Adding to your collection

There is a long history of people donating ceramics collections to UK museums, from Henry Willett’s extensive catalogue of socio-political pottery and porcelain given to Brighton Museum in 1903 to the Fitzwilliam Museum’s much more recent gift of contemporary British craft, awarded by Nicholas and Judith Goodison over the past two decades. 

But there are also other ways to acquire objects, including finding funding to support them.

Though gifts and bequests have historically formed a key component of museums’ holdings, many institutions are now engaging in more diverse and dynamic forms of collecting that have emerged as the popularity of the form has returned. 

“When I began working in this field 20 years ago there were probably three or four galleries in London that were quite serious about ceramics,” says Alun Graves, the senior curator of ceramics and glass collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.  “You would follow their programme and that would pretty much be it. Nowadays it is so multifaceted.” 

The British Ceramics Biennial, held at the former Spode Factory site in the heart of Stoke, is a key event. The festival hosts a dynamic programme of live experimentations and demonstrations with leading practitioners – 2017 saw a Keith Harrison work with 200 schoolchildren and an interactive kiln – and a cross-section of representation from international practitioners. The biennial also runs Award and Fresh, two exhibitions that showcase exceptional talent, with the former offering a £5,000 prize.

Collect is presented annually by the Crafts Council at the Saatchi Gallery, London, and is an important event to research up-and-coming makers. It has recently launched initiatives to explore innovative practice, including Collect Spotlights in 2017, which presented immersive installations; and Collect Open, a platform for risk-taking work selected by designer Jay Osgerby in 2018. 

Helen Walsh, the curator of ceramics at York Museums Trust, also recommends Maak, the leader in online auctions dedicated to the medium. 

Walsh says the secondary market (works that have been sold before) has grown in importance as UK and US collectors active in the mid-20th century begin to sell off their objects: “It’s an interesting moment for collecting, because ceramics is still incredibly affordable in comparison to fine art,” Walsh says.

One example is Sotheby’s recent online Picasso ceramics sale, which was advertised as “some of the most attainable examples of the artist’s work available on the international market”.

Craft prizes provide a valuable insight into new makers. The Young Masters Maylis Grand Ceramics Prize focuses specifically on the medium, while the Loewe Craft Prize exhibition, hosted by the Design Museum, London, celebrates excellence in all forms of contemporary craftmanship. This year Jennifer Lee was the winning entry, with her vessel Pale, Shadowed Speckled Traces, Fading Ellipse, Bronze Specks, Tilted Shelf. The Jerwood Open Makers exhibition profiles up-and-coming makers and includes an award of £8,000 for the winning entry. 

Funding opportunities across ceramics collecting and commissioning have also diversified in recent years. The Art Fund ran a dedicated funding initiative at Collect from 2008 until 2013.

“We don’t have a dedicated fund now because ceramics are so often part of a bigger story,” says Penny Bull, the senior programmes manager at the Art Fund. “However, there have been New Collecting Awards, which have brought ceramics into the museum acquisitions.” 

The Art Fund’s crowdfunding platform Art Happens has also supported some innovative ceramics projects, including Clare Twomey’s collaborative tile project at the William Morris Gallery, London, and the Nantgarw Chinaworks Museum’s ambitious plans to recreate rare porcelain. 

Jonathan Ruffer curatorial grants have also funded curatorial research in international ceramics and production. 

The ACE/V&A Purchase Grant Fund supports the purchase of a wide range of material for the permanent collections of non-nationally funded organisations in England and Wales. It is now open for the next round of applications. The Contemporary Art Society also supports museums through the Acquisition Scheme for Craft. 

Finally, the Crafts Council offers a comprehensive directory.