# Author Lecture by Ezra Shales - Pitchers of American Life: Art within Reach ![three pitchers: Spouted wine jar, earthenware, attributed to Tepe Sialk (Iran), c. 900–700 BCE (MMA #39.60.9); IKEA “Vållö” watering can; engraving from Pierre d’Hancarville, Antiquités étrusques, grecques, et romaines tirées du cabinet du M. William Hamilton (1766).](/sites/g/files/omnuum4081/files/styles/hwp_5_4__480x385/public/2026-02/i4aDSCF2719_Spoutsyndrome.jpg?itok=QJ29AYkr) #### calendar\_today Date and Time **March 31, 2026** 05:00PM - 06:30PM EDT #### pin\_drop Location **Harvard Ed Portal** [224 Western Ave Allston, MA 02134 United States ]() [ Register arrow\_circle\_right ](#register) **What can a humble pitcher reveal about American life?** In this lecture, art historian and author Ezra Shales presents insights from his new book *Pitchers of American Life: Art Within Reach*, examining pitchers, jugs, and communal cups as evidence of how people work, worship, celebrate, and care for one another. Moving from long-standing rituals to the growth of mass production and today’s consumer habits, Shales shows how these everyday vessels act as historical documents in plain sight. Selected objects will circulate during the talk for close looking and discussion; no prior experience with ceramics is expected. Co-presented by the Ceramics Program, Office for the Arts at Harvard and the Harvard Ed Portal. This lecture is free and open to the public, but advanced registration is required. Light refreshments will be served. ### Event Schedule **5:00pm** - Doors open; enjoy light refreshments & tour the current exhibition in the Ed Portal's [Crossings Gallery](https://edportal.harvard.edu/crossings-gallery) **5:30pm** - Lecture followed by Q&A A limited number of copies of the book may be available to purchase at the event, or consider ordering a copy via[ Molly's Bookstore](), our new neighborhood shop. ## Speaker bio **Ezra Shales** is Professor in the History of Art department at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, USA. He teaches craft and design history and is the author of *The Shape of Craft* (2017) and *Made in Newark: Cultivating Industrial Arts and Civic Identity in the Progressive Era* (2010). He has also contributed chapters to publications such as *Craft Economies* (Bloomsbury, 2018) and *The Ceramics Reader* (Bloomsbury, 2017). He has written widely on contemporary artists and modernist ceramicists, and his work has appeared in exhibition catalogues and journals such as *Journal of Design History* and *Journal of Modern Craft*. ![three pitchers: Spouted wine jar, earthenware, attributed to Tepe Sialk (Iran), c. 900–700 BCE (MMA #39.60.9); IKEA “Vållö” watering can; engraving from Pierre d’Hancarville, Antiquités étrusques, grecques, et romaines tirées du cabinet du M. William Hamilton (1766).](/sites/g/files/omnuum4081/files/styles/hwp_1_1__480x480/public/2026-02/i4aDSCF2719_Spoutsyndrome.jpg?itok=PfmuKZqx) Spouted wine jar, earthenware, attrib. Tepe Sialk (Iran), c. 900–700 BCE (MMA #39.60.9); IKEA “Vållö” watering can; engraving from Pierre d’Hancarville, Antiquités étrusques, grecques, et romaines tirées du cabinet du M. William Hamilton (1766). Photo: Ezra Shales ![A hand holding a ceramic face jug in front of a gilt-framed painting in the museum. “Medford” face-jug, glazed earthenware, manuf. attrib. Sable Pottery (Medford, MA), c. 1850 (MFA Boston# 2016.532); Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze, oil on canvas, 1851 (MMA).](/sites/g/files/omnuum4081/files/styles/hwp_1_1__480x480/public/2026-02/i17%20IMG_5935_Met_Leutze.jpg?itok=ef95lh35) “Medford” face-jug, glazed earthenware, manuf. attrib. Sable Pottery (Medford, MA), c. 1850 (MFA Boston# 2016.532); Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze, oil on canvas, 1851 (MMA). Photo: Ezra Shales. ![a person looking at the camera, slight smile, holding a white ceramic pitcher](/sites/g/files/omnuum4081/files/styles/hwp_1_1__480x480/public/2026-02/AuthorHeadshot_1.5.26.jpg?itok=3kPpmgqq) Ezra Shales ## Registration Options business [### Register to join in-person ](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pitchers-of-american-life-art-within-reach-tickets-1983783383502?aff=oddtdtcreator) ## Accessibility *The Office for the Arts at Harvard Ceramics Program is committed to accessibility for all visitors. For anyone requiring accessibility accommodations for this event, please contact at least 2 weeks in advance. Please include the name and date of the program in the subject line of your email.* See also:- [ 2026 Spring ](/term/2026-spring) Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#) Save: [ Add to calendar calendar\_today ](https://ofa.fas.harvard.edu/node/1615951/event-feed.ics) Copy link link