Latest news with #Pewabic
DW
01-08-2025
- Business
- DW
Pewabic Pottery: Still handcrafted in Detroit – DW – 08/01/2025
For over 120 years, a tiny pottery manufacture in Detroit has been turning clay into durable handicraft, proving that the city is more than just fast-paced assembly lines and Motown music. Over the last century, Detroit was home to monumental manufacturing prosperity before experiencing deindustrialization, violent riots and the biggest municipal bankruptcy in US history. Yet, through it all Pewabic Pottery has stood the bumpy test of time. Founded the same year as Ford Motor Company in 1903, Pewabic focused on individual handcrafted products instead of the mass production that turned the city into the epicenter of American auto manufacturing. Its survival was anything but assured and most other famous pottery studios have long since closed their doors. Pewabic Pottery was founded by artist Mary Chase Perry and kiln specialist Horace Caulkins in a Detroit stable. Their first employees were a German-born potter named Joseph Heerich and Julius Albus Jr., a 12-year-old boy who did odd jobs. Both would spend the rest of their careers there, a pattern other employees would repeat over the years. When looking for a company name, Perry picked "Pewabic," which was the name of a copper mine near her Michigan birthplace. The word comes from the Chippewa — or Ojibwa — language and means either "metal" or more specifically "iron." The pottery started producing lamp bases, vases, planters, cups, bowls and tabletop cigarette boxes. Tile production came a little later and would eventually prove to be an important source of income. These tiles were used as ordinary floor coverings or eye-catching architectural accents like fireplace surrounds or friezes. The growing business soon needed more room, and a custom-built factory opened in 1907. It is a half-timbered building that doesn't look like a traditional workshop. And despite the challenges of working in Detroit during turbulent times, Pewabic hasn't budged. It expanded the facility in 1911 and 2018. At a time when women didn't run many businesses, Mary Chase Perry was good at selling and not afraid to take on large-scale projects. Pewabic's co-founders combined art, technology and entrepreneurship. This let them experiment and create new, iridescent glazes — each attempt meticulously recorded in notebooks — and those glazes allowed Perry to "paint with fire" as she often said. Pewabic set itself apart through its nearly 600 glazes. These glazes plus creative firing techniques led to unexpected colors and textures. Many pieces had a crackle effect that was smooth to the touch. Other times the glaze melted and flowed down the sides making it more tangible to the touch. Pewabic tiles are found in homes, libraries, schools, fountains, churches and public buildings across the country. Its vases are in museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. As Detroit's fortunes ebbed and flowed so did Pewabic's. The Great Depression and WWII had a big impact on the workforce and their output as people scaled back spending. When people stopped building big homes or left the city altogether, the business suffered more. Later Detroit went into a steep decline and its population dropped by two-thirds from its 1950 peak. While the world changed around them, Pewabic clung to their traditional ways. They kept making clay with the same belt-driven mixer and filter press first installed in 1912. They still pressed their tiles into molds by hand. Vessels, a general term for vases, bowls and cups, were still hand-thrown on a wheel or slip cast, which means pouring liquid clay into a plater mold. Today, around 50 employees work at Pewabic; 16 of them are artisans and four work on the design team. The rest are in education, retail or administration. In the workshop, there are three big gas-powered kilns big enough to walk in. Exposed shelves are tightly stacked with tiles and objects ready to fire, which usually happens overnight three times a week. The next room is where they mix the 3,000 pounds of clay needed every week. Other spaces are full of pottery in different states of finish and niches for glazing. Another area is reserved for tile making and storing hundreds of molds. Everything from glaze making to unloading the massive kilns happens in a coordinated way. Important information is imparted on tiny slips of paper that everyone understands. Teamwork, individual judgement and trust are important. Pewabic has always been a proponent of the Arts and Crafts design movement, which flourished between 1880 and 1920. The idea is a return to craftsmanship instead of industrial mass production. It was a reaction "to the dehumanization of workers through mechanization, division of labor, and the prevailing ugliness of machine-made goods resulting from the Industrial Revolution," wrote Thomas W. Brunk in "Pewabic Pottery: The American arts and crafts movement expressed in clay." Under Perry's leadership Pewabic did not print catalogs or standardize their work. Today, they still make some iconic pieces that the co-founders would recognize, but their work is more standardized. Before something new goes into production, the entire team votes on the design, says Amanda Rogers who is head of marketing. Potters are also free to use extra clay to make one-of-a-kind pieces. Mary Chase Perry worked well into her 90s and died in 1961. Total sales for the first six decades came in at just over $1 million (€870,000). Of that, 65% came from tiles and 17% from vessels. The rest came from firing and glazing for others and selling materials like clay and glazes. The Calkins family took over the pottery and gave it to a university to look after. After 15 years of struggling, the business was turned into nonprofit in 1981. Renewed interest in Detroit and the Arts and Crafts movement plus big civic projects revitalized the business. In 2024, the pottery had its best year ever and made nearly 9,500 vessels, 40,000 architectural tiles and almost 33,000 art tiles, according to executive director Steve McBride. Store sales and architectural commissions brought in $3.38 million, a 42% increase since 2018. Events, fundraising and education services brought in an additional $1 million. The pottery was founded as the industrial age was gearing up, and it went against that trend. Now as artificial intelligence is reaching new heights, the pottery is still standing its ground. As people rediscover the value in handmade goods, they want to reach out touch them, says Rogers. This appreciation could keep Pewabic in business another 120 years.
