Cardew Club News » teapot collecting

Traditionally, teapots pour tea, but at a north Baltimore ceramic arts center they speak as well, telling stories of tradition, inspiration and, yes, passion.

The teapots are “talking” in a new exhibit, “100 Teapot III,” which opened Jan. 13 at Baltimore Clayworks in Mt. Washington. The exhibition, the third of its kind, showcases 100 teapots chosen from a pool of 670 entries from artists nationwide. The exhibit closes Feb. 21.

“I think that each of these pots, whether they are narrative or functional pots, tells the story of the artist and what people find beautiful,” said Forrest Snyder, exhibitions director for Baltimore Clayworks.

Lucille Ball, Aunt Jemima, and Ebenezer Scrooge are up in Ethel Frattaroli’s attic.

But even Sherlock Holmes — yes, he’s up there, too — would have a tough time finding them among this collection of nearly 5,000 teapots in Newton.

“I’m so proud of them,” said Frattaroli, who will turn 88 next month. “Sometimes, if I get down in the dumps, I come up and look at them and I’m happy again.”

Frattaroli converted her attic into a teapot shrine 20 years ago. Three shelves hug the walls of the entire room. Not an inch is spared among the teapots, coffee pots, and chocolate pots — the latter was all the rage in 17th-century Spain, well before Swiss Miss entered the hot-beverage picture.

Gloria Mitchell always starts her day with a cup of tea.

At home, after hours of making pot after pot for her customers at My Fair Ladies Tea Room, she ends her day with another.

For her, tea is warm and inviting. It’s good to share with friends. It’s nice to have alone.

The soothing drink is a reminder of a childhood in Brooklyn, N.Y., of stopping by her grandmother’s house for tea and cookies after school.

A small teapot stolen from a former Queenstown Mall restaurant makes a surprise comeback next week.

Local artist John R McCormack, who swiped the green teapot, has produced a 15-painting series based on what it “heard” while sitting on a table during the Westy’s Restaurant era – 1980-1994 – and beyond.

He’s called the exhibition “Before We Were Millionaires”.

It will open at Skybar on September 8 and prices range from $600 to $4000.

“Anybody who dined in that era, who had property here, will now be a millionaire, whether we like it or not,” McCormack says.

By Judi Goldenberg

I drove to Sparta, North Carolina to see what was brewing at the teapot museum. Critics call the proposed tourist attraction prime pork barrel politics while supporters say it’s the perfect economic pick-me-up for an area that lost four of its largest private employers within two years. I wanted to see for myself so I could decide for myself whether the museum is a big opportunity for a small town or just another oinker.

Sparta is in the mountains northeast of Asheville near the Virginia state border. Downtown Sparta has a 1910 courthouse and a hardware store dating back to the Depression. It looks like the quintessential American small town.

MAURICE COOPER’S PASSION IS TEAPOTS, AND THE WORLD’S LARGEST PRIVATE COLLECTION OF TEAPOTS IS ON DISPLAY IN HIS ANTIQUES SHOP, BYGONE BEAUTYS, IN LEURA.

As a kid, I was always into collecting things. My parents were involved in various hospital auxiliaries in Adelaide and I loved going through the jumble sales to see what I could find.

When I was nine, I began my first collection when I bought a piece of silver. I always wanted to see if I could get complete sets together or if I could put things back together.

A couple from Los Angeles own the world’s largest collection of teapots - and their collection could help solve unemployment.

Sonny and Gloria Kamm’s obsession with china could be key to helping the deprived community of Sparta in North Carolina.

They are set to open a museum of teapots to raise money for the unemployed.

We wanted to find a community where an unusual museum could make a difference

The North Carolina town of Sparta has only 1,819 inhabitants many of whom are unemployed.