Events
William Plumptre in conversation with Joanna Bird
Wednesday 28th June 2023, 6.30 – 8.00pm
Please join us for a conversation with ceramicist William Plumptre.
Born in 1959 and following his ceramic design studies at Chelsea College of Art, William Plumptre travelled to Japan where he learned with the Japanese National Treasure, Tatsuzō Shimaoka. He returned to England and established his first pottery in 1987, and since 1994 Plumptre has been working from his studio in the Lake District.
Work by William is on view as part of our upcoming exhibition, Rites of Passage, in our Chiswick gallery and on our website.
For more information, call us on 020-8995-9960 or email info@joannabird.com
RSVP is essential for all events.
Events
Akiko Hirai and Gregory Warren Wilson in conversation
Wednesday 21st June 2023, 6.30 – 8.00pm
Please join us for an artist talk, featuring Akiko Hirai and Gregory Warren Wilson.
Akiko makes practical ware using the Japanese tradition of allowing the clay to show how it wants to be fired itself. Focusing on the interaction between the objects and the viewers, her work enables the viewer to find out the language of the objects in their own way. Her work and unique approach to ceramic work have had much high praise and her work is becoming more in demand from her commissions worldwide.
Gregory Warren Wilson is an artist and prize-winning poet. His work in glass plays with the translucent nature of the material, using multiple layers of hand-cut tesserae to allow light to interact with the glass spatially. His designs sometimes take as their starting point a fragment of poetry, resulting in a glasswork that exists in its own right while alluding to the original literary source.
Works by Akiko and Gregory are on view as part of our upcoming exhibition, Rites of Passage, in our Chiswick gallery and on our website.
For more information, call us on 020-8995-9960 or email info@joannabird.com
RSVP is essential for all events.
Events
Three Artists in Conversation
Wednesday 14th June 2023, 6.30 – 8.00pm
Please join us for our first talk of 2023, featuring Julian Stair, Carina Ciscato and Matthew Warner in conversation.
Julian Stair OBE is an English potter and historian who works in London, and studied at Camberwell School of Art and the Royal College of Art. His work ranges from modest homeware to monumental vessels, but retains his unique modernist style throughout. Julian’s essays have also been published by the Courtauld Institute, Dulwich Picture Gallery, Tate Gallery and the Yale Centre for British Art.
Carina Ciscato is a Brazilian potter from Sao Paulo, who moved to South London in September 1999, where she worked in the studio of Julian Stair and Edmund de Waal. Her work captures the fluidity of clay as she masterfully alters and re-assembles the thrown forms with a natural sense of balance, form and material.
Matthew Warner completed his BA at Camberwell College of Art in 2010. He went on to study under Julian Stair and now works from his studio in South East London. He takes inspiration from the work of the 18th century potter, Josiah Wedgwood.
Works by Carina and Matthew are on view as part of our upcoming exhibition, Rites of Passage, in our Chiswick gallery and on our website.
For more information, call us on 020-8995-9960 or email info@joannabird.com
RSVP is essential for all events.
Exhibitions
Rites of Passage 2023
Joanna Bird is delighted to present her latest exhibition, Rites of Passage, open from 8th June to 19th July 2023.
This exhibition brings critical insight into the evolution of twentieth-century ceramics from the British tradition. It centres around innovations in style and an artistic inheritance passed from master to apprentice. The incorporation of works by artists from continental Europe and Japan allows visitors to discover the diverse and intersecting influences on artistic development, and Joanna draws out the cultural lineages embedded in contemporary works through careful curation and juxtaposition with historic pieces
Rites of Passage will include works by several contemporary artists: Emmanuel Boos, Carina Cisato, Hanne Heuch, Akiko Hirai, Tom Perkins, William Plumptre, Matthew Warner and Gregory Warren Wilson. Also exhibited are works by past masters: Richard Batterham, Michael Cardew, Bernard Leach and Lucie Rie.
