A new series of conversations at MAD to accompany The Mad MAD World of Jonathan Adler, “On the Couch with Jonathan Adler” seats the celebrated potter and designer next to leading contemporary design curators and critics. With Adler’s optimistic, irreverent perspective on “the work” sparking against the keen insights of the design world’s liveliest thinkers and writers, the evenings promise to kindle fresh conversations about the important influences on Adler’s craft-based design practice. 

Jonathan’s first conversation will be with Garth Johnson, curator of ceramics for the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York, and self-described “craft activist.” Themed “breaking the mold,” the discussion will explore Adler’s evolution as a potter, the creation of his concept store in SoHo in the early 1990s, running a craft-based business today, and the design pasts that have inspired Adler’s distinctive style.

About the Participants

Jonathan Adler’s mission: to bring Modern American Glamour to your life. How? By creating a foundation of timelessly chic furniture and accessorizing with abandon.

It all started with pottery. Jonathan first gave the wheel a spin at summer camp when he was 12 years old. He was obsessed with clay the moment he touched it. Unfortunately, his passion wasn’t always encouraged. After his college professor told him, “You have no talent. Move to New York and become a lawyer,” he attempted to comply, moving to the city and working in the entertainment biz. Three years later he quit and went back to the wheel.

In 1993, Barneys bought his collection of pots, and in 1998, he opened his first store.  Now he has stores located around the globe and his offerings span furniture, lighting, décor, and more.  His products – and iconic interior design projects such as the Parker Palm Springs – are all rooted in his commitment to outstanding design, impeccable materials, and unparalleled craftsmanship. 

His motto? “If your heirs won’t fight over it, we won’t make it.”

Writer, curator, and educator Garth Johnson is the Paul Phillips and Sharon Sullivan Curator of Ceramics at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York. Johnson is a self-described craft activist who explores craft’s influence and relevance in the twenty-first century. His recent exhibitions at the Everson include Renegades & Reformers: American Art Pottery, Earth Piece: Conceptual and Performative Works in Clay and Key Figures: Representational Ceramics 1932-1972.