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Emeralds & Diamonds: Conference 2003
Celebrates Greens and Baseball
by Kathy Holley & Saarin Schwartz,
from Vol. 6, No. 1, Fall 2003 issue of The Dish
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From the many shades of HLC green to the lush turf of PNC Park, attendees at HLCCA Conference 2003 must have thought they were in the Emerald City instead of Pittsburgh, PA. More than 140 members and friends attended this year's informational and fun-filled Conference, held July 17-20 at the Radisson Green Tree.
The first official event of Conference 2003 was the Thursday night Welcome Reception. The Duquesne Room was a vision in green. Bubble-blowing leprechauns frolicked under swaying palm trees in this verdant fantasy world. Just about every shade from HLC's extensive palette of green glazes (at least eight different ones in the Fiesta line alone) was represented in decor and attire. The room was abuzz as excited conferees mingled with old friends and met new ones. Fully half the crowd was attending our Conference for the first time, and this group was welcomed especially warmly. Activities like the green vegetable matching game helped everyone get acquainted. Despite a brief hotel-wide power outage, spirits remained bright and there was much merry-making, picture-taking, and distribution of door prizes. President Nancy May, resplendent in her medium green Statue of Liberty crown, greeted the enthusiastic crowd and drew tickets for the first of dozens of goodies that would be given out throughout the weekend.
Friday morning found most attendees on the road, heading for East Liverpool, OH, and Newell, WV. HLCCA members were treated to VIP tours of the Homer Laughlin China factory. Highlights of this year's tour included a stop in the corporate showroom where out-of-town buyers and vendors were entertained in high style when visiting HLC. On the production line, guests got to see tons of tangerine being made and also a supposed mystery prototype pieceÑa canister! Some tour groups also took a trip through the lab, where colors and glazes are formulated and tested. Other Conference attendees chose to head straight for the Retail Outlet or the antique shops in East Liverpool to search for those must-have pieces of pottery.
After the factory tour and Outlet shopping, many members made the short journey from West Virginia across the Newell toll bridge, to meet in East Liverpool at the beautiful C.C. Thompson House. In its heyday, East Liverpool fully lived up to its reputation as Pottery City, and C.C. Thompson & Co. was among the largest of the commercial potteries. After a sumptuous picnic lunch enjoyed on the mansion's expansive porch, small groups were led by charming and knowledgeable docents through Mr. Thompson's elegantly-restored, Italianate-style Victorian home, built in 1876. A short walk up the block led to the Museum of Ceramics, another of East Liverpool's many architectural gems. There, the group toured the extensive collection of historic local wares and watched a fascinating movie about the history of the area. A trip to East Liverpool would not be complete without a visit to the Pottery City Antique Mall where many conferees waited out the day's brief thundershowers exploring its four floors of treasures.
The thunderstorms abated just in time for Friday evening's optional event, a baseball game at Pittsburgh's PNC Park between the home team Pirates and the Milwaukee Brewers. Attendees were wowed by the stadium, a well-played game (the Pirates won, 7-2) and some amazing post-game fireworks.
On Saturday morning, the air was thick with anticipation. Dealers and exhibitors had already been setting up their booths and displays for hours when the first eager collectors lined up for entrance into the Show & Sale room at 9 a.m. The array of vintage and contemporary HLC wares offered for sale was thrilling, with something for every collector, from the novice to the extremely advanced. From the visually stunning display of lilac, medium green, and vintage red-striped Fiesta at one end of the large room, to the HLCCA store with its Warhol exhibit tool crocks and mini-bookstore at the other, this was the Homer Laughlin shopping experience of a lifetime. Rare, scarce, hard-to-find? They were all here. Online auction buying cannot compare with the thrill of seeing so many gorgeous pieces in real life, holding and handling them, and making those carefully-chosen purchases.
At 10 a.m., the seminars got off to a great start with ceramics historian Jo Cunningham's talk about Don Schreckengost.
