Vase 1893 - 1923

Curator: Looking at this gorgeous "Vase" created by William J. Walley between 1893 and 1923, housed here at the Met, I can't help but feel a connection to something elemental—earth, water, a quiet blooming. Editor: My first thought is "understated power." The silhouette, those earthy tones... It speaks of organic forms but also this quiet defiance of mass production happening at the time, a conscious leaning towards Art Nouveau and decorative arts tradition with an interesting color gradient. Curator: Absolutely! It's crafted from ceramic and earthenware with what looks like a stoneware glaze. I feel it evokes the late 19th-century artistic rebellion, against industrial aesthetics. What’s interesting is the intentional asymmetry, even though it looks pretty well balanced. It resembles some kind of strange, subterranean bloom. Editor: And we can’t overlook that William Walley’s career coincides with major social upheaval – rising labor movements, debates around craft versus industry, and this vase is almost screaming resistance against soulless, machine-made sameness. Curator: I can certainly see it; Walley uses the medium of pottery and design as a message, perhaps to demonstrate that the creation of an artistic expression of any scale should be accessible and celebrated in our day-to-day lives. I imagine having that singular art piece somewhere central and intimate in the house like it was made to be used to carry life from plantlife. Editor: Precisely. A single piece holds stories and ideologies that become very relevant today. It pushes us to value the craft, to be critical of mass consumerism, to root for sustainability. Curator: Ultimately, to see something this humble, created with so much care and attention, it pushes me to think more intently about my creative process. Editor: It truly inspires action. Thanks to Walley's work, my brain just immediately goes to socioeconomic activism, the critique of late-stage capitalism, and I think about alternative methods for craft. That’s some lasting impression.