Open now! The silent auction will close at 6pm on 11th of February 2012.The highest bid on each bid item will be deemed that of the successful buyer unless the reserve price has not been reached.
Bid at: www.fundingthefutureauction.blogspot.com
An auction of contemporary studio ceramics raising funds for the Craft Potters Charitable Trust:
Ian Rylatt is taking part in this event in Houston Heights, Texas. His teapot won The Memorial Prize, or overall 2nd place! the show is on until 29 January at : 249B W 19th Street in the Houston Heights. Well done Ian – great to see!! See more of Ian’s work on our website.
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You should check out our
There are plenty of possible events/exhibitions to apply for and we are adding new ones, whenever we hear of them, throughout the year.
They are both in Britain:
South Devon Ceramics Festival; London: A Celebration; Craft Open Exhibition 2012 and more….
and elsewhere in the World:
Panorama, Ceramics Market, Switzerland; Argilla Italia 2012; International ceramics market in Hohr-Grenzhausen and more…
Have a look from time to time!
Issue 13 of Interpreting Ceramics is now published online and it contains two articles that focus on aspects of ceramics in Wales.
The first of these is entitled ‘Llanelly Pottery – A Welsh Metonym’. The author, Kathy Talbot, discusses the ways that the pottery manufactured in this South Wales town during the nineteenth and early twentieth century came to stand not just for the town itself, but also for a particular kind of Welsh identity which drew on a strong sense of nostalgia for its past.
The second article by Jennifer Lewis on ‘Gaudy Welsh China’, draws on textual and visual evidence to explore aspects of the history, technology, design, decoration and interpretation of a ware that is also known as ‘Swansea Cottage’. Lewis’ account makes a major contribution to an understanding of a distinctive type of ceramics that is still better known and more widely collected in the USA than in the UK.
The third article in Issue 13 is by Laura Gray and is an exploration of the ways that contemporary ceramicists have made and displayed work in response to what the author calls ‘the distinctive hybrid domestic-museum environment offered by former homes such as Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge, High Cross House in Devon and Blackwell Arts and Craft House in the Lake District’. Martina Margetts and Moira Vincentelli have provided book reviews for this issue.
photo credit: www.brooklynrail.org
The ceramics world lost yet another giant as 2011 came to a close. A little over a month after turning 105, Eva Zeisel, designer of some of the 20th century’s most seductive and iconic objects passed away. Born, Eva Amalia Striker, into a prosperous and assimilated Jewish family in Budapest, Hungary in 1906, she entered the Royal Academy of Fine Arts at age 17. Eva’s mother encouraged her to enter an apprenticeship with a traditional artisan out of concern for her ability to make a living as a painter. She soon became the first woman member of traditional Hungarian Guild of Chimney Sweeps, Oven Makers, Roof Tilers, Well Diggers & Potters. One year after establishing a studio on her family’s property her work was displayed at the Philadelphia Sesquicentennial, where she won an honorable mention. She began designing in the Kispester Factory in Budapest, but soon found work in Germany which promised to engage her in all phases of industrial design and production of ceramic wares. This established Zeisel as the first woman to move ceramic arts into mass production. In 1932, inspired by new artistic and social movements taking place in Russia, she embarked on a vacation which led to expanded opportunities in industrial design. Young Eva took a position helping to modernize Russia’s ceramic industry and traveled throughout the country to coordinate efforts to create a central manufactory. She was soon transferred to Leningrad and then appointed Artistic Director for the Porcelain and Glass Industries for all of Russia. In 1936 she was imprisoned in the NKVD prison for 16 months, accused of plotting against Stalin. Among other things, it was suggested she had hidden swastikas in porcelain designs and hidden guns for an assassination attempt. Close friend Arthur Koestler, who mentioned her in the dedication for his novel Darkness at Noon (1940) drew from Zeisel’s experiences of solitary confinement to formulate his harrowing tale of totalitarian rule in Russia. In her work, Zeisel remained committed to the Bauhaus dictum that the highest form of industry is to mass produce works of art. Yet the aura of the hand, the body and the animal spirit embodied in her designs transcended their means of mechanical reproduction. Incorporating the profiles of belly buttons and baby’s bottoms to invite tactile experience and the open mouths of birds to dispense cream, Zeisel expanded the language of form and function in mass produced wares. Through her life and work, Zeisel not only inspired successive generations of ceramic artists, she also presaged tendencies of hybridization in art, design and craft that have a very 21st century feel.
mugshot of Eva Zeisel
Obituary courtesy of NCECA
The Campaign to Save the Wedgwood Museum received the shocking news that the UNESCO recognised archive of international importance is not held in trust and can be dispersed and sold to meet wholly disproportionate £135m Pension Fund liabilities.
