Portage Ceramic Awards 2001

West Auckland’s first kiln was built in 1852 on the banks of the Whau River by Dr. Daniel Pollen, when he recognised quality in the rich clay soils of the Rosebank Peninsula. Skilled brick and pottery workers emigrated from Staffordshire, England to develop his business. One hundred and twenty-one years later, in 1973, Crown Lynn employed six hundred people, makinng mostly domesticware for the local market and export to Australia and India. This renowned New Zealand company later became known as Ceramco Limited, the West Auckland origins of which date back to 1854.

Waitakere City, with its long association with this medium, keeps the stories form it’s past alive with projects that focus on the various key historical ceramic sites. This exhibition in the City’s Regional Gallery acknowledges this heritage and wishes to further this foundation by encouraging contemporary artists to show new work with an eye on the future.

It is with a considerable sense of pleasure that Lopdell House Gallery, in association with the Portage Charitable Foundation, presents the Portage Ceramic Awards 2001, an exhibition of award winners and finalists. – Mary Holehan, August 2001 Director/Curator Lopdell House Gallery

Premier Award
Tony Bond: Qumbilicum

Merit Award
Chris Weaver: Hokitika

Waitakere City Artist Award
Ted Dutch: King and Queen Signallers

The judge of the Portage Ceramic Awards 2001, Mitsuo Shoji of Japan, has been based in Australia since 1973, where he is now Senior Lecturer at Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney. He has taught at California State University, been a guest artist for residencies and a participant in international symposia in many countries over the past twenty-five years. He has shown his work in numerous solo and group exhibitions across Australasia, Japan, Europe and North America. He is a member of the International Academy of Ceramics, and organisation based in Switzerland and affiliated with the United Nations.

Portage Ceramic Awards 2001 finalists: Peter Alger, Graham Ambrose, Raewyn Atkinson, Owen Bartlett, Ande Barrett-Hegan, Tony Bond, Kelvin Bradford, Len Castle, Madeleine Child, Ted Dutch, Peter Collis, Katie Gold, Campbell Hegan, Darryl Frost, Janet Green, Aidan Howse, Philip Jarvis, Verity Kindlaysides, Trudie Kroef, Yi-Ming Lin, Peter Lange, John Madden, Steven Martin, Matt McLean, Nicola McLaren, Jeffie Mulder, Renton Murray, Onlie Ong, Helen Pollock, Stuart Newby, Robert Rapson, John Roy, Rick Rudd, Aya Sato, Duncan Shearer, Graeme Storm, Richard Stratton, Katherine Smyth, Brian Staite, Cathy Thompson, Justine Turnbull, Andrew Van der Putten, Ann Verdcourt, Christine Thacker, Lauren Winstone, Merilyn Wiseman, Chris Weaver

31 August - 07 October 2001