The gallery is open 10.00am – 5.00pm, Tuesday to Saturday and by appointment. An illustrated catalogue will also be available.
Evening events and talks with be held in association with the Joanna Bird Foundation. See our events page to find out more!
We look forward to seeing you!
For more information, please call us on 020-8995-9960 or email info@joannabird.com
Exhibitions
Collect 2023
Joanna Bird is delighted to be presenting a selection of compelling new work in her twentieth year of exhibiting at Collect Art Fair.
Collect is the leading international fair for contemporary craft and design, held at Somerset House, London, from 3rd–5th March 2022, with previews on 1st–2nd March.
Early Bird Tickets are now available to purchase on the Crafts Council website, here.
We look forward to seeing you there!
For more information, please call us on 020-8995-9960 or email info@joannabird.com
Events
Artist Lucille Lewin and Curator Preston Fitzgerald in conversation
Monday, 5th December 2022, 6.00 – 8.00pm
Please join us for our final talk of 2022, featuring artist Lucille Lewin and curator Preston Fitzgerald in conversation with Joanna Bird.
Lucille Lewin is an artist from South Africa, who graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2017. Her work focuses on fine porcelain elements which are fractured metaphors for human experience through time.
Preston Fitzgerald is a curator of contemporary ceramics as well as a collector of contemporary crafts. He curates an annual exhibition of ceramics and glass with students from the MA course at the Royal College of Art, and also serves as a judge of the Young Masters Maylis Grand Ceramics Prize.
Work by Lucille is on view as part of our autumn exhibition, Point of Balance, in our Chiswick gallery and on our website.
For more information, call us on 020-8995-9960 or email info@joannabird.com
Events
Glass Artists Dawn Bendick and Gregory Warren Wilson in conversation
Thursday, 1st December 2022, 6.00 – 8.00pm
We are very pleased to announce our upcoming Evening Event in association with the Joanna Bird Foundation, with glass artists Dawn Bendick and Gregory Warren Wilson in conversation with Joanna. Join us for an evening of discussion and insight into these outstanding artists and their practice.
Dawn Bendick is an artist working with time, light and multitone glass based in the UK. Her project titled ‘Time Over Time’ considers how the changing properties of a material can signal the passage of time. Using a combination of natural and artificial lights to tap into our peripheral senses, Dawn questions how we can bring awareness to the change in seasons, atmospheric light and weather.
Gregory Warren Wilson is an artist and prize-winning poet. His work in glass plays with the translucent nature of the material, using multiple layers of hand-cut tesserae to allow light to interact with the glass spatially. His designs sometimes take as their starting point a fragment of poetry, resulting in a glasswork that exists in its own right while alluding to the original literary source.
Work by Dawn and Gregory is on view as part of our autumn exhibition, Point of Balance, in our Chiswick gallery and on our website.
For more information, call us on 020-8995-9960 or email info@joannabird.com
Events
Brunch with Florian Gadsby
Saturday, 19th November 2022, 11.00am – 1.00pm
We are delighted to invite you to brunch at our Chiswick gallery with acclaimed potter Florian Gadsby. This is a unique opportunity to meet and chat to one of our outstanding artists about his work and philosophy. Gaining insight into Florian’s practice as a potter while enjoying breakfast treats will be a Saturday morning well spent!
Florian Gadsby is a ceramicist working in North London. Having apprenticed with Lisa Hammond at Maze Hill Pottery for three years, Florian went on to work with Ken Matsuzaki in Mashiko, Japan, for six months. There he learnt how to use the traditional Japanese kick-wheel to make his established shapes, as well as how to glaze and fire in both the oribe and shino styles.
To book a ticket for brunch with Florian, please click here.
Work by Florian is on view as part of our autumn exhibition, Point of Balance, in our Chiswick gallery and on our website.
