The exhibition will be held at the Owl and Lion Gallery, 15 The Grassmarket, Edinburgh, EH1 2HS. Runs from Friday 29th February until Sunday 2nd March (one weekend only). Opening hours 10 till 6pm.

Join the artists for the opening night at 5pm on Friday 29th February.

Click on the link below for the flyer:

Exhibition at Grassmarket, Edinburgh

Despite all the bad news with the recent QILT vote to go through with the closure of the Ceramics Department at the Glasgow School of Art, there is still hope. Student power and the power of the community is invaluable in reversing the policy of the institution and the government who seem intent on wiping out ceramic practice in Scotland.

Are you an art practitioner or student? With funding cuts affecting the closure of an entire discipline in Scotland, who’s to say whether your department won’t be next? Is Ceramics only the first department in a long line of planned cuts? How long will the Glasgow School of Art remain open?

Is art culturally valuable? What will happen to Scottish identity if the next generation of Scottish artists don’t have access to education  or the means for cultural expression through art? How will this affect tourism and our community? We need YOUR help to succeed!

Now all the information you need has been added centrally on one blog that is accessible to all. Click here to view the blog. There you will be able to sign our petition to express your support. You will also find a permanent link to the new blog on the right hand side of this page. If you’ve already signed our petition, your letters addressed to the GSA executive, to your local government representative and to your local press, in support of the ceramics department are invaluable.

Thank you for your support.

SIGN THE PETITION TO SAVE THE GLASGOW SCHOOL OF ART CERAMICS DEPARTMENT.

If you would like to download and print out this document, this is a pdf copy: Letter from students for GSA Board of Studies meeting.

The Future of Ceramic Design
Students’ Response
Ceramics (Full-time) Student Representative
Febuary 2008

1). The lack of consultation.

The recommendation states “for the past five years the undergraduate pathway of BA (Hons) Design in Ceramics and Ceramic Design has been under scrutiny.” What form did this scrutiny take?

A review was announced in September (2007), but did not seem to actually materialize. A review meeting had been scheduled with the ceramics staff on Monday 4th (Febuary), but was canceled, and the next day the recommendation was announced to the staff. It came as a shock, both to staff and students.

Compared to the First Year and H&C reviews, which were discussed in Wednesday’s Board of Studies meeting, the lack of contact and consultation with the Ceramics department in the supposed Ceramics review, is in stark contrast.
The review has also not, as far as I am aware, looked at any of the underlying causes for the low application numbers into ceramics.

As I understand it, a few years ago the majority of students entering the course were school-leavers from Western Scotland. This is no longer the case today, with the majority of the students being from wider a-field in the UK, other countries, and students not enrolling straight from school/mature students. The main reason, however, seems to be lack of marketing of both the full-time and part-time courses.

2). The lack of marketing/advertising of the courses

The reason given for the phasing out of the ceramics degree is the low number of applications to the course. This cannot be disputed. We are, however, not satisfied that the School has done what it can to promote the course.
The recommendation states, (my italics): “…despite the continuing best efforts of the academic staff and the School’s marketing team, the application dropped…”

We cannot believe that the promotion of the Ceramics courses are the best efforts of a marketing team with 13 employees, and we can only commend the efforts of our extremely hard-working and committed academic staff.

We asked to meet with the marketing team, to find what had actually been done, but this was refused. They promised to write a report for us, but they have not.

Therefore, the only evidence I can give is the experiences of current students, (who, after all, have gone through the whole searching/application process). There are many examples; I will cite just a few.

~ In the five years since the start of the part-time distance learning course, only one advert has been placed in a ceramic journal/magazine (the Ceramic Review). This is where many of the current students found out about the course; the rest through word of mouth.

~ When one does a Google search for ‘part-time ceramics degree UK’, GSA’s course doesn’t even come up! The same is true for ‘ceramics course/degree UK’. This is the first thing many people do when searching for a course; the fact that the course doesn’t come up means many potential applicants are being missed.

~ A current 3rd-year student, was taken to every other department except Ceramics on an open day. It was only when she asked specifically to see Ceramics, that she was shown around. I am sure this is not a unique incident.

~ Students at the Newcastle College ceramics course were told not to apply to the GSA ceramics degree unless it was their first choice, since it was so difficult to get in. Therefore, for example, out of a class of 24 (the biggest class in a long time) it was only the top two students in the Newcastle College ceramics class who applied to Glasgow, i.e. 2 of only 4 direct entry students, (one of whom won the college prize for most consistent exellence and the other the prize for most improvement in ceramics 2003/04).