Schreckengost was HLC's Director of Design from 1945 to 1960, following the tenure of Frederick H. Rhead. During that time, "Schreck," as his many friends called him, designed some of HLC's most famous lines-Jubilee, Epicure, Rhythm, and Kenilworth, to name just a few. Jo Cunningham clearly was one of Mr. Schreckengost's dear friends, and she spoke of his many talentsÑmusical and athletic, as well as artistic-with warmth and great admiration as well as a scholar's knowledge and insight.
With the Exhibit room opening at 11 a.m. there was time to sneak a peek before the next seminar began. Four judged and four non-judged exhibits were on display, offering a sweeping view of HLC and related pottery history.
In the non-judged category, Joan Stock (better known to many as "Betty Booped on Fiesta") showed her talent at needlework with a Fiesta-themed quilt as well as hand-embroidered and decorated table linens festooned with Fiesta shapes and some rather risqué dancing ladies. Nancy May's mouth-watering exhibit displayed a veritable fiesta of pottery and Spanish-themed go-alongs laden with colorful and delectable-looking snacks. It was hard to keep one's hands off the food, but a serious-faced security guard kept the temptation in check. Handsome pottery made by Charlotte Rhead, sister of Frederick H. Rhead, was shown by Ralph Palmieri and Michael Rechel. While not strictly HLC ware, the connection with Fiesta's famous designer made this an unusual and interesting exhibit. Becky Turner compiled a display of HLC oddities from various collectors, aptly called "Things You Don't See Every Day." Test pieces, bisque ware, items from one line dipped in glazes from another, and rare items like the coveted Fiesta turquoise covered onion soup bowl and a medium green Harlequin casserole made this exhibit popular enough to win the Conference's People's Choice Award.
The four judged exhibits were so impressive that each won a gold award. If you've ever been so sick it made you green, you might appreciate the humor in Dennis Erlston's "Medium Green Halloween", which celebrated the life and death of this vibrant color (short-lived in both the Fiesta and Harlequin lines) with tombstones, candy corn, creepy-crawlies, and numerous examples of medium green-including a Harlequin 36s bowl that was literally pushing up daisies. "FREE! FREE! FREE!" was the name of Jerry Lefever's exhibit, which showed the wide variety of HLC and other pottery pieces given away at the movies and as premiums in Mother's Oats. The star of Fred Mutchler's handsome exhibit of Homer Laughlin ware from the 19th and early 20th centuries was the magnificent pate-sur-pate urn seen on the cover of this issue. This exhibit highlighted some of HLC's wares that are perhaps less-familiar to collectors of mid-twentieth century Fiesta and other colorware. Last, but certainly not least, Conference 2003's Grand Prize Award winner Chuck Denlinger showed his exceptional collection of Laughlin Art China, including, among other rarities, many pieces of the charming Dreamland series.
Back at the other end of the hotel, Darlene Nossaman was preparing to give her seminar. Darlene has spent years researching the genealogy of the Homer Laughlin family. In this seminar she took viewers on a journey with Homer I, II, and III and their families through the years spent after Homer I left the pottery business and headed west. Opportunities for entrepreneurship abounded in the still-undeveloped California of the 1890s, where there were huge tracts of land just waiting for someone with vision and good business sense. Darlene's paper trail follows Homer III to a small town in Wisconsin where he died, but she has been unable to follow the Laughlin family any further. Perhaps at the next Conference we will hear the rest of the story.
For the collector with an interest in the technical side of making pottery, "Fiesta Body & Glaze Raw Materials", the seminar offered by Mike Tkach, HLC Director of Ceramic Engineering, was a fascinating glimpse into the nuts and bolts of clay- and glaze-making. Mike described in clear, accessible language, and with excellent visual aids, the raw materials that are transformed into the colorful pottery which Fiesta collectors love.
