Mormon Tea Set

Now that teapots have been introduced into my posts, let me give you another situation based on this art form.  In my quest for unique types of local wood I discovered the Mormon tea bush that grew on the rocky slopes in this part of Arizona.  This scraggly bush doesn't get big so any wood salvaged will be limited in size.  If you look it up you will find it is often referred to as desert jointfir.  It's scale like leaves help conserve moisture.  Mormon settlers made tea from dried stems of the plant and thus it gained the name Mormon tea. Native Americans used the plant medicinally for treatment of certain diseases.

I designed and crafted a teapot, cup, and saucer using this wood.  The construction process was similar to that used in the previous post and then the exposure began.  The first exhibit titled "Trading Places" was held in Taos, New Mexico in 2000.  This was one of three exhibitions planned by three galleries,one in Taos, New Mexico, one in Sadona, Arizona and the third in Tubac Arizona.  The "Trading Places' exhibition was planned jointly each year with all entries going to one of the galleries in the group.  The next year the show would rotate to one of the other galleries and so on, thus the name "Trading Places".

Also in 2000, the Mormon Tea set traveled to an exhibition at the Western Center of the Arts in Grand Junction, Colorado.  The event was sponsored by the International Society for Experimental Artists, a group that I held membership in.  The ISEA developed an art exposition each year at noteworthy locations around the nation.

The third exposition for the Mormon Tea set was close to home at Tohona Chul Park in the outskirts of Tucson, Arizona.  This 2001 event, sponsored by Adult Designer and Craftsmen was titled "Cross Roads in the Desert".

In 2002 I sent the set to the 13th Annual Teapot Show at the Hquberbocken Chiroseuro Gallery in Chicago, Illinois.  The teapot sold but the cup and saucer were sent back.

Two other events were chosen to display the cup and saucer, "Steeped in Tradition: The Contemporary Art of Tea," held at the Mesa Art Center, Mesa, Arizona in 2002.  The second was at "Sky Harbor Art Program's Tea Art Exhibit" in Phoenix in 2003.

Finally I decided to donate the cup and saucer to an art auction that benefited Tohona Chul Park.  So the saga of  the Mormon Tea set came to an end.  A photo of the set is shown below.

More detail can be found on my art at my website <www.apatchablue.com>