Eater
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
A Former Church Garage Gives Way to a Wine and Cocktail Bar in Detroit's East Village
Father Forgive Me, for I am about to spend an ungodly amount of summer (and money) at Detroit's newest cocktail and wine bar. After just one pilgrimage, it already feels like a sacred ritual. The garage doors of the former church garage-turned-bar officially reopened to the public on Saturday, June 7. Father Forgive Me, a new cocktail and wine bar from the hospitality group behind Standby, Deluxx Fluxx, and the Skip, is located in the former garage of the Shepherd Detroit. The bar is part of the Library Street Collective's Little Village campus, which spans 3.5 acres in Detroit's East Village neighborhood. The campus also includes the Shepherd, Charles McGee Legacy Park, a skate park designed by artist McArthur Binion and skating legend (and sometimes Detroiter) Tony Hawk, a bed and breakfast called ALEO (named for the angel, lion, eagle and ox depicted in Pewabic tiles on the former church's altar) and the Lantern building, a redevelopment down the street that also houses the relocated Cøllect beer bar. The Romanesque-style church dates back to 1911 and was in operation until 2016, meaning the property was in relatively good condition when acquired by Library Street Collective founders Anthony and JJ Curis. Architecture firm Peterson Rich Office and Holly Jonsson Studio redesigned the space. Walking up the gravel entrance to the campus, guests are guided to an outdoor patio that wraps around Father Forgive Me, with a variety of relaxed seating options, including benches made from local white oak trees surrounding a fire pit. Inside, the oak bar and custom millwork done by Surfing Cowboy Studio glow under daylight and transition to the soft hue of small oil lamps as evening approaches. Full table service is available in the bar's outdoor and indoor spaces, and on busier days, a horse trailer near the back of the building opens to serve draft wine and cocktails for guests looking to roam the gravel and grass areas with drinks in hand. However, alcohol is not permitted at the adjoining skate park. Directly across from the Shepherd and Father Forgive Me, two residential homes have been transformed into commercial spaces by Detroit-based design firm Undecorated. One will soon house the new location of Warda Pâtisserie, run by James Beard Award-winning chef Warda Bouguettaya. Warda is also behind some of the bar snacks at Father Forgive Me. The snacks menu at the bar includes a twisty French pastry called sacristan (which literally means a person in charge of church ceremonial equipment — a subtle wink to the location), sliced Mother Loaf baguette topped with Brie, ham, and jams, and a mortadella sandwich made on crispy, salty focaccia from Rising Stars Academy. Bartender and owner Joe Robinson's a little rusty when it comes to wines, having spent most of his career in the cocktail world, which is why he brought in beverage director Dan Reinisch, previously of SheWolf Pastificio & Bar, to lead the wine program. Wines will rotate, but right now the prices range from $12 to $15 by the glass and $45 to $125 by the bottle, with offerings from Italy, Croatia, California, Portugal, Germany, Oregon, and France. 'I love a lot of the super classic, more buttoned-up, structured wines — the ones where the tannins and acid have punch and purpose alongside food,' Reinisch says. 'But these are all meant to be drinkable on their own, and obviously they pair with food, but there's an important kind of yumminess that needs to exist with them on their own.' He continues: 'We're aiming for approachable flavors that might come from a place you've never heard of, or be made from a grape you can't pronounce, but when it hits your nose and palate, it should still feel comfortable.' General Manager Ryan Sparks, formerly Supergeil and Two James, and Robinson have been working on a cocktail menu that shares an ethos with the artwork, as well as throughout the grounds of the Shepherd. The beverages are meant to hit all of the notes for everyone with prices ranging from $12 to $16 and flavors from sweet and refreshing to spirit-forward. Each drink highlights an interesting component that invokes conversation; for the Magnolia Martini, all the blooms come from Sparks' backyard magnolia tree and are pickled to produce vinegar he made for the martini. The cocktail and wine bar is a hyperlocal hub powered by a crew of beverage nerds who live and breathe cocktails, wine, food, and craft. The experience begins close and personal like being let in on a secret. But when those good Detroit summer days hit, the energy spills out across the grounds of the Shepherd, weaving through the art-filled halls and garden, open-air walkways, and gathering spots across the campus. 