Designer & Potter Jonathan Adler Honored At The Museum of Arts And Design’s MAD Ball

Designer and potter Jonathan Adler was honored at the Museum of Arts and Design’s annual MAD Ball, a celebration of creativity, craft, and community.

Simon Doonan, former creative director of Barneys New York, served as the evening’s emcee, keeping the room in constant laughter with his trademark wit. “Jonathan rollerbladed into my life in a cloud of clay dust — there were lumps of dried clay in his hair, on his little backpack, on his jeans. Clay everywhere. He wasn’t just making pots — he was starting a mega business and was about to change the face of pottery, making it cool and stylish. Underpinning the style and glamour of his pottery was a dialogue with the history of twentieth-century craft,” said Doonan.

“When I was 28, I had failed at working and realized I had no choice but to be a potter. The very first place I approached with my pots was the MAD gift shop. They placed an order and took a chance on an unknown potter. It was incredible,” said Adler. “One rainy day, I was feeling a little burnt out from the business mishegoss, and I got a call from MAD’s curator, Elissa Auther. Once again, it was MAD to the rescue. I’m so grateful to MAD and to all the potters and craftspeople who’ve made my mad, mad world possible.”

Board Chair Michele Cohen presented Adler with the Visionary Award, designed by jeweler Laura Fortune, whose piece referenced elements of Adler’s life. “Jonathan once said that, ‘to do what I do, you must have a bubbling sense of possibilities,’” said Cohen. “What better way to honor him than with an award that quite literally bubbles over — a gleaming sink filled to the brim with imagination, humor, and joy.”

“Your presence here tonight really affirms the importance of museums in this world at this particular moment,” said Tim Rodgers, MAD’s Nanette L. Laitman Director. “There is a reason why museums and artists are under attack right now — it’s because we are the people who believe in creative freedom and freedom of expression. When you’re under attack, it’s because you have power.”

Guests visited open artist studios and exhibitions during cocktails, with live jazz throughout the museum. Dinner at the Robert restaurant, sponsored by Chair Emerita Barbara Tober, featured centerpieces by Adler. Afterward, Broadway baritone Nat Chandler (“The Phantom of the Opera,” “The Scarlet Pimpernel”) surprised guests with a performance before the celebration continued at The Masquerade, where guests wore masks they created earlier in the evening.

Doonan, whose quick wit kept the crowd laughing throughout the evening, quipped, “Before we get going, a little personal request — please masticate very carefully and very slowly, because I’m much too short to give anyone the Heimlich maneuver.”

Attending were board members Susan Ach and her husband Larry Ach, Glenn Adamson, Marian Burke, and her husband Russell Burke, Mike De Paola, Jeffrey Manocherian, Luam Melake, Cheryl R. Riley, Klara Silverstein, and Barbara Waldman. Among the many guests were also Amy Adler, Louise Chazen Banon, Janna Bullock, Kathy Chazen, Liz Collins, Rachelle Dang, Machine Dazzle, LaVon Kellner, Jonathan Lucas, Debi Mazar, Nicole Miller, Jamel Robinson, Kim Taipale, and Saya Woolfalk.

The exhibition “The Mad MAD World of Jonathan Adler” runs through April 19 at the Museum of Arts and Design. Adler will appear in two upcoming talks: On the Couch with Jonathan Adler and Rachel Federman on December 11, and On the Couch with Jonathan Adler, Elissa Auther, and Sarah Archer on February 12.