This example also counteracts the fear that the low application numbers automatically equate with lower standards, and put GSA’s academic reputation at risk – if only the top students are applying it can hardly harm the reputation.

~ Archie McCall went himself to Aberystwyth last year to promote the course. It seems rather odd to me, that when the school has a marketing team, the Course Leader has to take this upon himself, and out of his own initiative. The part-time course is unique, not only in the UK, but in Europe! It fills a need, as many of the students have testified to in writing, and if people only knew about it, I am convinced that there would be applicants.

~ The part-time course has only been running for 5 years. For a course that takes 8 years to complete, it could be argued that this is not enough time for it to gain a reputation and become established.

~ A member of the 2007 graduating class recounts that several people said, at both the Degree show and New Designers, that they either had heard Ceramics in Glasgow was closing down, or didn’t even know it existed – whilst the management may not deal in rumors, other people listen to them and with no rebuttal from the GSA, these rumors will obviously have an impact on applications.

~In 2006, when the Ceramics Degree Show was still held in the Haldane Building, a request was made, through SSCC and BofS, for better signage to direct people to the show, as it was the only part of the Show that was outside the main campus. The result was a hand written piece of A4 paper tied to the railings of St Aloysius. “Best efforts”?

3).The bigger picture

As everyone is well aware, GSA is the only place in Scotland that offers a degree in Ceramics. This position presents both responsibility and opportunity.

~ Denying students, both Scottish and otherwise, the opportunity to study Ceramics at degree level, is not only an injustice towards the individuals, but to the whole field of Ceramics in Scotland. As Alex Leckie and Alexander Moffat say in the Sunday Herald, (17th Febuary, 2008):

“If ceramics are removed from the school, as they have been in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee, it will be the death knell of the craft in Scotland, according to Leckie. “No child in Scotland will be able to get a ceramics degree here, so it will have knock-on effects,” he said. “Galleries will have fewer exhibitions of ceramics, there will be no ceramics to add to national collections and, generally speaking, the ordinarily public won’t be educated to take any interest in ceramics. It is incredibly sad.”

One of Scotland’s most renowned artists and former head of painting at GSA, Alexander Moffat, said the threat to the ceramics degree is part of a bigger malaise within all art schools. “Ceramics has always been a Cinderella subject,” he said. “In any university if a subject, even an important subject, doesn’t attract students, it doesn’t make good business sense. This is the problem. We really should be approaching this from a completely different point of view. Should we have a ceramics department in Scotland? Obviously we should. We should be fighting for it instead of shutting it down to save money.”

~ This recommendation comes at a time when many feel Ceramics –both within the School and in general – is at the start of a (for want of a better word) revival. In the Department, there is a vibrancy and enthusiasm that was somewhat lacking when I started the course in 2004. This is due to the hard work and commitment of the staff. To quote an excerpt from an email for Emilka Radlinska, who is a transfer student, doing a Masters at Australian National University:

“…the solution is to put more money into ceramics education rather than the opposite, and to encourage makers to write about their work and about what they see happening in ceramics, i.e. the development of the medium and its conceptual use, and to make more active links between departments – something Bill Brown is doing with the claymation and glass slumping classes, as well as the transfer printing. Welcoming students from other departments into ceramics is also a very positive step, as is ceramics students working with mixed media, on community projects (like the roundel commission) or running open art classes. If you look at the quality of the exciting contemporary work coming from Korea, Japan and China, Korea in particular, you can see they are countries where ceramics is a deeply ingrained part of the culture and is supported accordingly.” (16th Febuary, 2008).

~ One reason for the decline in applicants is the discontinuation of exposing young people to ceramics in Schools and Foundation Courses. Ceramics is a subject which most only apply to study after already having tried it previously. There are now places which are investing in ceramics, for example Kenton High (Newcastle) and Newcastle College, where several of our current students come from, and a South Lanarkshire Council arts development project (see separate sheet).

Ken Eastman, among others, testifies that there are more opportunities and possibilities within Ceramics than for years.

“Museums are opening and the work of ceramic artists is finding its way into fine art galleries- prices are for some, hitting unchartered heights. Makers are finding new and diverse ways to exist and flourish- through commissioning, collaborations, installations, research, exchanges, residencies, etc.”

