“Ceramic Points of View” is a collaboration between the National Electronic and Video Archive of the Crafts and the Victoria & Albert Museum. The series interviewed several people who were asked to opine on objects from the museum’s 20th century ceramics collection.
Six people weighed in on Big White Jug, made in 1987 by Alison Britton. In addition to Britton’s own thoughts, the museum collected insights from Neil Brownsword, Emmanuel Cooper, Claire Curneen, Tanya Harrod and Oliver Watson. You can watch their reactions here.
Born in Harrow, Middlesex, in 1948, Alison Britton studied at Leeds College of Art (1966–7), Central School of Art & Design, London (1967–70) and at the Royal College of Art (1970–73), according to the RCA. Her studios have been at 401½ Studios (1973–5), St Pancras Road railway arch (1975–86), and a butcher’s shop in Stamford Hill from 1986 to the present.
Alison Britton, Big White Jug, 1987, earthenware. Courtesy of the museum. Click to see a larger image.
Britton has exhibited her pots very widely, and lectured on her own work and Britain’s contemporary ceramic art in Europe, USA, Canada, Japan and Australia.
Alison Britton was a part-time lecturer at various colleges until 1984, when she was appointed as tutor at the RCA, becoming a Senior Tutor in 1998. She was made a Fellow of the RCA in 1990 and has been Research Coordinator for Ceramics & Glass since 2005. She has been external examiner for BA courses at Camberwell College of Arts, Goldsmiths, the University of Dundee, the University of Westminster, University College Falmouth, the University of Edinburgh and Loughborough University, and BA and MA courses at the National College of Art and Design (Dublin). She was awarded an Honorary Degree at The University of the Creative Arts in 2006, Honorary Fellow of the University of the Arts London in 2008 and an OBE in 1990.
From January 2015, Alison Britton will be Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Crafts Study Centre, Farnham, University of the Creative Arts.
What do you think of Britton’s contribution to contemporary ceramic art? Let us know in the comments.
And she’s a brilliant maker, an acute thinker and easily the best writer/maker of her generation. She’s also modest and generous – as both person and teacher. I was lucky enough to have Alison as a supervisor during my time at the RCA and am delighted to say that she will be joining us at Bath Spa, as external examiner for MA Ceramics.