Molly Hatch
Staccato
2017/2022
Bistro
Molly Hatch’s signature plate paintings—large-scale installations of hand-glazed ceramic plates—reimagine historical decorative arts through a contemporary lens, while bridging the gap between decorative and fine art. The piece Staccato diffuses an 18th century Chinese export pattern from Owen Jones’ book The Grammar of Chinese Ornament over a gridded installation of 108 hand-painted earthenware plates. The glazed surfaces collectively become a fragmented canvas for a delicate, painterly re-rendering.
Molly Hatch (b. 1978) earned her BFA at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, at Tufts, and then received her MFA in ceramics from the University of Colorado. Hatch considers herself a painter “who just happens to choose the surface of ceramics instead of canvas.”1
“I want people to view plates as one would view a painting,” notes Hatch. “As we move through our daily lives, eating breakfast, sipping an afternoon cup of tea or gathering for a family dinner, the patterned ceramic objects we live with are precious witnesses to our stories.”2
1 Michael Woodson, “Fine Art Meets Fine Dining | This Artist Creates One-Of-A-Kind Ceramic Art,” Artistsnetwork, Accessed October 26, 2022, https://www.artistsnetwork.com/magazine/molly-hatch-creates-ceramic-art/.
2 Molly Hatch, A Passion for China: A Little Book About the Objects We Eat From, Live With and Love (September Publishing, UK, 2017), 11.
ARTIST TALK
Molly Hatch
Saturday, January 21
1 pm
Thomas McGuire Hall
Free for Members; $20 Not-Yet Members
Join us for a special afternoon with ceramic artist, designer, and illustrator Molly Hatch.
Informed by inherited objects and legacy, Hatch’s ceramic installations transform and deconstruct traditional patterns and motifs sourced from the history of decorative arts and painting.
In her talk, Hatch will discuss the process, project, and installation of her large-scale, hand-painted “plate painting” installation currently on view in the Museum’s Bistro. The work entitled Staccato features a design inspired by an 18th century Chinese export pattern from Owen Jones’ book The Grammar of Chinese Ornament over a gridded installation of 108 hand-painted earthenware plates. Hatch’s work has been exhibited internationally with large-scale permanent installations in multiple museums.
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