilder), wife of the painter James Austin Wilder, began offering pottery courses at the Honolulu Museum of Art. These classes were expanded about 1937 by Mrs. Nancy Andrew. In 1935 Wilder and Andrew opened the Hawaiian Potters Guild on Upper Manoa Road.Honolulu Star-Bulletin Sat, Oct 29, 1955 ·Page 23 The business was purchased by Hugh and Lita Gantt in 1939Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Honolulu, Hawaii) · Fri, Sep 15, 1939 · Page 9 and later sold to the US Military in 1942.Honolulu Star-Bulletin · Thu, Feb 19, 1942 · Page 11
Its output was mostly functional and based upon plants found in Hawaii.Severson, Don R. Finding Paradise: Island Art in Private Collections, University of Hawaii Press, 2002, p 284 The guild also produced purely decorative pieces, such as the platter in shape of taro leaf with guava branch (illustrated), which was made for the luxury retailer S. & G. Gump and Company.Label in display case, Honolulu Museum of Art
The Hawaiian Potters Guild should not be confused with the Hawaii Potters' Guild, which was founded in 1967 and continues today.Hawaii Potters’ Guild website
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