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July 2010

Leach Pottery site reunited for 90th anniversary:

On July 28th Cornwall Council completed the purchase of Beagle Cross (Michael Leach's old house and garden) reuniting the Leach Pottery to its former size. This additional space will be used to allow the expansion of the pottery's educational and research programmes along with growing our sucessful residencies for visiting potters.

May 2010

SHORT LISTING RESULTS FOR THE ART FUND PRIZE 2010

The Leach Pottery team would like to express our warmest thanks to all who took the trouble to vote for the pottery which was in the running for the £100,000 Art Fund Prize 2010.  We were disappointed to learn last week that we had not made the last four but the publicity and the votes all helped to raise the profile of the pottery and of St Ives as a cultural venue and the comments left on the Art Fund Prize website were inspiring and moving.  The shortlisted four museums were the Ashmolean in Oxford, Blists Hill Victorian Town at Ironbridge, The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Coventry and the Ulster Museum in Belfast.  We can all be proud of featuring in that league.

April 2010

LOVE YOUR POTTERY WEEKEND April 10th & 11th

Plus FREE ENTRY DURING APRIL FOR CORNISH RESIDENTS

Join us at the Leach Pottery for a weekend of celebration

Throughout the Love Your Museum weekend the following exhibitions will be open – in the museum Janet Leach: Her Life and Work, in the gallery The Flower Show: Pots for Showing and Growing.  The old pottery and museum will be open all day; both days and we will be waiving charges for entry although we will need to charge for special activities due to limited places.

SATURDAY 10th April

·        10am Opening time

·        10.15-11.15 Family Fun session – join potter Amanda Brier in the old Leach Pottery workshop for hands-on creative making activities for children and adults to enjoy together. Ages 6 – 12, £3.00 per child per workshop. Only 12 places on each workshop, so booking and pre-payment are recommended.

·        11.30 – I Love My Museum cheer - we need as many people as possible to join us and Radio Cornwall for a live broadcast of the big cheer!

·        12noon – 1.30pm Kiln opening – buy our tableware hot from the kiln.  Scrummy lunch and nibbles served from the new pottery studio.

·        2pm – 3pm Family Fun session – as above

·        2.30pm - Ikebana workshop - (as part of our gallery exhibition – The Flower Show: Pots for Showing and Growing) – Try your hand at the traditional Japanese art of formal flower arranging

·        5pm - Closing

 SUNDAY 11th April

·        11am opening time

·        11.15-12.15 Family Fun session – as above

·        11.30am – 3.30pm Raku firing – Discover the process of raku firing which inspired Bernard Leach to take up pottery. A one-off opportunity to buy one of our pre-made biscuit fired pieces, decorate it with your own design and fire it in a raku kiln.  These will be numbered limited edition pieces, made especially for the day and each piece will be marked with the Leach Pottery signature stamp.

·        4pm - Closing

Also – free museum entry for Cornish residents throughout April. Bring along proof of your postal address such as a driving license or utility bill.

 

February 2010

Leach Pottery Long-Listed for £100k Art Fund Prize

The Leach Pottery in St Ives is one of eleven institutions long-listed for the £100,000 Art Fund Prize, the UK’s largest single arts prize. The long list has been selected by a panel of Judges chaired this year by broadcaster Kirsty Young. Traditionally the long list comprises ten, but for the 2010 Prize eleven institutions have been nominated, attesting to the high quality and volume of applications received.

Founded by Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada in 1920, by 2005 The Leach Pottery was faced with closure. The Leach Restoration Project was launched; a rescue bid that enabled a £1.7 million restoration to begin. The old pottery reopened to the public in 2008 and the new studios were completed in February 2009, providing workspace for a new generation of potters and a living legacy to Bernard Leach's life and work. The site now includes his historic workshops and kiln, dedicated museum space, a working studio where the new Leach tableware is produced and a gallery holding regular contemporary exhibitions. The old pottery workshop has been sensitively preserved and the famous Japanese climbing kiln, the first of its kind to be built in the west, is now a scheduled monument.

Of the nomination, Julia Twomlow, Director of The Leach Pottery said: “Being long listed for the Art Fund Prize is of tremendous importance to us and we are extremely proud to be in the running for such a prestigious award, especially in this, the 90th anniversary year of the founding of The Leach Pottery.”

