Bic Wood on sat 25 feb 06
The pottery of Bernard Leach in St. Ives, England has recently been sold to
a charitable trust called the Bernard Leach (St Ives) Trust Limited. The
purpose of the trust is to restore the original studio and kiln and build a
new workshop and teaching facility. The following desciption is taken from
the trust web site.
"The project will acquire, restore and enhance the site and its buildings
in order to make them fully accessible to the general public. It will
celebrate the life, work, influences and legacy of Bernard Leach.
We plan to recreate the quality and reputation of the original pottery by
developing Leach's ethos in a modern context. Post-graduate students will
work alongside established craftsmen to develop their techniques, and we
will provide a high level of skills training in a supportive atmosphere.
All aspects of the potter's trade will be covered including design,
production, marketing and exhibition. We will mentor business start-ups and
provide studio space for emerging talent."
The purchase and restoration project has already raised over 1.2 million
Pounds (over $2 million) for the project from various charitable and
governmental entities in Europe. They are about to begin a public appeal
to raise the final 500,000 Pounds. This money will be raised by accepting
donations and providing paid memberships (starting at about $20 per
year).
I am currently collecting the names and contact information for
organizations within the U.S. and Canada that should be contacted by the
project. We have a fairly complete list of suppliers. If you have the
name and contact information for any guilds, schools, or other pottery
affiliated entities who you think could be interested or have members
interested in the Leach Pottery restoration, would you please forward them
to me? Also, if you are personally interested in this effort, please send
me your contact information.
For more information, please see the web site at -
http://www.theleachpotterystives.co.uk/
There will be a brochure and more information available soon.
Thanks,
Bic Wood
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