Setting the Dinner Tables of the Nation. Crown Lynn: Crockery of Distinction Exhibition

Thanks Thelma
You finding more pottery in welly to take home made me laugh

Here is a link from the Ministry of Culture - 'It's Crown-tastic'
Same words as the Gallery Media release but the photo strip at the top is very cool

http://www.mch.govt.nz/news-events/news/its-crown-tastic

Was browsing and found this book, I admired greatly his collection of hand potted at the exhibition and discovered that he also did similar pots, now I can swot up on this man and his work.

Great Stuff Thelma
In one photo from the Facebook page John Parker has 3 or maybe even 4 pieces of his work at the Exhibition alongside those pieces by Shufflethingy and Keith Murray. Not sure how this came about as John didn't work for Crown Lynn. But the handpotted is his collection and he was inspired by those Craftsmen a long time ago. He is a pedantic perfectionist .... and a brilliant potter!

Jim and Mary Barr have done a second post about the exhibition: http://overthenet.blogspot.com/2011/02/help-is-at-hand.html

In the 1980s John Parker created an imaginary 1950s era modernist pottery called Vortex that also manufactured Keith Murray inspired works:

"Parker staged Domestic Wares (better known as the Vortex show), supposedly the works of a little known Auckland pottery factory that had allegedly produced hand-thrown wares in the mid nineteen fifties. The interior of Alicat was transformed into a thirties period interior with chrome and glass tea trolleys, smoking stands and potted palms placed on top of abstract carpets. The ceramics were arranged on table-tops and on period shop display stands. Mirrors in ceramic frames were hung on the wall." from http://www.johnparker.co.nz/personal/text/Lloyd-Jenkins%20-%20The%20Journey%20towards%20white.htm

see also quote from the New Zealand Potter magazine (vol. 23, no. 2, Spring 1981, pp.24―25).

at: http://www.johnparker.co.nz/ceramics/technical/technical_notebook.htm

"A little known Auckland Pottery Factory, The Vortex Works, was a rival to Crown Lynn hand thrown ware in the mid nineteen-fifties.

The Works, dating from around 1947, was a small owner operated business, sited first in Mt Albert and later moving to the Waiatarua area.

All the work was made by the owner from one clay source. The stylistic features of Vortex Ware are a single shiny glaze on simple forms with most surfaces being a heavily tooled ridging reminiscent of ‘coil’ pottery.

Vortex Ware was purely utilitarian, featuring ashtrays, cigarette boxes, planters, vases, flower troughs, bowls and pineapple stands—all indispensable in the modern home."

How intriguing ..... I will click those links when I get a free moment !

I just want to say that I'm ever so pleased to hear that there is an Exhibition Work Sheet that lists everything in the Show ..... even the photographs, excellent!
I'm jumping out of my skin at the thought of seeing this Exhibition next week

I'm very fortunate that I actually work just across from the City Gallery, in Telecom House. I went on Wednesday (free entry every Wednesday) for a first look.

Make sure to go to Nikau Cafe while you're there - access available from inside the gallery, or around the side the gallery building.

Thanks for the tip Jess ..... I'm sure that we will frequently visit that Cafe

I've just arrived back from our trip to Wellington to see this marvellous Exhibition!
It is totally impressive as it covers all of Crown Lynn's history ..... not dallying on any one part but everything is covered, thanks to Richard Quinn's forward thinking of retaining the history of a New Zealand company that touched the nation. Everyone seems to have a set idea of what Crown Lynn means to them, but I would like to really thank the curators for putting the Exhibition together in such a way that all of the history of this well known company was on display, through the collections of several collectors. Richard Quinn's collection via the Portage Ceramic Trust is the backbone of the Exhibition. Every New Zealander should take a look if possible and be enlightened at the magnitude and developement of a truly dynamic homegrown ceramic business!

we leave tomorrow on the early flight

wellington here we come woohoo

IS there a publication?

