Red Wing Pottery Makes Its Fiction Debut

The novel, Shades of Darkness, Shades of GraceCadillac of pottery." Ten years after the plant
is set in Minnesota among the states manyclosed in 1967, a group interested in collecting the
natural wonders, rich history, and eclectic townspottery for both its beauty and historic
providing a vivid backdrop against which the storysignificance founded the Red Wing Collector's
unfolds. One of the key plot points involves RedSociety. Every year during the second week in
Wing Pottery, manufactured in the MinnesotaJuly, thousands of Red Wing collectors from
town of the same name for nearly 100 years.across the U.S. converge on the city of Red Wing
The matriarch of the Pierson family, Beverly,for their annual convention, where members buy,
collects Red Wing Pottery and has gone into thesell, barter, and trade pieces of the pottery.
antique business opening Past Treasures AntiquesHighlights of the Red Wing Convention include
in downtown Wayzata, Minnesota. Red Wing hadauctions, where mint condition salt glaze pottery,
its origins in the rich clay discovered as the areaunusual or one-of-a-kind pieces can sell for
was being settled in the 1860s. Over nearly 90thousands of dollars. Want to learn more about
years the company would produce salt glazeRed Wing Pottery? There are numerous web
pottery, utilitarian stoneware, art pottery, cookiesites devoted to the history, preservation, and
jars, and over 100 patterns of hand-paintedselling of Red Wing and some of the best are
ceramic dinnerware. Much of the stoneware waslisted below. Another good place to shop for Red
marked with a distinctive red wing on the front, inWing is on eBay, where more than a few Red
later years the art pottery and dinnerware wasWing aficionados like Beverly Pierson have caught
stamped with a red wing on the bottom. In thethe collecting bug and developed spectacular
novel, Beverly and Bill Pierson give their son Paulcollections of the pottery. Resources: Red Wing
and his bride Pamela, a blue tinted lily bowl andCollector's Society - Founded in 1977, the Society
pitcher, a stunning example of Red Wing artistry.is a great place to learn more about the pottery
Officially advertised as "Ewers and Basins in blueand its lasting legacy. Red Wing Collector's Society
tint" - the set was offered in the 1920s and 30sFoundation - This non-profit foundation's mission is
along with hundreds of other stoneware items forto preserve the history of Red Wing Pottery. The
the household and farm. Because few of theseRWCS Foundation maintains a museum in Red
gorgeous sets survived intact, in mint conditionWing, MN and provides educational materials and
they are extremely valuable. As Kay, the narratorscholarships. Red Wing Dinnerware - Todd Hintz
of the story notes, Red Wing Pottery is anand his wife Ivy Loughborough are avid collectors
integral part of Minnesota's history. But theof Red Wing Dinnerware and have designed an
pottery also holds an important place within theextensive web site on the topic. Every pattern is
history of America and the pottery industry, as inrepresented. Schleich Red Wing Pottery Museum -
the early 20th Century the company was theIn October, 2001, Jerry and Louise Schleich
largest manufacturer of pottery in the Unitedopened this one-of-a-kind museum in their
States. Other Red Wing pieces of note mentionedhometown of Lincoln, NE. Since then, hundreds of
in the book include Nokomis vases that were partvisitors from around the world have viewed the
of the art pottery line during the 1930s; cherrycollection. Over 5,000 pieces on display chronicle
band pitchers which were manufactured duringthe history of Red Wing Pottery.
the same time period as the lily pitcher and basin;Catherine Johnson is the author of Shade of
and cookie jars produced until the plant's closing.Darkness, Shades of Grace published through
Today, Red Wing Pottery is highly sought afteriUniverse. For more about the novel, visit
by collectors and is often referred to as "theCatherine Johnson Novels.