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This exhibition – the first time we have had a dedicated craft exhibition at Watts Contemporary - brings together the work of craftswomen working in a variety of media. Like Mary, they are pushing the boundaries of their chosen craft to achieve beautiful and fascinating objects. Together they provide an impressive showcase of the state of craft-making today.
Mary felt strongly that that some handicraft should be an essential part in all education. She taught clay modelling to boys at evening classes in Whitechapel in London’s East End. These formed part of the Home Arts and Industries Association, a body inspired by the Arts & Crafts movement and designed to provide poor and badly-educated children with creative skills. Years later, having married G F Watts and established their home in Compton, she encouraged villagers to made terracotta tiles and gesso panels for the Mortuary Chapel, as well as setting up the Potters’ Arts Guild. Her designs were worked in textiles, bookbinding and bedheads as well as terracotta. She was appointed President of the Women’s Guild of Arts, founded in 1907 to promote the interests of professional artists and craftswomen.
Many of the strands of Mary’s creative life have parallels in the new work in this craft showcase.
All works are for sale.
Bridget Bailey – textile plants and insects
Debbie Barber – patterned ceramic panels
Cathy Cullis – machine-embroidered portraits
Celia Smith – wire birds, 2D and 3D
Maria Santos-Alcantara – wooden boxes with embossed pewter decoration
Jane Littlefield – painted and stained glass, some inspired by Watts Chapel
Brenda Gibson – hand-woven silk and cashmere
Lucy Dorothy Nichols – paper sculpture
Bridget Bailey, Detail of Meadow Flora and Fauna
Cathy Cullis, Queen Like Figure
Lucy Dorothy, The Bird Hotel in The Sky Blue