Grant to Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge to support research and scholarship for its book and exhibition project: ‘Women Potters: British Ceramics from 1900 to Now’
The British studio pottery movement has been shaped by the work of women ever since its inception in the late 19th and early 20th century. Rather than attempt to ‘reclaim’ or ‘rediscover’ overlooked figures, this book seeks to demonstrate the centrality of women to the studio pottery movement in Britain since 1900 – to show how their contributions were not marginal or supplementary, but foundational and continuous. Studio pottery stands apart, in this respect, from many other creative disciplines, having long been remarkably open to women’s participation and leadership. By bringing these potters together – from early pioneers to today’s innovators – this book aims to reveal just how integral women have been to the development and success of the field. It will also place their work in an international context and consider the particular challenges and opportunities faced by women working as potters, rather than treating their histories as solely part of a broader ceramic narrative.
Though women have played a central and transformative role in British studio pottery, this is only now beginning to receive fuller scholarly and curatorial attention. Lucie Rie (1902–1995), a Viennese émigré whose refined modernist vessels helped define postwar British ceramics, is the most celebrated, and her influence is widely acknowledged. Yet many others have shaped the field: from Dora Billington (1890–1968), whose teaching helped nurture generations of ceramicists; to Katherine Pleydell-Bouverie (1895–1985), known for her pioneering glazes; to more recent figures such as Elizabeth Fritsch (b. 1940), Alison Britton (b. 1948), Magdalene Odundo (b. 1950) and Jennifer Lee (b. 1956) – each of whom has expanded the possibilities of ceramic form, technique and meaning.
Today, the contribution of women to British studio pottery is increasingly acknowledged in major exhibitions, publications and collections, but much work remains to be done. While individual figures have been rightly celebrated, there is still no comprehensive account of the full scope of women’s influence on the development of British ceramics in the 20th and 21st centuries. This absence is all the more striking given the diversity and innovation women have brought to the field – from the earthy, rural quietude of the early studio movement to the conceptual and sculptural experiments of postmodernism, right up to the cross-cultural narratives of contemporary practice. A fuller understanding of this history enriches our appreciation of British studio pottery as a whole.