Emerald City

Emerald City

From 16 October 2024

Playfully referencing the fantastical setting of L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Emerald City features a selection of green-hued historical and contemporary ceramics from the SAM Collection. 

The objects on display include historical Australian ceramics from the 1930s, produced following the depths of the Great Depression. This period heralded a new era in design, characterised by bursts of colour and fresh Art Deco styling. These objects signalled a resurgence in decorative ceramics with bold curves and angular forms, with green emerging as a colour of choice for both Bendigo Pottery’s Waverley Ware and the Hoffman Brick and Tile Company’s Melrose Ware. 

To decide the featured artworks in this showcase, members of the SAM and Elsewhere at SAM teams were invited to select a green-hued object from amongst the museum’s extensive ceramic collection.

United by colour, the artworks in this showcase present opportunities to discover new dialogues and connections through their diversity in age, manufacture, and materiality. 

Featured image: 

Location: Ceramics Showcase, Level 1

Free