For more information, call us on 020-8995-9960 or email info@joannabird.com
Events
An Illustrated Talk by Halima Cassell MBE, FRSS
Tuesday, 8th November 2022, 6.00 – 8.00pm
We are pleased to announce our upcoming Evening Event in association with the Joanna Bird Foundation: an illustrated talk by artist and sculptor Halima Cassell MBE, FRSS. Known for her dynamic geometric motifs, which she carves into clay and later fires or casts, Halima’s work is largely inspired by her Pakistani heritage, her fascination with African patterns, and her knowledge of Islamic architectural principles. Join us for the exciting opportunity to hear Halima speak about her work and process.
Work by Halima is on view as part of our autumn exhibition, Point of Balance, in our Chiswick gallery and on our website.
For more information, call us on 020-8995-9960 or email info@joannabird.com
All talks begin at 6.30pm. Canapés and wine will be served.
Entry donations welcome.
Exhibitions
Point of Balance
12th October – 16th December 2022
JOANNA BIRD is delighted to present its Autumn Exhibition, Point of Balance. The Exhibition will run from 12th October – 16th December. Our Chiswick gallery open viewing days are Tuesday to Saturday, 10.00am – 5.00pm; other days by appointment. Please email info@joannabird.com or call us on 020-8995-9960 to schedule an appointment with Joanna.
Events
Artists Karen Bunting and Francis Lloyd-Jones in conversation with Joanna
13th July 2022, Wednesday 6.00 – 8.00pm
We are pleased to announce our upcoming Evening Event in association with the Joanna Bird Foundation, with artists Francis Lloyd-Jones and Karen Bunting in conversation with Joanna. Join us for a rare opportunity to hear son of potter David Lloyd-Jones speak about his beautiful soda glazing in the company of Karen, who has know him for many years
Work by Karen and Franics is on view as part of our summer exhibition, The Sunlight on the Garden, in our Chiswick gallery and on our website.
For more information, call us on 020-8995-9960 or email info@joannabird.com
Events
Work by BA Graduates in Stone Carving from City & Guilds London Art School
We are delighted to be presenting work by Morgan Edwards, Steffan Lomax and Imogen Long – BA Graduates in Stone Carving from City & Guilds London Art School as part of our summer exhibition, The Sunlight on the Garden, from Tuesday 5th July.
Please join us for a welcoming Evening Event, in association with the Joanna Bird Foundation, on Wednesday 6th July, 6.00 – 8.00pm. The graduates will be attending and there will be a Q&A session at 7.00pm. Please RSVP if you would like to attend. All donations for the Joanna Bird Foundation are welcomed.
Exhibitions
Steffen Dam’s solo exhibition – Come Fly with Me
13 May – 30 December 2022, Glasmuseet Ebeltoft, Denmark
We are pleased to share our artist, Steffen Dam’s new solo exhibition, ‘Come Fly with Me’, is now open at the Glasmuseet Ebeltoft, Denmark from 13 May – 30 December 2022. Steffen has created a beautiful airship that takes us through the screen to his wizard’s view of the world.
Exhibitions
COLLECT – the SELECT
At our Chiswick Gallery, we have reimagined our COLLECT 2022 display at Somerset House by restaging the work of several of our celebrated artists in a more domestic setting.
‘COLLECT – the SELECT’ comprises ceramics, glass, bronze, lacquer, photography, and much more, and will run from 16th March until 12th April 2022 (Mondays to Thursdays from 10am to 5pm, and all other days by appointment), with an after-party on the final day from 12pm to 8pm. Please RSVP to attend via info@joannabird.com or +44 (0) 20 8995 9960.
Exhibiting artists include Silvia Aguirre, Svend Bayer, Dawn Bendick, Hélène Binet, Karen Bunting, Michael Cardew, Halima Cassell, Vittorio Costantini, Steffen Dam, Pippin Drysdale, Elizabeth Fritsch, Akiko Hirai, Edward Hughes, David Leach, Hattori Makiko, Jim Malone, Geoffrey Mann, William de Morgan, Nason Moretti, James Oughtibridge, Tanja Pak, Katharine Pleydell-Bouverie, Lucie Rie, Rupert Spira, Miranda Thomas, Matthew Warner, Gregory Warren Wilson, Philip Wood, and Yali Glass.
