Public Arts Commission Limners Collection

Drawing workshops over Zoom

Art For All

The Watts Gallery Art For All Community Learning Program is a campaign determined to create creative partnerships between artists and the local community. A central part of the Art For All program is the community production of commercial craft objects to be exhibited at the annual Watts Gallery Summer show.

The Summer show was postponed in 2020 and with the gallery studios closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Art For All program developed into the Limners Collection public arts commission. I was given this commission, to work with community groups inspired by the Watts Gallery to create a body of functional and sculptural ceramics for sale as the Limners Collection.

To do this with the community of Watts Gallery, I ran a series of online drawing workshops to create surface decorations. The community drawings were printed into ceramic decals to decorate the Limners pottery.

At the beginning of the co-production project I was treated to a tour of the Watts collection by curator, Emma Coburn. This tour included the archival documents of Mary Watts, sample images of work from the Compton Potter’s Arts Guild and a private collection of functional pottery.

Inspired by the hallmark garden vessels, the co-produced collection is made in British terracotta and finished in a glaze I developed during the project from the roof tiles of the Watts Gallery itself. When the work is handled, my hope is that it will feel as generous and considered as the original Compton Pottery itself.

This project has been my first community arts commission, and so there have been many things which I have learnt along the road of co-production, mainly through trial and error – and then lots of trialling again! Working with an eager community who are excited at the prospect of their art being owned and cherished has reminded me of the importance of inclusivity and financial consideration when creating work, and I will hold onto this lesson for projects to come.

Selection of pottery made for the Limners Collection