Lessons

What You’ll Learn

Explore the lessons and topics covered across the course.

In this first lesson David gives a fascinating perspective on the changes in society just after the Industrial Revolution and how this societal change had a very direct impact on craftsmanship. A whistle-stop tour through its British origins from William Morris and his contemporaries, before crossing the pond and seeing how seeds of the Arts and Crafts Design Movement branched out in America, and how it evolved from state to state.
David will take you on a regional tour, stopping to focus on leading potters and the progression from east to west as the movement matured. With over 200 artists producing art pottery during this period, David pulls on a wealth of examples, showing numerous pieces and you will become confident with the individual traits of some of the leading potters of their time. From the works of William Grueby that looks as much grown as it does potted; the animal designs of the Saturday Evening Girls; to the folk art influence of William Walley; or George Ohr, arguably the most important potter to come out of America at the turn of the century; and many, many more pioneering artists during this time.
From ceramics to wrought metal. In many ways the path that wrought metal took in America mirrors the path that decorative ceramics took moving from east to west. In this lesson David will deep dive into 3 particularly influential schools the New York School, Chicago School and the Bay Area California School with a focus on certain companies within; Gustav Stickley, Roycroft, Kalo, Dirk Van Erk amongst others
The fourth and final installment focuses on furniture. David explores four furniture producers, their style and impact on the movement: the visionary Gustav Stickley; his brother and competitor L and JG Stickley; the Roycrofters and the Limbert Furniture Company. David brings these influential figures and their work to life, a unique opportunity to learn from the perspective of a true professional who has probably handled as much work from this period as anyone has. Finally David brings this all of these elements, mud, copper and oak, to look at the totality of the Arts and Crafts Movement – how these elements were meant to be integrated so that these objects have a unified impact on the home.
COURSE TUTOR

David Rago

David Rago Portrait

David Rago began a lifelong passion for American decorative ceramics at the age of sixteen at a flea market in his home state of New Jersey. Today, with partners Suzanne Perrault and Miriam Tucker, he oversees the auction house that bears his name, selling privately in the field of 20th/21st C. Design. He lectures nationally and also appears as an expert appraiser for the PBS series, Antiques Roadshow, where he specializes in decorative ceramics and porcelain.

Rago is an animated teacher and a natural story teller.

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Benefits

Why Choose Us

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Common Questions

Answers to the most common questions about learning with us.

Our online classroom is designed to help you learn from experts in a collaborative, social environment alongside a small group of learners.

Each lesson combines expert-led videos with optional assignments, giving you the opportunity to apply what you’ve learned and share your work with others. You can take part in ongoing discussions, ask questions, exchange feedback, and learn from a community of like-minded people from around the world.

By learning together in a small, supportive group, you benefit not only from expert guidance but also from shared ideas, perspectives, and experiences—helping you stay engaged and retain what you learn.

You can start your course at any time within 12 months of purchase. Once you begin, you’ll have lifetime access, so you can revisit lesson videos and notes whenever you like.

Courses are designed to fit around your schedule, allowing you to learn at your own pace. Each lesson video is typically 30–40 minutes, and we recommend around an hour for each assignment.

Both Peer and Expert options give you full access to the course content, including lesson videos, downloadable notes, assignments, and a collaborative online classroom with up to 20 learners. You’ll also have lifetime access to revisit the material at any time.

The Expert option includes everything in Peer, plus personalised assignment feedback, direct messaging with your expert tutor, and a certificate of completion.

With the Expert option, you can interact directly with your tutor throughout the course. You’ll typically have one week per lesson to ask questions and receive feedback on your assignments, with as much interaction as you need during that time.

Your tutor access begins when you enter the classroom and follows the course schedule (for example, a four-lesson course usually runs over four weeks). If you need more time or support, our team is here to help.