#COLLECTtheSELECT
Events
Dawn Bendick Shortlisted for Brookfield Properties Craft Award 2022
We would like to congratulate Dawn Bendick who has been shortlisted for the esteemed Brookfield Properties Craft Award 2022, in partnership with the Crafts Council.
Dawn is an artist working with time, light and multitone dichroic glass. Her work is inspired by natural light and our intuitive ability to track time without technology. Originally from the US, she is currently based in the UK.
As part of the prestigious award, Brookfield Properties acquires the winning artist’s work for the Crafts Council Collection and the artist is given a solo exhibition in a Brookfield Properties space.
Events
Material is the Heart of it
Tuesday 14th December, 6.00 – 8.00pm, at the Chiswick Gallery. This event is held in association with the Joanna Bird Foundation.
Please join us for our last talk of 2021 with Kate Windibank and Nina Bilbey, ‘Material is the Heart of it’. This will be a special discussion between two artists working in different materials, but finding commonality in thinking and approach.
Ceramicist Kate Windibank is inspired by concepts of geological formation, erosion and the transformational nature of time.
Stone carver Nina Bilbey comes from family of Master Craftsmen. Her work respects the nature and practical limitations of her chosen material, stone.
RSVP is essential. Mulled wine and light refreshments will be served.
We do not charge for these evening events, however a donation to the Joanna Bird Foundation is always much appreciated.
Exhibitions, Foundation
Richard Batterham, Master Potter
“This fine documentary is a deep dive into one man’s world of making, and the philosophy behind a life in pottery. The sense of accumulation – of time, of clay, of conviction – is palpable in every shot. We also hear from the magnificent David Attenborough and master chef Nigel Slater (who begins every day with his Batterham breakfast bowl). Their voices remind us that often, the most meaningful things in life are rooted in the everyday, indeed, in the dirt beneath our feet.”
– Glenn Adamson. Senior Research Scholar, Yale Centre of British Art
Joanna Bird is honoured to present Richard Batterham, Master Potter, a film made by the Joanna Bird Foundation with filmmaker Alex J. Wright, featuring Sir David Attenborough and Nigel Slater. An edited version will be on view at the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Richard Batterham: Studio Potter Exhibition opening Friday, 26th November 2021 – September 2022 in Room 146.
The life and work of Richard Batterham (1936-2021) is monumental within the world of studio ceramics. Joanna celebrates her friendship with Richard which spanned 40 years through the sharing of his life’s work. Richard remains an inspiration for us all.
For more information, please visit the V&A webite.
And more more information about the Joanna Bird Foundation, or to purchase a full length DVD of the film, please click the button below.
Events
Round and Around
Wednesday 1st December 2021, 6.00pm, at the Chiswick Gallery. In association with the Joanna Bird Foundation.
We are delighted to host a talk by Chris Keenan as part of our evening events for Jeu d’esprit, our winter exhibition this year.
Chris began his career as an actor before becoming Edmund de Waal’s first apprentice in 1995 and has worked from his London studio since 1998. His work is often glazed using deceptively simple combinations of tenmoku and deep celadon, to great effect. The V&A, London, the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford and the Mashiko Museum of Ceramic Art, Japan have all acquired his work.
We do not charge for these evening events, however a donation to the Joanna Bird Foundation is always much appreciated.
We look forward to welcoming you to the gallery.
Press
Art Worker’s Guild
We are happy to announce that Joanna Bird is now a member of the Art Worker’s Guild.
Established in 1884, the Art Worker’s Guild is a body of more than 350 artists, craftspeople, designers and architects working at the highest levels of excellence in their professions. It represent over 60 creative disciplines ranging from glass-engraving, wallpaper design to film-making. The group’s main charitable aim is to support the visual arts and crafts in any way that may be beneficial to the community.
For more information on the charitable organization, please click here.
