The Rosenfield Collection: Offering Inspiration and Imagination

Excerpt from article found on Ceramics Monthly.

Along with developing a career in pottery over the last three decades, Louise Rosenfield spent that time building an extensive and impressive collection of thousands of pieces of functional ceramics. Rosenfield has since donated the collection to the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York. A portion of these vessels are used at the museum’s specialty café, which combines art and creative dining for patrons to experience the work with food, as intended. To date, the Rosenfield collection is comprised of over 4300 works by nearly 1200 artists. 

Ceramics Monthly: How does your experience as a maker influence how you select and understand the ceramics you collect?

Louise Rosenfield: I think I look more critically at work I purchase because I am so familiar with all the techniques. Many times, I purchase vessels from photos, and when they get to my house and I handle them, I find they don’t meet my standards. For example, recently, I purchased a magnificent plate that documented a historical event. When it arrived, I noticed that the decoration was added to the plate in two large decals, and I could still feel and even see the edges of the decals. This plate will not make it into the Rosenfield Collection.