Prime Minister announces Emerging Practitioner in Clay Award

Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister and Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage has announced the inaugural winner of the Emerging Practitioner in Clay Award via video message.

The $10,000 Award, presented by the Rick Rudd Foundation for the first time in 2018, has been established to encourage, foster and promote emerging practitioners of studio ceramics. The Prime Minister’s message announced that the first ever winner is Wellington artist Oliver Morse, with his work ‘House of Dee’.

The Award was judged by Tom Seaman, Paul Rayner and Rick Rudd, Trustees of the Rick Rudd Foundation. Judges commented “This enigmatic award-winning work could only have been made in the 21st century. In the genre which gained international publicity when Grayson Perry won the Turner Prize in 2003, the work of this practitioner is autobiographical.”

“The loosely made object is simply canvas... the drawing is confident, lively and sketchy, in keeping with the vessel itself.”

“Oliver brings his experience of painting and the theatre to his ceramics. He is someone who has been working with clay for less than two years and yet demonstrates the potential to become a force in the medium in the future. This epitomises the reason for the Award being established”

In particular, the Award focusses on early career artists, and highlights the value of ceramic practice to the local, national and international community. The Award received 65 entries from as far afield as Whangarei and Dunedin, and 37 of them were selected for an exhibition at Quartz, Museum of Studio Ceramics, in Whanganui. Entries received ranged in styles, aesthetics and other aspects of working with clay from the humble to the extroverted.

Judges commented that they aimed to present new talent, and give the recipient a financial boost towards their career in ceramics

The exhibition will be on show at Quartz, Museum of Studio Ceramics, Whanganui, for 6 months from 24 September, 2018.

The video announcement by the Prime Minister can be found at: https://youtu.be/9oPuEdC8wfA

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