‘Matriarch of Pottery’

Press, 13 April 1988, Page 14

‘Matriarch of Pottery’

A well known figure in modern New Zealand art is featured on “Kaleidoscope”! on Sunday. Yvonne Rust, potter, painter and art teacher, has been ;a driving force in art in this country for over 30 years, although she has had little public acclaim. ; Rust started the first national pottery school in Christchurch in 1956. Her initiative in this field was to prove (a major boost to artistic pottery in New Zealand, and has earned her the nickname “Matriarch of Pottery.”! I j,

In the mid-19605, Rust brought the Japanese potter, Hamada, to the Christchurch Arts Festival. A few years later she took her work and skills to the West Coast which, at the time, had no professional full-time artists. ‘

“Kaleidoscope” follows her career, examines her

teaching methods and speaks to those who have benefited from them.

Though her enthusiasm has fired many careers in i pottery, painting, theatre and dance, she claims “You can’t teach art, you can only lead from behind.” Producer John Givins sees the meaning of this statement in Rust’s teaching methods: “Rust believes that you can’t actually teach someone to become an artist,” says Givins. “You can only teach them the basics.

“Her teaching is about activity and involvement; she bullies her students from behind with challenges and guidance. She sees this as the only real way to teach art.” “Kaleidoscope” interviews a number of people who have benefited from Rust’s drive and energy, including Raymond Hawthorne,

artistic director of Auckland’s Mercury Theatre, Jon Trimmer of the Royal New Zealand Ballet, and Hardy Browning, a former West Coast miner who is now a fulltime potter. Rust, now 65, has never left New Zealand, even for I a holiday. Her art is rooted in this country and revolves around the use of local raw materials.

“Rust has always been ahead of her times,” says Givins. “Teaching techniques which she developed are now used in New Zealand art schools, and there is a heavy emphasis on art in industrial design — something Rust has long advocated.

“She is a firm believer in the place of the artist in the community.”

“Yvonne Rust — The Energy of Fire” screens on Sunday at 9.25 p.m. on One.