Crafts Study Centre

Three by One

Alison Britton

a selection from three public craft collections - by Alison Britton

Opens at Crafts Study Centre, Farnham, on 13 January 2009

The Crafts Council together with the Crafts Study Centre and the British Council present Three by One, a major new exhibition of modern and contemporary craft, at the Crafts Study Centre, University for the Creative Arts, Farnham, from 13 January to 19 December 2009

Three by One is an exhibition of over 90 pieces of craft made by influential and pioneering makers, ranging from historic pieces from the Bernard Leach source collection, such as a 13th century Korean rice bowl to work made in the 21st century. The works on display are all selected from one of the three public collections; the British Council, Crafts Council and the Crafts Study Centre, by curator and potter, Alison Britton.

Through the eyes of one maker with over 35 years experience of making and looking at craft, Three by One offers a snapshot of the history of the public collecting of contemporary craft in the UK. It begins with the start of the British Council's craft collection in 1940, through the 1970s when public collecting gained more cultural importance, to the present day. Three by One offers a vital and colourful insight into the UK's rich craft heritage through three important collections. These collections have been built by curators and makers over the last 70 years and all continue to collect important modern and contemporary craft for the nation.

Included in Alison's selection are Edward Bawden's distinctive lino-cuts for wallpaper from 1928, a beautiful length of indigo block-printed cotton by Barron and Larcher from the 1930s, Richard Slee's exuberant 'Pumpkin Pot' from 1986 and Yoko Izawa's 'Wrapped'; delicate jewellery made of scrunched-up paper wrapped in nylon from 2007. Other featured makers include Rushton Aust, Caroline Broadhead, Michael Cardew, Edward Johnston, Bruce McLean, Lucie Rie, Hans Stofer and Takeshi Yasuda.

"I have chosen some familiar pieces and many that are a real surprise to me; there are such unexpected and rich discoveries in these collections with their different emphases and strengths. It has been like assembling an orchestra while I write the music, with the tune evolving in my mind."

Alison Britton

--Ends--

Three by One Symposium: Reflections on contemporary craft history, exhibitions and curatorship
Wednesday 2nd December 2009
2.30pm - 4.30pm

The symposium, which develops themes in Alison Britton's major exhibition brings together eminent craft makers and historians to reflect on the importance and challenges of defining craft history through the means of presentation, exhibition and text.
Chaired by Dr Glenn Adamson , speakers will include Alison Britton, Dr Sandra Alfoldy, Mark Bills and Professor Simon Olding.

Tickets available from the Crafts Study Centre priced £10 each.  Supported by the Crafts Council.

Sir Christopher Frayling Book Launch - 7 May 2009

Professor Sir Christopher Frayling launched the publication of the Crafts Council's major new book supporting the exhibition Three by One with a reflective commentary on the founding of craft history in England from the 1970's, from his unrivalled perspective as an eminent writer on the crafts, as the past Chair of the Crafts Study Centre and Arts Council England; and as Rector of the Royal College of Art.
Sir Christopher Fraylings Speech
6.30pm, followed by a reception at the Crafts Study Centre
tickets free - booking essential

For further information and press images please contact Jill Read, Press Officer, Crafts Council, 020 7806 2549, media@craftscouncil.org.uk

Notes to Editors

  • A major publication of essays on perceptions of craft and the development and context of craft collecting in Britain will be published in spring 2009, with essays by Alison Britton, Annabelle Campbell, Tanya Harrod, Simon Olding, Helen Rees Leahy and Muriel Wilson. It will be designed by Sara De Bondt.
  • For over 60 years the British Council has been collecting works of art, craft and design to promote the achievements of British artists, craft practitioners and designers abroad. The collection, started in the late 1930s, with a modest group of works on paper has now grown to a collection of more than 8000 works covering all media and all aspects of British art and design of the 20th and 21st centuries.
  • The Crafts Study Centre collection was first established in the late 1960s by a visionary group of makers and educationalists who identified that there was no standalone museum collection and archive of modern and contemporary crafts in the UK. Established as a charity in 1970, the Centre relocated to Farnham in 2000 in a new partnership with the University for the Creative Arts. The Crafts Study Centre has recently been awarded a significant Heritage Lottery Fund to add to its collections in the period 1970-2000. The Chair of the Trustees is Professor Edmund de Waal. Alison Britton has been a Trustee of the Crafts Study Centre since 2006.
  • The Crafts Council Collection was established in 1972 and covers the whole range of contemporary craft practice with 1,400 objects from both established figures and upcoming names. Objects in the Collection are available for loan. For more information on borrowing from the Collection, please visit the Crafts Council website or contact Birgit Dohrendorf, Registrar, Crafts Council, tel: 020 7806 2525, email: b_dohrendorf@craftscouncil.org.uk. Images of all objects can also be viewed in our online image library through Photostore on the website www.craftscouncil.org.uk
  • The Crafts Council is the national agency for contemporary crafts. It aims to position the UK as the best place in the world for making, seeing and collecting contemporary craft.
  • For further information about the Crafts Council visit www.craftscouncil.org.uk
  • The Crafts Council is supported by Arts Council England. Arts Council England works to get great art to everyone by championing, developing and investing in artistic experiences that enrich people's lives. As the national development agency for the arts, it supports a range of artistic activities from theatre to music, literature to dance, photography to digital art, and carnival to crafts. Between 2008 and 2011, Arts Council England will invest £1.3 billion of public money from government and a further £0.3 billion from the National Lottery to create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country.