The £100,000 prize is awarded to the museum or gallery for a project completed in the last year, that the Judges deem demonstrates the most originality, imagination and excellence. The Prize, which has been sponsored by the UK’s leading independent art charity, The Art Fund, for three years, aims to increase public appreciation and enjoyment of the UK’s museums and galleries.

This year two new institutions are celebrated through nomination; Great North Museum in Newcastle and Towner in Eastbourne. Following a three year development, The Ulster
Museum in Belfast also features.

The eleven long-listed museums and galleries are:

• The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
• Blists Hill Victorian Town, Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust
• Great North Museum: Hancock, Newcastle
• Hampton Court Palace, Surrey, for Henry VIII: heads and hearts
• The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry
• The Leach Pottery, St Ives
• The National Army Museum, London, for Conflicts of Interest
• The Natural History Museum, London, for the Darwin Centre
• The Royal Institution of Great Britain, for Science in the Making
• Towner, Eastbourne
• The Ulster Museum, Belfast

Kirsty Young, Chair of the Judges comments: “My fellow Judges and I deliberated
passionately and at length, and even then it was impossible to select less than eleven for the long list. The quality of applications was simply outstanding. We are delighted with our selection and feel that this year’s long list demonstrates a snapshot of the UK’s incredible cultural offerings.”

Stephen Deuchar, Director of The Art Fund, comments: “This year’s long-listed museums and galleries have shown such depth of imagination and drive; they are a testament to the wealth of culture on offer right across the UK. I for one can’t wait to see how the judges’ journeys unfold from now until the end of June when the winner is announced.”

The Judges will travel the UK to visit each of the eleven long-listed museums and galleries before selecting a short list of four, to be announced at the end of May 2010. The winner of the £100,000 prize will be announced on Wednesday 30 June 2010 at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London.

The 2010 judging panel comprises:

• Kirsty Young (Chairman), broadcaster
• Kathy Gee, museums and heritage adviser
• Professor A C Grayling, Professor of Philosophy, Birkbeck College, London
• Professor J Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics, University College London
• Sally Osman, communications consultant and former Director of Communications, BBC
• Lars Tharp, Director, The Foundling Museum and BBC Antiques Roadshow expert
• Jonathan Yeo, artist

The public can vote for their favourite long-listed institution and leave comments for the Judges on the Art Fund Prize website telling the Judges why they should win. The poll results and online comments will be given to the Judges for their consideration when selecting the Short List and Winner. Visitors to the website can enter an exclusive competition to win a limited edition Jonathan Yeo print.

To vote, comment or for more information about the Prize go to: www.artfundprize.org.uk

Sky Arts returns as the TV Media partner for this years’ Art Fund Prize and will go behind the scenes in a 30 minute documentary that will broadcast on Sky Arts 2 HD throughout May and June. The documentary will take a look at each of the long-listed museums and galleries and follows the developing story as the panel of judges visit the eleven venues all vying for the prestigious £100,000 prize. For more information go to: www.skyarts.co.uk/artfundprize

October 2009

LITTLE PARC OWLES TRUST

The Leach Pottery has secured £500 from the Little Parc Owles Trust. The money will be used to create an Education Page on the Leach Pottery website and will include teachers' notes and classroom follow up activities.

 

LEACH MEMBERSHIP TEAMS UP with devon guild of craftsmen for joint offers

The Devon Guild of Craftsmen and the Leach Pottery are now joining forces to offer their respective members and friends added benefits.  Henceforth, Leach Pottery members will get a reduction or free admission to talks, workshops and special events at the Guild (entry is already free).  For details of Devon Guild events please visit their website on http://www.crafts.org.uk/

 

TWO JAPANESE FOUNDATIONS FUND RESEARCH TRIP TO JAPAN

The Daiwa Foundation and the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation have both donated grants totaling £3,500 to support a research trip to Japan for Head Potter Jack Doherty and Director Julia Twomlow in November 2009.  The trip will enable Julia and Jack to return visits to their counterparts in Japan and to thank the Japanese donors who contributed so generously to the restoration of the pottery and enabled  its reopening.  This trip will also allow for organization of a series of collaborative exhibitions and projects planned for 2010.

The visit will include Tokyo (Mingei-kan), Kyoto (Kawai's house) and Mashiko Village.  During the visit Jack Doherty will also be carrying out a master class/demonstration and will be visiting the studio of Japanese potter, Koie Ryoji to discuss his forthcoming residency and exhibition at the Leach Pottery in June 2010.  Jack has also been invited by Koichiro Isaka to take to Japan an exhibition of his own work and of contemporary Leach tableware, to be exhibited at Gallery St Ives in Tokyo.

