First week back – Welcome to the museum
It’s been absolutely incredible to be back on the floor again offering tours, talks and conversations to members of the public. After four months of semi-isolation it feels wonderful to be in a museum space again, hearing and sharing stories about the incredible collection the Powerhouse has to offer.
Today, we were fortunate enough to get a curator led tour led by Eva Czernis-Ryl of Clay Dynasty. The exhibition celebrates studio ceramics in Australia as shaped by three generations of makers: from the 1960s pioneers who transformed the functional pottery tradition to contemporary ceramic artists who continue to push the medium. It’s the first major exhibition to chart the astonishing diversity of ceramic practice across Australia, and features more than 400 objects from the Powerhouse’s significant ceramics collection.
I was illuminated as to early creator philosophies such as : “You’re a potter not an artist”, how many of these works are the way they are because of locally sourced materials, eg: many Bowls and plates created in China being green. And, how pottery is so deeply based in family tradition, passed down from generation to generation. This is one of the reasons why the exhibition itself is called Clay Dynasty.
I am excited to find out more about the incredible new spaces that have opened, but myself and the Wednesday volunteers walk away from our first day back with newfound knowledge, and a hunger to learn more!
Jacinta Gregory
Volunteer Program Officer