A recent Observer article (Hands that do dishes, Sunday January 20, 2008) writes the following:

“Craft pieces by leading makers are far from cheap (you won’t get much for under £1,000), but as this is an expanding market, prices have still not peaked and so there’s a lot of potential for investment. ‘Nothing is ever guaranteed,’ says Marijke Jones, head of Contemporary Ceramics at Bonhams, ‘but prices seem to be generally increasing – a rare vase by Magdalene Odundo fetched a record £28,405 in 2006 and last year a Hans Coper piece sold for more than £14,000. It all depends on buying the right pieces.’”

Instead of viewing being the only Ceramics course in Scotland as a burden, (which currently seems to be the case), the GSA should seize the opportunity presenting itself.

4). Further Questions

~ Why is the recommendation being made at this time, to come into effect straight away? There will be people who are planning on applying for the course starting next academic year. Last week, the staff in Ceramics had to show 3 people around who were interested in studying here, knowing that it might be impossible. It is not fair to these applicants to suddenly cease recruiting for the course without good notice.

It is also very bad timing for us, the current students; the 4th years are busy working towards the degree show, and the 3rd years have to hand in their Critical Review of Sources on Tuesday 19th. Also, the recommendation was announced to us the day before a School holiday and Reading Week, making it much more difficult for us to get organized.

~ The department, as has been discussed, is not a problem to the school financially – in fact, it ‘makes’ more money than it uses. What is then the damage to the School in giving it a chance to raise the profile of the courses on offer? It is felt that we have not been given the opportunity to try to do something about this, not knowing that it was a problem.

If this program closes, there will be no undergraduate ceramics courses at university level available for study in either of the major cities in Scotland. What will this mean for Scottish ceramic art and Scottish culture as a whole? Can such a small country afford to turn it’s back on contemporary artists? Will future generations of artists be lost to England or abroad elsewhere? Will Scotland lose that avenue for social commentary and creative expression?

Ester Svensson, 4th year honors student, in her space at GSA

This is some of the most interesting, original and innovative work that I’ve seen to date. Ester is a young artist who is interested in multiculturalism, myth and storytelling. To view Ester’s work – click here.

Furthermore, Ester took a year off her university studies last year and traveled to Afghanistan, where she worked for the Turquise Mountain Foundation. The Foundation is involved with helping to restore historic sites and keep traditional craft skills from disappearing, providing employment and income for families recovering from the devastation of war.  Ester worked with Afghani potters in a cultural exchange of knowledge and skill for a full year, visiting ceramics restoration workshops and a ceramics school. To view the incredibly beautiful photographs of ancient and rarely before seen ceramic art from her journeys click here.

Ester Svensson and three other student representatives, as well as Archie McCall, Head of Undergraduate Studies for the School of Design and former head of the Ceramics Department, met with the Head of the Design School, Professor McAra McWilliam on Tuesday 12th February and handed her the letters. Unfortunately the Director of the Glasgow School of Art, Professor Seona Reid could not attend.

Here is an excerpt from Ester’s email about the meeting:

Hello everyone,

ester

To everyone who reads this blog:

PLEASE HELP US SAVE THE CERAMICS DEPARTMENT
AT THE GLASGOW SCHOOL OF ART.

Ester Svensson’s email address is: thisisestersaddress at gmail dot com

The official reason for the closure is that the department has not received enough interest from prospective students for keeping it running to remain a viable option. This, however, seems incorrect, as always in the past there have been more new applicants than places available.

With the recent amalgamation of the Ceramics Department at the Edinburgh College of Art with the Sculpture Department, it appears that all options for skills based degrees for ceramic artists in Scotland are being closed.

I have recently moved to Scotland and have been involved with the Glasgow School of Art Ceramics Department while studying for my MPhil degree in Ceramics through the Australian National University. Indeed, the ANU has had a long standing exchange and working relationship with the Glasgow School of Art, as have many other institutions throughout the world.

I have found the knowledge, skills and generosity of Archie McCall, Bill Brown, Irene Bell and Wendy Kershaw to be outstanding. Their hard work, expertise, mentorship and love of teaching is all that stands against the loss of talent, continuity of the Scottish ceramic tradition and skill for the next generation of Scottish contemporary ceramic artists and designers.

The Glasgow School of Art offers a design perspective to the study of ceramics, including unique state of the art screen printing and plaster working facilities. It is widely connected with ceramics industry and specializes in Architectural Ceramics.

