Wonderful and exciting news – The WSP Board has agreed to the “twinning” of West Street Potters and the Canterbury Potters’ Association of New Zealand!
When West Street Potter Nicholas Ragg visited New Zealand in 2014, he made contact with the Canterbury Potters’ Association. They are an independent organisation very similar to our own and have been in existence since the 1960s. The pottery building is in the grounds of a house that belonged to one Avice Hill a great patron of the arts during her lifetime. On her death she left her pottery and house and grounds to Canterbury Potters.
Christchurch City Council took over the maintenance of the whole estate which includes facilities for other arts and crafts as well as ceramics. The pottery building was a little damaged in the recent earthquake but this is now repaired and looking very smart. Nicholas attended several times on their club day which is much like our Friday evening session and made one or two pots. They run several classes a week and have had visiting potters to give workshops, including Shoji Hamada! Among their members are several eminent potters but most are beginners and improvers such as Nicholas. They have several kilns as we do and manage their own firing etc. They are suffering at the moment from the after effects of the earthquake and welcomed the suggestion that West Street Potters should set up a twinning arrangement with them. This has now been achieved and we wait to see how each side might develop the arrangement.
