The fight for equality
is steeped in history
As women’s rights movements brewed in tearooms around the world, one brand made sure women could participate from home as well. On Equality Tea by Adeline Teoh for International Women’s Day.
In the history of humankind, women have always worked. They have not always earnt money for their work, and those who did earn an income were not always entirely in charge of it. But there’s one domain where women have often held sway: the household budget. And with this small power in mind, tea became the conduit through which the women’s suffrage movement in the US flourished.
Tea was already doing wonderful things for women’s rights around the world. In Australia, late-19th-century feminist figures such as Louisa Lawson ran campaigns from teahouses, the only reputable venue where women could meet outside the house as pubs and coffeehouses were considered men’s domains. In 1902, (white) Australian women were given the vote thanks to these efforts.
In the early 20th century, American women began to echo the success of their antipodean cousins, meeting in tearooms to advance their movement. But those in the movement were also mindful that many women who wanted to support them did not have the same time and opportunities to access these spaces.
The Woman’s Suffrage Party of California addressed this by launching their own brand: Equality Tea. Available in half-pound, one-pound (about 450 grams) and five-pound boxes, with English breakfast, Ceylon, hyson, gunpowder and oolong on offer, sales of the tea contributed financially to the movement, whether the feminist-minded drinker sipped it in a San Francisco tearoom, purchased a box at a regional fair, or bought it by mail order to consume at their rural homestead.
According to The Atlantic, women also had the power of boycott by leveraging this tea: “Some grocers carried the tea, and there were women who refused to pay their grocery bills if their grocer did not carry Equality Tea.”
But fundraising was not the only reason that tea became the hero product for the women’s movement: it also emphasised the ordinary and accessible nature of equal rights that, like tea, should be welcome in every household. Reviews of how Equality Tea tasted have not been preserved, but that might just be the point – the tea was an ordinary product that enabled extraordinary things.
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Empowering Sylvie Riches
In 2021 the Western Australian ceramicist won the AUSTCS Ceramic Cup Competition, providing us with beautiful vessels to enjoy our favourite beverage. Since then, she has gained the confidence to enter bigger competitions and has secured international commissions thanks to the exposure. We catch up with her as we launch the 2022 contest.
How has winning the competition affected your practice?
Winning the cup competition has helped me gain confidence in my work. It was rewarding to know that my cups were appreciated for their aesthetics as well as their functionality. I felt more empowered to participate in other events and show what I can do to the public.
It also gave me exposure and allowed me the opportunity to get in contact with people I would never have met otherwise.
You also gave us a studio tour and spoke with The Australian Ceramics Association’s Vicki Grima as part of the seminar. What was it like sharing your practice with an audience?
I was a bit nervous at first as I normally shy away from public speaking, but it was not actually as hard as I expected. I felt more comfortable doing the filming than doing a real-life presentation. I shared my processes and techniques and wanted to show the greater audience the work involved in making a cup. It was quite fun to edit and add music onto it as well.
The interview with Vicki was great. Through this interview I could introduce myself and my background and present my work a bit more. It allowed me to talk about other aspects of my practice which were not included in my video.
Is there anything you would change about the cups in hindsight?
I tapped into my visual arts background to come up with a concept for my cups. I like to give some meaning to my work and I enjoyed that process even if it takes a long time to approach the subject that way. I wanted to find a concept relating to tea and nature that I could combine with my technique. I wouldn’t change anything in my initial search for an idea.
Where I met with difficulty was with the glazing. I didn’t want the cups to look all the same so used a couple of different glazes. I hadn’t used one of them enough before using it on the cups. I found out during the making that it wasn’t behaving well. I had to research new glazes and redo half of my cups. I would make sure I use a glaze that I know well to avoid further trouble.
What advice would you give to ceramicists looking to enter this competition?
It is a great experience and I would encourage anyone to give it a go. You don’t need to be an expert, just able to make a piece which is aesthetically pleasing and functional. However, like I said earlier, it is best to know your materials well to avoid problems and extra work.
I would also suggest that the cup should tell a story, that it has a bit of a meaning. The meaning can come from the processes used, from the design or general look. There are endless possibilities. If it gives the chance to showcase your work to a broader audience, why not have a go?
The 2022 AUSTCS Ceramic Cup Competition is open for entries until 20 May 2022.
See the competition website for details.
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EVENTS
Mindful Tea Ceremony | NSW
Daily throughout March 2022
Sydney Tea Club | NSW
13 March 2022
Canberra in Colour: Tea-Total Workshop | ACT
14 March 2022
Teacup & Saucer Colouring Workshop | Tas
14, 21, 28 March 2022
Matcha Tea Making Workshop | NSW
17 March 2022
Sip Slowly, the Tea of Life, the Qi of Love | NSW
19 March 2022
Herbal Tea Making Workshop | Vic
19 March 2022
As the response to COVID-19 may change in different jurisdictions at short notice,
please check the event details prior to attending.
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Support for tea events
AUSTCS is offering support for its members to hold local community events throughout the year.
Would you like to contribute to Australian tea culture? Do you have a tea meet-up idea that would benefit from our support? From casual tea sessions to hosting a tea club night, we would love to assist. You can come to us to:
- Invite an experienced tea practitioner to join your event
- Connect with AUSTCS members
- Boost promotion of the event
- Access charity/not-for-profit rates for venue hire
- Potentially access our Public Liability Insurance
Contact events liaison Harumi Oshitani with your proposal and we will discuss how we can help. You do not need to be a business to participate, but you must be a current AUSTCS member.
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If you would like to re-publish AUSTCS content, submit articles to this e-newsletter or advertise in this medium, please contact editor Adeline Teoh.
—The AUSTCS TEAm
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