It is indeed a shock for me, as well as for all ceramics students at the department to hear these news. As a result, the student body is due to meet with the Executive on Tuesday the 12th of February, to express their concerns. It would be incredibly helpful if they could bring any messages with them that express support for their cause.

I ask that all of you forward this message to anyone who has studied, taught at, or visited the Glasgow School of Art Ceramics Department.

Messages of protest regarding the proposed closure should be directed to the Director of the Glasgow School of Art, Professor Seona Reid (s dot reid at gsa dot ac dot uk) or to the Head of the School of Design at the Glasgow School of Art, Professor Irene McAra McWilliam (i dot mcara-mcwilliam at gsa dot ac dot uk). Furthermore, messages can be emailed to Ester Svensson (thisisestersaddress at gmail dot com), who is a 4th year honors student in ceramics and she will print them out and present them at the student meeting with the GSA executive on this Tuesday, 12th February.

I thank you in advance for any support that you are able to offer.

I’ve added a new album of work by Irene Bell. Irene is a part-time lecturer in ceramics at the Glasgow School of Art. She also lectures first year Design students in the Core Studies program.

Bell draws inspiration from the undulations and sweeps of manipulated landscapes, in particular, golf courses and topiary. She specializes in freehand tonal drawing on raw clay, and the compositional relationship of image to form. Her compositions border on the dangerous transition between working and not-working, between eye pleasing, harmonious success and graphic disaster.

She also has a keen interest in the interaction between stationary objects and those in motion. Portions of each image appearing static, while others in the same composition appear to move. To view Irene Bell’s work, please click here.

Firstly, I would like to say a HUGE thank you to my husband, Campbell Brown and my brother, Filip Radlinski, who took it upon themselves over the last few weeks to devote much of their spare time in order to wrestle with and tame the technology behind this blog and website, including spending hours waiting in a telephone queue to speak to my hosting company.

Writing here is all very fun and easy but when it comes to things like backups, software updates or migrating to a new platform… (that’s nothing to do with trains, shoes or birds), dns pointers, etc, it’s all just a whole lot of incomprehensible gobblygook to me – or however that may be spelled, but you get the idea.

The website hopefully doesn’t look any different, but it’s all brand spanking new and shiny in the background, I assure you, and I NEVER would have been able to tackle it by my lonesome.

However, if you do come across a link that no longer works, please email me and let me know, so that I can fix it. There conceivably could be a few that have slipped through the very fine teeth of the virtual comb we used. AND if you have book marked any part of this blog or my gallery pages, it might be a good idea to make a new bookmark, as your old one may no longer work.

As a result of the changes I haven’t been able to make any updates to the site for a while – even though I’ve been here, and working hard in the studio (with a little break for the festive season, I must admit).

John Maguire, 2001. Tall Vase in studio courtyard. Thrown stoneware with cobalt wood ash glaze and white slip.

So apart from loud and wild Christmas parties, three day long Hogmanay (New Year’s) celebrations and my madly feverish preparation for my trip and forthcoming WIP in Oz, I’d like to announce that the first thing I’ve tackled this year website-wise is a new album full of images from John Maguire’s portfolio. Click here to view them.

Bill Brown, “24 (22:00)”, 2005, Stoneware with silk screen enamel transfer, 45 x 30cm

I’ve added a new album of work by Bill Brown, who is head of Ceramic Design at the Glasgow School of Art. Click here to view the images.

Although many single images of his work, spanning a lengthy career, can be found in various books, catalogs and international collections, I believe that this is a unique collection of images. It encompasses at least a decade of creative practice and he has very kindly allowed me to make them available online to share with everyone.

For me, Bill Brown’s work is an expression of a wonderful quirky sense of humour and intelligent observation of contemporary life, culture, the media and advertising, coupled with a mastery of industrial ceramic production techniques which include mould making and printing on clay.

The silk screen enamel printing technique used in his work is known as decals in some other parts of the world. Bill Brown screen prints his own full colour decals using on glaze enamels, after putting his photographs and graphic works through a digital colour separation process in Photoshop.

The piece displayed above is from the series “24″. It’s based on the idea of taking one photograph per hour to document a continuous 24 hour period in the life of the artist. This particular one includes a photograph taken at 10pm, of Charing Cross, a busy intersection in Glasgow City center, not far from the Glasgow School of Art.

I’ve just added some new photos of John Maguire’s work in progress to my photo album. Click here to view them. John is a sessional lecturer at the Glasgow School of Art and is about to start teaching a throwing block with the 2nd year students.