Bard Graduate Center is a research institute for advanced, interdisciplinary study of diverse material worlds. We support the innovative scholarship of our faculty and students as well as resident fellows, guest curators and artists, and visiting speakers.

Laura Microulis delivered The Majolica International Society Lecture on Wednesday, May 2, at 6 pm. Her talk was entitled “New Discoveries in American Majolica.”

In anticipation of the forthcoming Majolica Mania on Both Sides of the Atlantic, an exhibition organized by Bard Graduate Center and the Walters Art Museum, BGC Research Associate Laura Microulis will present new evidence on the design, manufacture, and attribution of majolica produced in America from the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Often encrusted with molded flowers, birds, shells, ferns, and other naturalistic decoration, this brightly colored ceramic ware captured the imagination of American consumers seeking novelty and whimsical designs. With a particular focus on the Arsenal Pottery located in Trenton, New Jersey, and the Harrison Peekskill Pottery Works in the Hudson Valley, Dr. Microulis will highlight some of the distinctive American expressions of majolica while framing the material within its historical, social, and cultural context.

Laura Microulis is a Research Associate at Bard Graduate Center. A material culture scholar with a specialization in nineteenth-century decorative arts and design, Dr. Microulis received her PhD from BGC in 2016. She has published articles in Furniture History, Studies in the Decorative Arts, and The Magazine Antiques and has lectured on topics ranging from the sources of Aesthetic Movement taste to the influence of patrons and collectors on the decorative arts.