'Some drinks also highlight local, in-season produce — like our rhubarb milk punch, made with rhubarb from Joe at Lone Light Spirits in Ferndale. We're working with local makers and artisans whenever we can,' Sparks says. In addition to cocktails, the bar team at Father Forgive Me is also offering seven to 10 nonalcoholic drinks, including a rosé that's served on draft and utilizes watermelon rinds, over-steeped tea, and a centrifuged strawberry broth. 'It's important to me, I'm almost three years alcohol-free, which as a bar manager is an interesting place to be,' Sparks adds. 'I'll still taste spirits and I love the educational aspect, but I also love doing this job, and I want to do it for a long time.' Father Forgive Me is located at 1265 Parkview St. in Detroit , open 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 4 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Friday; noon to 12:30 a.m. Saturday; and noon to 11 p.m. Sunday. Sign up for our newsletter.
Axios
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Things to do in Metro Detroit: May 2-4
Attend Detroit's 60th annual Cinco de Mayo Parade. It runs 2.4 miles between Woodmere Street and Clark Park on Vernor Highway, and this year's theme is past, present and future. Sunday, starting at noon. Free! 🎶 See Waajeed and other local DJs and musicians at the Heidelberg Project's 39th birthday event, hosted at Spot Lite. There are both nighttime music and daytime activities. Saturday, starting at 11am, with live music starting at 7pm. Daytime activities are free, and tickets for the evening's music are $23 in advance. 🏺 Buy pottery from Pewabic students during the historic pottery center's annual spring sale. Saturday, 10am-5pm. Free to enter. 😋 Shop local vendors and grab some food at the Hamtramck Night Bazaar. Saturday, 4-9pm. 🎣 Learn about sturgeons, wildlife conservation and fishing at Riverfront Fish Fest at Milliken State Park on the riverfront. Saturday, 10am-2pm. Free! 💬 Experience a sculptural tribute to gun violence victims at MOCAD, and attend a panel discussion about the project. The free discussion is Saturday, 1-2pm. $12 museum admission.
Axios
03-04-2025
- General
- Axios
Best building winner: The Guardian Building
Most tours of Detroit include the Guardian Building — and for good reason. Why it matters: In a recent poll, our readers overwhelmingly crowned the Guardian Building as Detroit's top historic structure, celebrated for its colorful grandeur that evokes both churches and banks. By the numbers: Out of 253 votes, the Guardian earned nearly 28% (70 votes), followed by the Fisher Building with 18% (45). Michigan Central came in close behind with 15% (38), then the DIA, Belle Isle Conservatory, Masonic Temple and Renaissance Center. Between the lines: Nearly 13% of you chose to write in a candidate. Reader Paul C. went with the First National Building — a historic downtown gem he says "doesn't get enough love." It was designed in a Z shape so its offices could get natural light. Flashback: The Guardian Building was built for the Union Trust Co. with 1.8 million unique "Guardian orange"-colored bricks and opened in 1929, according to Historic Detroit. The building's ornate three-story lobby showcases vibrant geometric Aztec designs, along with Rookwood and Pewabic pottery, per Historic Detroit. Strangely enough, horsehair mats cover the ceiling in the lobby and the adjacent, stunningly constructed banking hall, making the space feel quieter than it should. Intricately painted canvas covers the hair. The bottom line: The Fisher and Michigan Central get a lot of press, but the Guardian just couldn't be stopped.
