On Detroit’s east side, a Tudor Revival pottery studio has been glowing with iridescent color for more than 120 years. Pewabic, founded in 1903 by artist Mary Chase Perry Stratton, is a working pottery, a museum and a National Historic Landmark — and one of the happiest hands-on art stops in the city, at 10125 East Jefferson Avenue.
Pewabic’s shimmering tiles and vessels turn up all over Detroit and beyond: in the fireplace of the Detroit Public Library, in gardens, churches, schools and beloved buildings across the country. Inside the historic studio, visitors can watch contemporary potters carry the tradition forward, browse exhibitions of ceramic art in the galleries, and see pieces from Pewabic’s own archives that trace the studio from the Arts and Crafts era to today.
It is also a place to make things. Pewabic offers classes and workshops for adults and young makers, tile-making experiences that families love, and a museum store filled with handcrafted tiles, vases and ornaments made on site — a joyful source of Detroit-made gifts as the holiday season approaches. Free self-guided visits make it easy to drop in, and guided tours add the stories behind the glazes.
Run today as a nonprofit, Pewabic keeps a simple promise Mary Chase Perry Stratton made in 1903: that beautiful, handmade pottery belongs in everyday life. Plan your visit at pewabic.org — and leave time to spot Pewabic tiles around the city afterward; once you start looking, you will see them everywhere.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
