Material Treasures: Ceramics, Glass, Jewellery & Silversmithing

Presented by the School of Craft – Artists in Residence (AiR)

This exhibition presents the curated work of seven professional artists working across Ceramics, Glass, Jewellery & Silversmithing. With materiality central to their practice, the artists have each spent a twelve months residency immersed in rigorous research, thematic exploration, and technical experimentation within their respective disciplines. Their process has been driven not only by critical inquiry, but also by a spirit of playfulness, discovery, and the intrinsic joy of making by hand.

As craft theorist David Pye observed in The Nature and Art of Workmanship (1968):

“The workmanship of risk is that in which the quality of the result is not predetermined, but depends on judgment, dexterity, and care.” This spirit of risk, control, and exploration is at the heart of the works on display.

“Whether an object is designed to be worn, held, touched or simply observed, Material Treasures celebrates the power of craft not only as an artistic practice, but as a language of the hands – a poetic dialogue between maker and material, where expression is made tangible.”

Artists

• Hazel Crompton West
• Alice Fyles
• Dovile Grigaliunaite
• Belinda Hitchens
• Gaby Mlynarczyk
• Rhea Morton
• Anne Petters

About the AiR Programme

The AiR Crafts programme provides an exciting opportunity for early to mid career artists in Jewellery, Silversmithing, Ceramics and Glass to develop work and technical skills in a creative higher education environment, without the constraints of set course work or timetable. AiRs provide masterclasses, technical workshops and support to students, whilst engaging in the wider UCA crafts community.