What would a queer President eat off of?
Commissioned by The Clay Studio for America 250, Adam Chau partnered with Lenox Corp to produce dinnerware for the Presidential China Gallery at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Presidential China
American Presidents have the opportunity to design a custom dinnerware service. As a form of diplomacy, and soft power, these objects have been collected by the Philadelphia Museum of Art and displayed together in the American Decorative Arts section.
Using a Lenox Federal Platinum dinner plate, I tasked myself to create dinnerware fit for a queer president. I created a design that mimics the pattern of stars on the American Flag. Each star has two colors: the inside color way represents the contemporary Progress Flag, while the outlined color features a color from the original Pride Flag.
The Radical Americana plate is displayed next to the Lyndon B. Johnson Service of 1968, commissioned by (First Lady) Lady Bird Johnson, and designed by Tiffany & Co. The designs were made by Van Dey Truex, the only openly gay designer in the collection.
Spearheaded by The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, Radical Americana features 28 artists that have worked with historic institutions across Philadelphia. Two additional porcelain pieces were on view in the South Kensington studio and gallery.
The Clay Studio
Biello Martin Studio
Queer owned and operated studio and gallery Biello Martin Studio also featured a duo exhibit with a tiered Lenox server. “Rainbow Ribbon” features an eagle design often used in Presidential China (originally a French Design), quote from Harvey Milk, and multicolor bow that connects to individual plates.