 

MARY WONDRAUSCH LIBRARY

In a wonderfully generous gesture Mary Wondrausch has donated an entire library of ceramics books to the Leach Pottery.  Collected over a lifetime working in the pottery world, Mary, an esteemed author in her own right, donated the books for the use of students, potters, staff and researchers at the Leach Pottery.

This collection has more than 350 publications, some rare and irreplaceable, and makes a very precious resource for people using the pottery.  The donation will provide the backbone of our research library.   As a lasting mark of our gratitude for this founding donation we will be naming our future research library The Mary Wandrausch Library.

September 2009

JAPANESE eMBASSY eXHIBITION

The Japanese Embassy in London is hosting an exhibition about the Leach Pottery  throughout September 2009,  entitled 'Restoration & the Next Generation: The Leach Pottery, the Future and Japan'.  The exhibition focuses on the first year since the reopening of the Leach Pottery and our continued links with Japan.  It has been beautifully prepared by designer Dave Tonkin of Twenty-Twenty Displays in Falmouth.   Photographs taken by Rebecca Peters documenting the year's restoration project are used to illustrate the exhibition.  Included in the exhibition is a beautiful display of our new tableware range produced at the Leach Pottery.  The exhibition has been kindly made possible with the generous support of Cornwall Council.

August 2009

Download our latest newsletter click here Edition 6

May 2009

HRH DUKE OF KENT TO VISIT LEACH POTTERY

His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent is to visit the Leach Pottery in St Ives on Wednesday 20 May as part of his 2-day visit to Cornwall in his official capacity as patron of the RNLI. During his visit to the pottery the Duke of Kent will be viewing the new museum exhibition 'Hamada's St Ives: The Founding of the Leach Pottery 1920' and will be invited to preview the forthcoming contemporary exhibition 'The Flower Show' in the gallery. HRH will also meet potters working in the new production studio, creating the pottery's new range of tableware before finally visiting Bernard Leach's old workshop and kiln, restored and reopened to the public last year. 

 

JAPANESE AMBASSADOR'S COMMENDATION FOR LADY CAROL HOLLAND

On May 1st the pottery had the honour of welcoming from the Japanese Embassy, Minister Okaniwa, Director of the Japan Information and Cultural Centre, who formally opened the new museum exhibition Hamada's St Ives. During his visit he presented Lady Carol Holland, Chair of the Bernard Leach (St. Ives) Trust, with a commendation from the Japanese Ambassador for her championing of the restoration of the Leach Pottery and its revival as a working pottery, heritage attraction and gallery.  This commendation dates back to 1999 and is conferred to individuals and groups that have been making significant contributions to the promotion of friendship and mutual understanding between Japan and their own countries.

Lady Holland said:  "I am delighted and honoured to be awarded the Ambassador's Commendation.  We have received tremendous support over the last five years from the Embassy here in the UK, from the British Embassy in Tokyo and from many donors, friends and supporters in Japan.  This new exhibition recognises the huge importance of the links with Japan throughout the pottery's history."

February 2009

JACOB BODILLY - KILN OPENING

On Wednesday 18 February, production potter Jacob Bodilly will be opening a kiln of his own work produced at the Leach studio.  Jake will start opening the kiln from noon onwards and visitors are very welcome to come along and watch or buy works from the kiln.

November 2008

JEWELLER DAISY DUNLOP TO WORK WITH LEACH POTTERY

The Leach Pottery has just been awarded a grant of £8,600 to work with Daisy Dunlop in creating an exhibition of jewellery interpreting the work of Bernard Leach.  The exhibition will take place in February 2009 and will include a range of original necklaces, bracelets and earrings inspired by the creations and philosphy of Leach.  Daisy, who grew up in Cornwall and is now based at Krowji in Redruth, has recently completed a commission for the Royal Academy interpreting their Hammershoi Exhibition.

The award is part of New Expressions, a major new programme from MLA South West - the regional agency for museums, libraries and archives. More than £150,000 is being handed to ten museums through the initiative, which is also supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. New Expressions will open up new dialogues between audiences, contemporary artists and the wealth of historical material held in the region's museums.

