Early History

The Tasmanian Potters’ Society (Southern branch) Inc. was established 2 July, 1973. The first meeting was held at Domain House when Eileen Brooker was elected President and Penny Smith Vice President. Eileen recalls a particularly significant time in the early days of the Society when she was invited by the Government, with Lilia Weatherly, Peggy Coombs and others, to tour what was then called the Peacock Building to see whether it would be suitable as an Art Centre. “Old tramps used to sleep in there”, Eileen said, ”and it was a real mess, with rubbish and broken machinery”. The steering committee, however, could see enormous potential, and out of these beginnings Salamanca Arts Centre was born.

The Society’s first home was the Salamanca Arts Centre where members made pots on the premises, the sale of which helped to pay the rent. Since then the Society has moved its premises several times. For a period the Society organised workshops at Rosny College, Domain House and Mt. Nelson (School of Art). When Adult Education decided to centralise all its pottery to Domain House, the Potters’ Society was able to use the Kingston Pottery as a studio. Many workshops were held there and groups of members used the facilities weekly. When Adult Education decided that they needed the space for purposes other than pottery, the Society was ‘on the move’ again. The next ‘Salamanca’ solution came in the form of sub-leasing a studio from Off Centre cooperative in Salamanca Arts Centre. For the first time the Society had a studio where their wheels, slab-roller, pottery collection, and library could all be utilised. During this period long-time member Helen Palmer passed away and bequeathed to the Society her enormous collection of books, moulds, tools, equipment and gas kiln. (The kiln has since been rebuilt on committee member Jane Tyler’s property and will be used for workshops). Meetings were held in the studio, and the central Salamanca Arts Centre location made it a fabulous place for workshops. Off Centre partners acted as ‘front of house’ for the Society, which brought with it many new members.

In 2003 seeking a larger studio space the society moved to a large former classroom on the Cosgrove High School campus which now houses the society’s library and pottery collec-tion and all other studio facilities. Suzi Tyson and I run classes and several members use the studio on a regular basis. Part of our contract with Cosgrove High School was that the school students would have the opportunity to parti-cipate in workshops classes and exhibitions. In May, Dawn Oakford curated a very successful exhibition This Way Up in the School Gallery, with a variety of work by members inspiring the school students. This will be followed by a Responses exhibition, with work from the school students themselves later in the year.

Workshops

As one of the functions of the Society has always been to foster appreciation of and education about different types of pottery, workshops have always been an important feature. Much of that occurs through the newsletter, which has changed from a typewritten page to a more sophisticated eight page bi-monthly publication which features photographs, reviews and information about forthcoming events.
Early workshops hosted by the Society were presented by Mirek Smisek (NZ), Doug Laurie, Jeff Mincham, Gwynn Pigott and Vic Greenaway. Crafts Council supported visits included Japanese potters Shimada, Shigeo Shiga, Shimeoka and Fugiwara Yu. Later grants from Arts Tasmania assisted the Society in presenting overseas potters Jeff Oestreich and Matthias Ostermann, and those a little closer to home such as Sandra Black, Janet De Boos and Greg Daly.

Dawn Oakford (committee member), Teakeeper

The workshop program has also made use of the expertise of our own members with Dawn Oakford, Suzi Tyson, Maudie Bryan and Yulia Szalay sharing their skills and knowledge. Each potter leaves behind some of the pieces they have demonstrated for us to bisque, and as a result we have a wonderful collection of work by contemporary potters on permanent display at the studio.

Exhibitions

In 1975 the Society held its first public exhibition in the foyer of the AMP building. From these beginnings the Annual Exhibition has moved from Strickland Gallery to the Rosny Schoolhouse Gallery to the Sidespace Gallery in Salamanca Arts Centre. The generosity of sponsors provide wonderful prizes and our exhibitions are always incredibly varied, showing great talent. A remark about the 2003 exhibition was that throwing had taken a back seat, as the majority of the pieces were hand-built or slipcast.

Membership

Several years ago the Society named its first Life Member, June Lowry, a committee member for many years, having held most positions on the committee including President from 1974-75. June had come into this role via classes with Mylie Peppin, an Associate Diploma at the Tasmanian College of Advanced Education and Adult Eucation, teaching. An early Society workshop was held in her garden in 1975, where, with the help of members, Les Blakebrough built a catenary-arch kiln in which June fired tableware and figurative pieces, always making sure there were items for display at the Society’s annual exhibition. June continued potting until the mid ‘90s.

Lilia Weatherly was also made a Life Member in 2002. Her early very active role as committee member included hosting a two-day raku firing with Joan Campbell in New Norfolk which included attendance from prisoners at the Gaol Farm. Lilia was also the instigater of a grant (along with Peggy Coombes) from the Crafts Council for setting up clay production at the Gaol Farm where she taught for 12 years. She built the first gas kiln in Tasmania (after deciding on the model which had the most pictures to follow in Daniel Rhodes’ book!). Lilia has now supplanted her pottery by becoming a professional rose breeder.
Membership of the Society comprises hobby potters, full-time professional potters, beginners, teachers and students. There are university student members, even though one can no longer study ceramics at the Hobart campus except as a post-graduate student or within Sculpture, with clay as a medium. Many members say that they enjoy the support and friendship within the group as a balance to the solitary life in the studio. Not only workshops, but open days, working bees and dinners add to the activities of the Society.

Committee

The Society looks forward to increasing participation from members with its new and enthusiastic committee. President John Watson, has recently completed a Diploma of Art (Ceramics) at Canberra School of Art, where he developed a range of slab-built architectural forms. Between 1983 and 1994 John managed The Grange at Campbelltown where Northern and Southern Potters’ Societies shared several workshops and meetings. During this time he built an art studio and ran the Arts and Crafts program. He now works part-time with TAFE and Adult Education Pottery. Other committee members include Beres Taylor who works from his studio in Collins Gap, Tom Hartley (a very well organised treasurer!) a passionate wood-firer, Jane Tyler and Suzi Tyson, University School of Art students and Dorice Griffiths, an Adult Education student, who markets her ceramics on the internet. Dawn Oakford is a TAFE teacher and produces a range of unique slip-cast ceramics in her studio in Lenah Valley and Tricia Robinson, our newsletter editor, is enrolled inthe Distance Education program at ANU School of Arts. Yulia Szalay produces fascinating work in her own studio having recentlycompleted her university studies. Junita Stevens and myself have been members of the Society since we studied at Rosny College in the 1980s, and are probably two of the custodians of the oral history of the Society, with the remainder of the committee having been members for a shorter time. The Potters’ Society welcomes impromptu visits from interstate and overseas potters and artists but we would encourage them to make initial contact via mail or email Tas.Potters@tassie.net.au P.O. Box 82, New Town, 7008. website: http://ww.tassie.net.au/~potters/

Jude Maisch has held various positions in the Potters’ Society over the past 20 years and has recently completed a successful term as the Society’s Workshop Officer. She is the Tasmanian writer for the Journal of Australian Ceramics. She teaches pottery to various groups, from Clay Play to Adult Education and operates her own studio, making a range of small sculptural pieces and domestic ware.