Read the Press release from the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) lawyershere. Stoke-upon-Trent MP Hon. Dr Tristram Hunt MP is meeting with Government Ministers on December 20th to discuss the plight of the Museum.
The Battle continues – continued political lobbying is essential: write to your MP to drive home how important this unique collection is to you.
Campaign leader Alison Wedgwood: “We will begin a fund raising campaign in the new year, asking the government for urgent support, and seeking support from the Art Fund, Heritage Lottery Fund and as many generous philanthropists as we can cajole. This collection is not leaving Staffordshire without a fight!”
Write to you MP, Join our Supporters roll to declare your support and to be kept up to date with the Campaign: help to Save Wedgwood for the Nation.
I was shocked to hear of this disgusting decision – I presume under the existing law the courts had little option! I have written to my local MP seeking support and would ask that all who read this article do the same – either to their MP or if outside the UK, Direct to the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. David Cameron.
Please also Join the supporters group above.
Here is a copy of my letter:
Dear Nicholas Soames, I run a major website for ceramic art, www.studiopottery.co.uk with an audience of some 25000 per month, with several hundred ceramic artist members. I have watched the unfolding saga surrounding the Wedgwood Museum with consternation and sadness. In essence, as I understand it, because a few museum staff were linked with the company the whole of the assets of the museum can be claimed and sold for the benefit of the old group pension scheme deficit. This ‘loophole’ in the law has been confirmed by the court this week. The result is that this archive of International importance, recognised by UNESCO can now be split up and sold off to meet the group pension fund liabilities.
http://savewedgwood.blogspot.com/2011/12/decision-collection-can-be-dispersed.html
Destruction of this unique collection and archive, which was always intended to be held in trust for perpetuity would be a National DISGRACE. Both personally and on behalf of Studiopottery.co.uk we seek your support in finding a way that this unique collection can be saved for the nation and for future generations.
Yours sincerely, Stephen Dee
Founder and Director Studiopottery.co.uk
Curated in conjunction with Arts and Crafts property, National Trust Standen, De Morgans and the Sea gives visitors the opportunity to explore maritime influences in the work of the De Morgans. The theme of the sea was a major source of inspiration for both William De Morgan’s Arts and Crafts ceramics and his wife Evelyn’s paintings. Medieval galleons manned by sailors on the lookout for giant fish, dolphins and sea monsters form part of William De Morgan’s quirky cast of characters. Evelyn’s paintings of mythological subjects such as Ariadne (looking more stoical than distraught after being abandoned on the island of Naxos by her lover Theseus) or her depictions of Hans Christian Anderson’s much adored little mermaid reinterpret these classic tales for a new audience.
As well as drawing inspiration from the sea, much of De Morgan’s work was destined to travel the waves themselves, as commissions for the P&O shipping line. The superlative Galleon tile panel, designed for the P&O ship S.S.Malta in 1895, will be exhibited alongside key pieces from the De Morgan collection, including a spectacular moonlight lustre punch bowl depicting fanciful fish which represents the pinnacle of De Morgan’s technical prowess, and a very rare, early seahorse tile whose production techniques mirror the matt quality of Morris and Co. tiles. Among Evelyn’s exhibited works are the nude male figures of Phosphorous and Hesperus, which, imbued with potent sexual symbolism in the form of phallic torches and conch shells, caused scandal and controversy when first exhibited, and the allegorical ‘S.O.S’ with its symbolic sea monsters representing evil and death.
The De Morgan Centre, 38 West Hill, London, SW18 1RX. Phone: 020 8871 1144
Stirring the Swarm is a ceramic installation that tells a curiously dark tale inspired by the collection of Entomology in the Natural History collection at Wollaton Hall, Nottingham. The exhibition lures viewers into this macabre story as they find these enchanted insects, gathered in the Castle after their journey from Wollaton Hall.
Anna Collette Hunt’s ceramics aim to rekindle a forgotten, childlike sense of curiosity and delight. Scenes from her Wall Dish series of intricately detailed and decorated plates, speak of historic grandeur and past traditions, whilst closer inspection reveals a sometimes sinister undertone. Each piece has a story to tell, tempting the viewer’s imagination to assign personal narrative to the assembly of images, forms and textures within the work. Stirring the Swarm develops this notion further by creating a fictional narrative that viewers can stumble into and follow, tapping in to the imagination of the artist. The exhibition has the atmosphere of a Brothers Grimm-style gothic fairytale, intended to stir imagination and incite curiosity, whilst fleeting and disjointed sounds add to the unease and discomfort of the installation.