The topic was post-86 Fiesta as well-known collector and dealer Harvey Linn, Jr., continued the series of seminars. Linn brought several rare pieces to share, such as some of the limited-edition pieces made especially for the East Liverpool High School Alumni Association auctions, and the celebrated raspberry presentation bowl. His audience was amazed when he told them that he uses the precious bowl to hold candy for trick-or-treaters at Halloween! He also showed examples of some of the changes which have been made to post-86 shapes. Linn and his audience also discussed topics such as whether to keep boxes (Linn recommends that you do, if you have the space), which piece of Post-86 is most difficult to find (lilac pyramid candleholders, which may have been made only as an incentive item for Bloomingdale's sales personnel) and the sticky ethical issues related to unauthorized Fiesta pieces that sometimes turn up in the marketplace.
As in past years, the afternoon sessions concluded with Dave Conley, HLC's Director of Marketing and Sales. He began his presentation by showing a brand-new 17-minute video about HLC and its products, geared mainly for the restaurant and food service industry. The video is for the company's sales representatives to present to major clients, but it was appreciated by the Conference audience as well. It contained a short history of the company, a mini-tour through the production process, and testimonials from several major restaurant clients.
 Conley then showed off the new tangerine glaze on a bud vase and a Monarch vase. He also displayed the newly re-designed label for the five-piece place setting package. Questions ranged from color selection process and which new pieces might be developed to the impact of imports in the dishware industry.
Conley also spoke about the issue of plant security and the problem of unauthorized pieces: shapes glazed in colors in which they were not supposed to be produced. He said that recently, HLC President Joe Wells made it clear that the firm's official stance is to consider such items stolen merchandise and that HLC will vigorously pursue action against anyone possessing these items. "If somebody is going to make a bunch of money off these things, it should be Homer Laughlin," said Conley.
The numbered items made for the famed East Liverpool High School Alumni Association auction are made under very tight security and kept in a vault. Extras are destroyed. When it comes to these special pieces, Conley acknowledges that "...we're making collectibles."
The pre-banquet social hour was particularly dramatic this year, with quite a few members heeding the suggestion to dress up. The "Hat Ladies," who made their first appearance at Conference 2001, returned this year with a fine showing of vintage chapeaux.
A winged, purple Sugar Plum Fairy (inspired by the Outlet-exclusive decal treatment of the same name) dispensed giant disc pitcher cookies from her basket, while a Canadian Mountie patrolled the area.
Also in attendance was the trademark Fiesta Dancing Lady (costume prize winner of the evening) and several gloved and jewelled "ladies who lunch." Some gentlemen appeared in period suits and ties and an elegant, vintage-clad couple provided stellar photo opportunities and drew many compliments. Shirts and dresses in every Fiesta hue decorated the foyer and it seemed like there was a strong showing of garments in shades of tangerine-imagine!
While cameras clicked and glasses tinkled, astute shoppers scanned tables full of silent auction items all of which had been donated by members to the Association. A fine array of pottery and other items were offered and some great bargains were acquired, with proceeds benefitting the HLCCA.
Following up on Friday night's activity at PNC Park, the decorative theme of the banquet was America's favorite pastime-baseball. Each table sported a centerpiece that included a baseball-decaled teapot (white with red "stitching"). The lucky person who found a ticket under his or her seat got to take home this limited edition (only 40 made) teapot. Every attendee received a similarly-decorated sugar bowl which looked remarkably like a real baseball. Embellished with the HLCCA Fifth Anniversary logo in Fiesta cobalt, these baseball teapots and sugar bowls are certain to become instant collectibles.
More mixing and mingling was necessitated by another of the banquet souvenirs-packs of baseball-type trading cards placed at each seat, each pack containing seven of the same card. Trading around to assemble a complete set of seven different cards got everyone back on their feet almost before they were seated. The fronts of the cards picture various pieces of vintage HLC ware with informative descriptions on the backs. The cards also displayed some additional baseball-decorated pieces which will be offered for sale by the HLCCA in fall 2003, specifically salt and pepper shakers and bulb candleholders. Cleverly designed and executed, the trading card packs can be added to the list of Conference giveaways destined to become collectible.