Yes there is a booklet that paying visitors get free of charge.
It covers all of the collectors, their thoughts and their collections.
John Parker has 4 pieces of his own work alongside one Keith Murray and several Ernest Shufflethingy's from his personal collection. It took me a while to work out which was the Keith Murray as there are no labels, but there is a sheet with everything listed in the display.
Mirek Smisek went to the opening as there is a wall full of his Bohemia Ware collected by Juliet Collins.... that has so many shapes and so many different patterns ... and he enjoyed the limelight
Brian Ronson has a fabulous Carpay collection in the show, as well as a dynamic lot of Wharetana!
I overheard a lady comment that the Wharetana Ware was hideous ..... omg I swear I wanted to smack her in the mouth .... Let her try and make something as perfect and as beautiful as those bits!!
Billy Apple's passion for Dorothy Thorpe tableware was really a fabulous display, as I hadn't seen all of her designs in one place all together.....
Richard Quinn's collections covered several walls and without his 20 years plus of collecting Crown Lynn and all of it's history there would not have been such a brilliant timeline of Crown Lynn history! The Portage Ceramics Trust has to get some of the glory too
There were other collections too, Animals, Triple Glaze Ambrico, Colour Glaze, Fiesta Ware, Repairing broken Crown Lynn. As I am really interested in all of the history ... I found everything amazing!
We were lucky enough to be there for Trish Clark's memories of her father's beloved Crown Lynn. She was really professional and was bombarded with outlandish questions ..... and took it all in her stride. Though she did relate a tale about monkey brains that her Father ate to seal a deal that nobody really wanted to hear, but her point was relevant

how many pages?

32 and the middle two pages are double size folded inwards.

http://www.listener.co.nz/issue/3689/artsbooks/16863/crowning_glory.html

Thanks for that link, very interesting

Tim, I forgot to mention that there were 3 cherished pieces of Briar Gardner's work in the Clark Family Collection! As the Clarks' don't have the obsessive, compulsive, collecting disorder there were only a few special pieces there including the Tom Clark Toby Jug and what is left of the majestic Royal Dinnerset.

There were shards there too from Richard Quinn's Collection!!!!
Very much like the ones that you and Marcus found ... handles, swan heads, Wharetana bits, all sorts

How many collectors in total contributed?

12 collections - including Richard Quinn's collection which was around half of the show.
Figurines - Helen Slater - 25 pieces
Wharetana - Brian Ronson - 25 pieces
Triple Glaze - J Elston - 40 pieces
Mirek Smisek - Juliet Collins - 30 pieces
Ernest, Keith and John - John Parker - 18 pieces
Colour Glaze - Alison Reid - 50 pieces
Frank Carpay - Brian Ronson - 13 pieces
Dorothy Thorpe - Billy Apple - many pieces
Kintsugi Crown Lynn - Asumi Mizuo - 14 pieces
Fiesta - Mary Morrison - many pieces plus template showing where the spots go!
Bellamy's - NZ Government - 20 pieces
Clark Family collection - 9 pieces and Royal dinnerset
Richard Quinn's collection - from go to whoa.

http://rdu985fm.podomatic.com/entry/2011-02-13T14_03_11-08_00

Well done Abby!! Great publicity for the Exhibition...thanks for posting it Ev.

This is so brilliant as not only do you get to hear around 10 mins of Trish Clark, plus Abby and Aaron , but for those who can't get to this amazing Exhibition there are many shots of some of the countless pieces on display .. Heather is there .... and myself as well and I thought I avoided that camera at all times!

https://www.youtube.com/citygallerywgtn

An article from the National Business Review about this Exhibition...

http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/cups-and-saucers-conquered-new-zealand-89853

Maximum Brooks checks out the Exhibition ....... a lovely read indeed and even managed to take some photos !

http://maximumbrooks.com/2011/04/07/crown-lynn-its-in-my-brainscape/

The Gus Fisher Gallery will host a modified version of Crockery of Distinction from 4 November 2011 to 7 Jan 2012.

I take pleasure from the coincidence of this building constructed out of Amalgamated Bricks products exhibiting a show which has as its core the Portage Ceramics Collection. Like a homecoming. see http://newzealandpottery.forumotion.net/t158-broadcast-house-shortland-street