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It has been a month since my last thrift shop find, and I'm starting to go into withdrawal. Since thrift stores in my area have been dry, Kate and I figured we would probably be most successful with a little road trip this weekend. So we packed up the car this morning and headed about an hour away to Decatur. We made a previous thrift-trip to Decatur a little over a year ago and were disappointed by the stores, but I was determined to give it another chance.
And again it failed to produce.
Midcentury modern pickings were slim at best, but at one small thrift shop we ran across these Iroquois Primaries mugs designed by Michael Lax. Lax holds a soft spot in my heart not only because he was educated among the great ceramists of the 20th century at Alfred University, but also because early in his career he worked in New York city for the master: Russel Wright. Talk about a superstar background in the world of dinnerware!
Primaries is a mid-career line for Lax, which is evident by the line's 1960's stylings. With razor-clean edges punctuated by bulbous round forms, this buffetware line shows Lax's skill in creating a casual partyware alongside his skill for formal dinnerware structures.
Unfortunately all of the mugs had cosmetic or structural flaws (cracked handles ... hairlines ... chips ... the works) so I had to pass them up, but at least they provided me with one small "good design moment" in an otherwise unsuccessful outing. Not only that, but this one small sighting of a few relatively unappreciated pieces allowed me to discuss a dinnerware line that I've not yet had the chance to feature on Ars Longa, and that I think is important in the continuum of American modernist tableware design.
Left in situ on September 13, 2008 in Decatur, IL.
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