Exhibition 'Designing Yorkshire Pottery: for the many, not the few' in The Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery
Every year the Education Room in The Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery becomes home to special displays when groups of MA students from Art Gallery and Museum Studies take over and create brand new interpretations.
The groups of student curators, from the MA Art Gallery and Museum Studies course at the University of Leeds, have worked with the University of Leeds' Art Collection to create unique displays in the Education Room of the Gallery.
In 'Designing Yorkshire Pottery', the fascinating evolution of the design of Yorkshire ceramics is on display. From culinary items to more decorative pieces, a range of design styles shows the influences of the East on Western tastes. The various styles chart the popularisation of Yorkshire pottery as it became available to the many rather than the wealthy few. The exhibition also delves into the origins of Yorkshire creamware and celebrates the industry's continued existence today through an interview with the owner of Ingleton Pottery.
The emergence of capitalism greatly affected the ceramics industry. The increased demand for commodities and the rapid escalation of the population during the 19th century resulted in the mass production of domestic objects. Many of the items on display were common designs found in factory pattern books.
The display also celebrates the survival of the local ceramics industry. Ingleton Pottery, a family-run business in the Yorkshire Dales, continues to design similar products for everyday use today. The existence of businesses such as this shows the sustained interest in keeping this industry alive in the Yorkshire region.
This exhibition examines the commercial and social history of this region through the design of Yorkshire ceramics to highlight the industry's importance in the home life of Yorkshire families.