Related sites: www.daisydunlop.co.uk

                          www.mlasouthwest.org.uk

October 2008

FREE SATURDAY OPENING AT THE LEACH POTTERY

From October 1st and throughout the winter the Leach Pottery’s opening times are changing and include free public entry on Saturdays. The new winter opening times are 10am to 4pm Monday to Saturday with weekdays charged at £4.50 (full price), £3.50 (concessions) and under 18s free. Art Passes are still available – these offer a joint week-long ticket to the Leach Pottery, Tate St Ives, the Hepworth Museum, and Penlee House with discounts on the shops at Newlyn Art Gallery and The Exchange Gallery. 

Please not that we are CLOSED ON SUNDAYS until 28 February 2009.

 

NEW POTTERS JOIN THE LEACH POTTERY TEAM

The first two new ‘start up’ potters joined Lead Potter, Jack Doherty at the Leach in September.  Selected from a range of applicants from across the UK, Michel Francois and Jacob Bodilly took up their places in the modern production studios that were built on the pottery site during the Leach Restoration Project.

 Jacob Bodilly, aged 22, was born in Newlyn but grew up in Devon. He has been studying ceramics since the age of 17 and recently graduated from the University of Wales with an honours degree in ceramics.  Michel Francois, aged 32, trained at Falmouth Art College and has been living and working in Cornwall ever since with his partner and two children. Jake said ‘The Leach Pottery gives me the freedom to continue on my path of making pottery. I hope to learn from my experience more than anything.  I am currently working on a fresh body of functional pots inspired by the Leach Pottery’s ethos and my previous experience.’

 

Michel stated “This time will give me the freedom to grow, and help me to establish my personal style and vision. I wish for my pieces to become `living craft` - alive, gentle, present with subjective qualities. I want to use my knowledge gained by producing the new functional Leach Pottery Standard Ware in order to help me elaborate and realise my new objects. My creative output will be two fold. One is destined for green tea amateurs around the world. The other is destined for domestic use such as tableware.”

 

 

Until last month the new production studios were still under construction. Welcoming the new potters to the site is a landmark event.  “It’s really fantastic to have the studio open at last and to have the potters working here – it makes the site feel complete” said Julia Twomlow, Director of the Leach.  “Having Jake and Michel here with Jack has brought the place to life – after all, that’s what we are about – the Leach isn’t simply a monument to the past, it’s a commitment to the future of studio pottery”.

The new potters’ first task was to produce a range of bowls and pots for a firing and public kiln opening at the end of the St Ives September Festival. Julia said “It was a lovely day – people watched as Jack Doherty slowly unbricked the kiln to reveal what was inside, and then bought pieces hot from the kiln shelves”. Michel and Jacob helped with the process. “This was an experimental firing” said Michel, “we were trying out the slips, glazes and clay bodies that will be used when we start producing our new range of tableware at the pottery”.  The response was terrific and more than two thirds of the pots sold straight away. A second public kiln opening is planned for November 29th between 11am and 2pm, but this time on a much larger scale with all three kilns fired and opened at the same time.

September 2008

FUNDRAISER FOR WILLIAM MARSHALL DISPLAY AT LEACH

On Thursday 18th September, as part of the St Ives September Festival 2008, Roger Tonkinson and Paul Vibert will be talking about the Leach Pottery’s former foreman, William Marshall.  Entitled ‘William Marshall: A Potter’s Potter’, the talk will take place at St Ives Arts Club between 1pm and 2.15pm.  Roger and Paul, who both knew Marshall well, will be discussing the man and his work and the major role he played during the Pottery’s heyday as Bernard Leach’s close friend and right hand man.  William Marshall, who died last year at the age of 83, has long been recognised as a master potter in his own right. Although a quiet character who worked very much behind the scenes, his role at the Pottery was pivotal and he is known to have assisted the aging Leach in the making of some of his larger pots, which were then decorated by Leach.  Tickets for the talk are priced at £4 and are available from St Ives Tourist Information Centre (01736) 798577. All profits from this talk go towards setting up a William Marshall display at the Leach Pottery.