A static swarm of 10,000 handmade ceramic insects infest the South Hall stairwell at Nottingham Castle, each one unique and strikingly beautiful. Dry, dingy creatures cling lifelessly to the walls, frozen in the viewer’s sight, alongside more dazzling ‘specimens’ that sparkle and shine with rich glazes and lustres. Many also have missing limbs or wings to reflect their ancient and delicate condition – or perhaps they mutated during their escape, sprouting extra heads or wings: evolution and magic transforming the swarm into a new lifeform. The rich palette of gold, green, blue, brown and cream pays homage to the flocked wall paper of Wollaton Hall, the pattern of which has even sprouted on some of their wings.
The exhibition is a result of Anna’s preoccupation with historic houses. After reoccurring visits to Wollaton Hall, she was repeatedly drawn to Entomology, particularly to the fragility of the aging beetles within the collection and by the possible stories that could be crafted from them. Stirring the Swarm was made in several stages: as Hunt created the original models and their moulds, then a team of assistants made and glazed the 10,000 individual elements. Some insects have a trickle of gold lustre, which references the traditional technique of presenting insects in museum collections by pinning each one to a board. This particular aspect has also fallen into the story, where the enchanted beetles bleed gold from their wounds.
Venue: Nottingham Castle Museum and Art Gallery, Off Friar Lane, Off Maid Marian Way, Nottingham. NG1 6EL
I recently tried out a ‘Pot-Easel’ and must say I was quite impressed. It is a sturdy quality construction – simple to assemble – made from solid oak and very effective for displaying plates and chargers without damage. It would be equally useful for the private collector or for Gallery and Museum use.
I set out below the makers Press Release which covers a lot of background and detail:
Pot-Easel is a unique display stand developed primarily for studio pottery and ceramics. Made from solid oak, the product was invented by Paul Sansom and Freda Wade, who obtained a design registration in 2010 prior to the launch at Earth and Fire in the same year.
This simple design took several months to perfect in terms of display, support, material choice and function. The traditional oak construction compliments the potters work and the unique sliding bridge gives a versatility to allow 3 size settings. The central pole ensures a low centre of gravity and excellent support. Since the launch the product has received many good reviews from Potters and collectors alike encouraging the makers to add new lines to the range. Customers have also found many other uses for Pot Easel ranging from supporting menus and books to pictures and icons.
Further developments now include a small size for use on shelves and a large version that takes the wide circumference platters, bowls and heaviest chargers. Two colour variations are available- natural oak and black [burnt oak].
Pot Easel can be purchased at some of the ceramic shows in the UK, galleries or direct from the makers www.poteasel.co.uk .
For further information contact Paul Sansom on 07773817513 or email paul.sansom@poteasel.co.uk
Renowned potter Chris Carter and archaeologist Martin Green share their fascination with the prehistoric past of Cranborne Chase. Through art and artefact, they reveal a story of the humans that occupied the landscape before history was written.
Out of the Earth explores a dialogue between artist and archaeologist as they respond to the objects excavated from flint-rich soils of Cranborne Chase. Artefacts from Martin’s own museum, which displays the finds he has discovered over the years, will be on display alongside Chris’s artwork and objects from Salisbury Museum and Wiltshire Heritage Museum. Together, the objects describe and uncover the imprints left by farming, community and ritual activities in the past.
Chris and Martin describe themselves as ‘sons of the soil’, both having been raised on farms in the countrysides of Warwickshire and Dorset. They met following a BBC4 radio show ‘Open Country’ which featured Down Farm on Cranborne Chase. Martin had been excavating there since he inherited it in 1979 and Chris’s interest in the Chase landscape soon developed into a passion for exploring it through his art.
The exhibition shows new developments in Chris’s work and is itself a testimony to the continuing influence of prehistoric people on us today as their artistry, communities and ritual activities are re-discovered through archaeology. Chris describes the way he searches for his pots in the clay as akin to the archaeologist’s search for an object in the earth. Cranborne Chase has encouraged his art to take new routes which have seen him sculpting from flint and creating 2D collage works. A deep-seated influence of the landscape and farming is apparent in his work; his pots suggest the sinuous twist of the plough and the symmetry of the stone axe, whilst the surface textures reflect the processes of people and nature on the landscape.
Both pot and artefact have a power and contemplative quality that makes Out of the Earth an exhibition not to be missed. Here, the passion for the Cranborne landscape and for the people who lived on and moulded it, is deep-seated, inherent and heartfelt. The stories revealed are told by two people who know the landscape intimately, both inside and out, and can tell those stories with an authority and understanding that cannot be disputed.
At: salisbury Museum, The King’s House, 65, The Close, Salisbury, SP1 2EN
