ArtWeek Event Sparks Interest in Ceramic Tiles Made by Historic Boston-Based Company

Artists, organizations and businesses throughout the greater Boston area offered more than 170 unique events over a ten-day period as a part of ArtWeek Boston Fall 2016. One of the oldest cities in the United States, Boston is a city with such a rich history, which makes it a great destination and place to live for the antiquarian or those who simply appreciate old things. Restoration Resources, Boston’s only 7,000 square foot showroom for architectural salvage, antique furnishings and unusual gifts, is a unique retail setting that offers salvaged elements from Boston brownstones, churches and historical institutions. Each piece in the showroom is a bit of authentic Boston history and tells the story of the city’s evolution over the years.

On October 1st, Richard Pennington came to Restoration Resources and gave an ArtWeek exclusive presentation on the history of the Low Art Tile Company which has its roots in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Pennington is a former reference librarian for the Boston Globe and the world expert on the Low Art Tile Company. His book, Low Art Tile: John Gardner Low & The Artists of Boston’s Gilded Age is the only book written about the successful tile company run by the Low family. In fact, when asked about his status as the only author to have written about the Low Art Tile Company extensively, Richard laughed, “I was the only one crazy enough to spend three years researching [The Low Art Tile Company]”. Richard was happy to sign books for event attendees.

The audience at the Low Art Tile event was captivated by their speaker, Richard Pennington, and his personal collection of rare tiles. Event attendee Zachary Taylor said he was “mesmerized” by the artistic beauty of the tiles and called Pennington “brilliant” and a “magnetic speaker” with “great anecdotes”. It is likely that some of Pennington’s enthusiasm for the subject comes from the fact that he spent fourteen years in Chelsea with his wife in a home (across the street from the house that John Gardner himself had lived in throughout the 1870s!) with a fireplace that was surrounded by stunning ceramic artistic tiles made by the Low Art Tile Company. It was the serendipitous visit of an editor who asked Pennington to please write about these tiles which were “tremendously important historically and artistically” that brought about Richard’s writing and publication of his book, which remains the world’s authoritative text on the Low Art Tile Company.

Event attendees learned the history of the Low family and their influence on Boston history. John Gardner Low was a painter himself who formed relationships with many famous artists including William Merritt Chase (Mr. Pennington kindly pointed out that there is currently an exhibit about William Merritt Chase at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts). In 1878, the Low Art Tile Company became the most successful makers of artistic ceramic products in American history. The tiles themselves are designed with brilliant shades of light and dark which catch light from varying angles, giving them a sense of infinite depth. Event attendees like Laura Smeaton called the tiles “functional, beautiful and amazing”.

Laura, who stated she has an interest in both history and design, came to the event after looking over the ArtWeek calendar, and although she had no previous knowledge of the Low Art Tile Company, she left with a deep sense of appreciation for their product’s artistic beauty. Laura attended an ArtWeek Boston event at Restoration Resources last year and commented on how ArtWeek Boston events are always an adventure and a chance for her to expose herself to artistic opportunities that she ordinarily would not have a chance to experience.

The Low family witnessed the transformation of the city of Boston at the time when popular areas of Boston like the Back Bay and the South End were being built. In fact, as Mr. Pennington informed his listeners, the Lows were important to the transformation of the city of Chelsea as they were there in the 1700s when Chelsea was not yet a city, but a farming community. At the closing of the event, attendees were welcome to peruse the many enchanted antique pieces for sale at Restoration Resources, including a rare Low Art Tile stove with beautiful yellow figural tiles.

This ArtWeek Boston exclusive event was a great way to bring lovers of art, history, and antiques together in a store and a city that are both very rich in history. Having the world expert on the subject deliver a lecture made for a fantastic event that had attendees Cathy Wilkerson and Mark Hoesly commenting that Mr. Pennington was “phenomenal” and that they “loved learning about the era, the ornamentation and the fact that the Low Art Tile Company was Boston-based”. They also noted that, had they not attended the ArtWeek event, they never would have discovered a unique business like Restoration Resources. In such a busy and technical world, it’s always important to take a breath and appreciate the beauty, art, and history that are right here in our own backyard. ArtWeek Boston events are a great way to celebrate local artistic and cultural marvels.