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Austin360 blogs > Austin Arts: Seeing Things > Archives > 2006 > July > 20 > Entry
It IS about the dishes
“American Fiesta” may be about our divisive times and one man’s quest to have his parents accept his marriage to his longtime male partner. But Steven Tomlinson’s riveting monologue is also about dishes. Fiestaware to be specific, that colorful Art Deco tableware launched in midst of the Depression.
Tomlinson really did have a collecting obsession, as he explained to me in several interviews. And the result is an impressive gathering of original Fiestaware in flawless condition.
(Photo by Jay Janner)
Tomlinson’s stopped collecting, but not loving on, his Fiestaware. And why not? The dishes launched by the Homer Laughlin China Company are irresistable, comforting, warm and nostalgic. Everything about them is right: the color, the shine, the animated shapes, the smooth feel. So is their offer of possibility. You can make them uniquely yours: Their multiple colors beg for arrangement in endless combinations, offering everyone — any one — the opportunity to make their very own individual mark.
And how American is that?
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