The evening started with the presentation of awards. HLCCA President Nancy May also pleased the crowd with the announcement that the organization is sponsoring an annual scholarship of $1000 to the child of an HLC employee.
The banquet's keynote speaker Thomas Sokolowski, Director of Pittsburgh's Andy Warhol Museum, explored the topic of Warhol's "Possession/Obsession." Warhol collected many things, including Fiesta, in what, Sokolowski said, was an effort to understand the world by bringing things together and then comparing them.
Sokolowski said some of Warhol's favorite things to collect were "art made for everyday people", which would certainly include Fiesta. Warhol looked for quality in things no one else wanted. This concept later surfaced in some of Warhol's artistic themes, such as the well-known Campbell's soup cans, which Sokolowski explained as the artist's way of showing that "quality can be made in a mass-produced way."
According to Sokolowski, Warhol accumulated enough Fiesta to serve dinner for 58 people. Yet, he also explained that Warhol was a "closet" collector, who didn't show his things to other people. He often purchased items at auction via absentee bids, and then never unpacked them once they were delivered to his home.
The final activity of the evening was the live auction, presided over with skill and panache by HLCCA member Gary Burg. Conference posters (once again artfully designed and produced by David Schaefer, Editor of The Dish) were among the first items up for bidding and warmed up the crowd for the big-ticket items to follow, such as ten experimentally-glazed trivets, generously donated by HLC. The black, metallic-looking glaze used on these trivets-a saturated iron oxide glaze called "Ohara Kaki,"-was never put into production. Iron oxide crystals give this glaze its "metallic" look. Numbered 1 thru 10 and decaled on the back with the HLCCA logo and the signature of company President J. M. Wells III, the ten trivets brought winning bids ranging from $230.00 to $450.00. The backs of the trivets also bear this legend: "Made Exclusively for HLCCA -Conference 2003 H.L.C. Art/Lab Dept.-Experimental Glaze".
Also donated by HLC were nine of the HLCCA 1935 "Dish Night at the Movie" exclusive pitchers, sampled in a variety of colors, most of which sold in the $250.00-$430.00 range. Bidding was lively throughout the event, and the Association was able to raise more than $9,000.00 from the silent and live auctions combined.
After Saturday night's festive party, the Sunday morning brunch and business meeting was a bit more subdued. HLCCA President Nancy May updated the audience on some of the Board's recent decisions, such as the purchase of a digital camera to loan to members for photographs to use in The Dish. She also put out a call for members to help to make some revisions in the Association's Bylaws.
Steve Douglas was introduced as a new Board member, replacing Fred Mutchler. Gene Cox volunteered to serve as Coordinator for next year's Conference and told attendees to expect another top-notch event. May commended everyone who gives of their time and effort to help the HLCCA and made it clear that this group exists for every collector. "We're not dish snobs," she said. "We're just people who like to have fun with dishes."
The last seminar of the Conference, presented Sunday afternoon by Steve Beals, Becky Turner, and Matthew Whalen, was a hands-on workshop on photographing dishes. This seminar included a slide show of published and posted photographs, with critiques that addressed the topics of lighting, backgrounds, and composition. Attendees were also offered an opportunity to actually try out the HLCCA's digital camera and professional-quality lights, and to see immediately the results of their efforts, both on a computer monitor and projected onto a large screen. This equipment is available for loan to those wishing to photograph pieces to accompany articles for The Dish.
Too soon, it seemed to many, it was time to pack up and go home. In these few days, much information was shared, many friendships were made or renewed, and lots and lots of dishes were enjoyed. There were events for both green and seasoned collectors of vintage, post-86, solid-color, and decorated ware. There were educational opportunities, and there was just plain fun. Regardless of the expectations or particular collecting interests that one arrived with, it's certain that everyone who attended Conference 2003 left rooting for the Homer team.
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