PICTURES OF POTS

 

Artist, Sue Halliday, also a keen admirer of Marshall’s work, has produced three limited edition hand-tinted etchings of William Marshall pots. Priced at £45 unframed and £75 framed, these will be on sale at the talk and via the Leach Pottery shop. Again, all profits will go towards a William Marshall display at the Pottery.  Sue Halliday, who now lives in Bernard Leach’s former home at The Counthouse in Carbis Bay, has a career as an artist which spans 35 years and encompasses printmaking, painting, life drawing and design. As well as being a practising artist she also ran the Cornerstone gallery in St Ives for more than 5 years. For further details please contact the Leach office on 01736 799703 or email office@leachpottery.com

30 August 2008

ST IVES MEMORY BAY PROJECT

St Ives Memory Bay is an oral history project designed to celebrate the heritage of the town of St Ives by recording reminiscences, memories and experiences of the art colony which established itself here.  Leach Pottery is a key partner in this project which will create a permanent archive, accessible to all, of the story of the town and its artists as told by people with links to St Ives.

The Memory Bay team needs to contact anyone who knew, worked with, lived near or met any artist working in the town during the last century. They will then record those prepared to share their memories and experiences.  If you can help - either by sharing your memories or by interviewing other - or if you just want to talk about the project - please contact the Project Co-ordinator, John Pollard on 01736 796408 or write to St Ives Memory Bay Oral History Project, the Archive Centre, Upper Parish Room, St Andrew's Street, St Ives, TR26 1AH.

16 June 2008

Cast your vote for the Leach Pottery

The Leach Pottery is delighted to have been nominated for a prestigious National Lottery Award.  The Pottery is competing against nine other projects for the title of Best Heritage Project and is in with a chance of winning £2,000.  

The Leach Pottery Restoration Project received £710, 000 of Lottery funding to preserve the internationally significant Leach Pottery in St. Ives, Cornwall, originally established by the world-renowned Bernard Leach, in 1920. One of the great figures of 20th Century art, Leach played a crucial pioneering role in creating an identity for artist potters in Britain and around the world.
 
In March 2008, the Leach Pottery reopened to the public, with the old pottery conserved and a new production pottery studio, alongside new gallery spaces. Lottery funding gave substantial support to the project and meant the site could be acquired, preserved and opened to visitors. It regenerated the pottery, not only preserving the legacy of Bernard Leach but providing, through a start-up studio scheme and partnership with the MA programme at University College Falmouth, a rare opportunity for young potters to begin their careers with mentoring and support.

To get to the final the Leach Pottery needs your vote.  Simply visit www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards and click Best Heritage Project or telephone 0845 386 4439. The deadline for this round of voting is 4 July 2008.

5 June 2008

ST IVES HOTEL OFFERS CULTURAL BREAKS

The Chy an Albany Hotel is currently offering 3 day cultural breaks in St Ives. For more details visit their website www.chyanalbanyhotel.com

3 June 2008

SHUTTLE BUS SERVICE AVAILABLE

From 3 June 2008 St Ives Bus Company will be operating a new shuttle service between Leach Pottery and Tate St Ives throughout the summet.  The timetable is as follows:

Depart Leach Pottery	Arrive Porthmeor/Tate
09.55	10.07
10.55	11.07
11.55	12.07
12.55	13.07
15.55	16.07
16.55	17.07
Depart Porthmeor/Tate	Arrive Leach Pottery
10.15	10.28
11.15	11.28
12.15	12.28
15.15	15.28
16.15	16.28
17.15	17.28

23 May 2008

ARTPASS LAUNCHED

The Art Pass offers you unlimited access to Leach Pottery, Tate St Ives, the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden and Penlee House Gallery and Museum for a seven day period. Although Newlyn Art Gallery and the Exchange are free to visit, cardholders receive a 10% discount in both of their shops. Art Pass tickets are priced at £12 and £7 (concessions) and are available from all participating venues.

15 May 2008

FIRST FIRING A GREAT SUCCESS

The first of the three new kilns at the Leach Pottery was fired by Lead Potter Jack Doherty on 13 May. The firing tok over 14 hours with temperatures building up during the day and reaching 1290 degrees centigrade. This was a soda firing which means that glazes are not applied to the pots but occur as a result of spraying a mixture of sodium bicarbonate and water into the kiln at high temperature, a contemporary technique which has evolved from more traditional salt glazing processes.

The kiln was unpacked two days later by Jack Doherty, watched by a small group of onlookers. Jack reported that 'it's a nerve-wracking experience firing a new kiln in a new place for the first time with different systems but I'm pleased with the results. It feels good that there are pots being made here at the Pottery again. The kiln firing tested the range of colours for the new standard ware range that we will be producing and I'm really looking forward to expanding the range now.'