Ceramics art not craft—potter

Press, 29 February 1984, Page 19

Ceramics art not craft —potter

Ceramics is the Cinderella of the arts world in New Zealand, an Australian potter, Alan Watt, believes. The ceramics lecturer from the Canberra School of Arts says that pottery in this country is not taken seriously enough as a legitimate art form.

Mr Watt is in Christchurch to select the items for exhibition in the Canterbury Potters’ Association’s Christchurch Festival exhibition, which opens on Saturday. He will also give workshops and exhibit 15 pieces of his own work.

The Australian specialises in non-functional pieces within a sculptural context. Although strong in Australia, it is a stream of pottery almost entirely absent in New Zealand. “The main difference in Australian and New Zealand pottery is that a twin stream has developed in Australia. There is functional, utilitarian, domestic pottery and more innovative, sculptural, one-off exhibition work. There is no such work in New Zealand,” he says. “The New Zealand domestic work is very good but the pottery here is practical, utilitarian. There is no really creative, innovative sculpture.”

Alan Watt believes there are four reasons for the different developments in pottery, which began in much the same way in both countries.

The first is the arts schools set-up in Australia. The schools turn but students who have trained on three to four year courses. The courses offer a

broad exposure to art in general as well as pottery. New Zealand, by comparison, has a single ceramics course of one year’s duration.

Second, there are a large number of these schools with a number of academic staff, who although working artists, are relieved of the pressure of making a living solely from their work. They have more time to devote to one-off sculptures, Alan Watt believes.

The school system also supports a large number of international visitors on ar-tist-in-residence schemes for six to 12 months. Their influence is added to the Australians’ repertoire. One such artist-in-residence is Maria Kuczynska, whose work will also be exhibited with Alan Watt’s in Christchurch.

A Polish sculptor, she was to have accompanied Mr Watt to New Zealand but returned to Poland recently when her father died.

The fourth reason is the large collecting and buying public, both individuals and galleries, who are prepared to pay large sums to buy ceramics in Australia.

“For the work of leading ceramists people are willing to pay sAustlooo. There is a large buying public supporting the artists. In New Zealand there is none,” Mr Watt says.

He believes New Zealand work will find a market overseas because it is so cheap by comparison to the work of artists from other countries.

He is surprised at the lack of courses in ceramics offered by tertiary institutions in this country. “I would have thought schools

would be itching to offer courses but that is not the case. Ceramics in New Zealand is still treated as a craft rather than an art form.” New Zealanders’ attitudes towards ceramics will not change until more New Zealand potters exhibit overseas, he says. In relative terms he concedes that New Zealand would have had more international potters visit but too often they stay for short times on whistle-stop tours and have little chance to share their philosophy or techniques. What has to change is the concept of ceramics as a craft. “There is no general acceptance of pottery as an art form,” he says.

Alan Watt has exhibited his own work widely in Australia, and in Italy at the Faenza Competition, in Europe in a travelling exhibition, in India at the Commonwealth Prime Ministers’ Conference and in New Zealand last year in the Contemporary Australian Ceramics show. He became head of ceramics at the Canberra school in 1979 after teaching, mostly in Victoria. His training included five years at the Royal Melbourne In-, stitute of Technology. Maria Kuczynska has also exhibited widely, mainly in Europe and especially in West German galleries. She travelled to Australia last year as the Canberra school’s first artist-in-resi-dence in pottery. The exhibition at the C.S.A. Gallery runs until March 17. Seven guest exhibitors’ work and that of Canterbury Potters’ Association members will be included.