Wednesday 7 January 2009

SAVE HARROW CERAMICS -'the trouble with clay is you can't store it on a memory stick'

I received the following information today from Alex regarding a petition to halt the proposed outrageous closure of the Harrow Ceramics Degree course.

The quote in the title is reportedly a comment passed by a senior manager in justification of the closure.

Please would you help oppose the closure by following the link at the foot of this page and signing the petition.



'It should be of great concern to all of us who love ceramics and pottery. We have seen over the last few years pottery as a subject fast disappearing from our school time tables.

The understanding of pottery and ceramics is in my opinion a vital part of understanding the world, our culture and our past.
' Alex McErlain



The University of Westminster are proposing to close their highly acclaimed Harrow Ceramics Degree Course.

Recruitment of new students has been suspended and there are plans to close the course by 2013, which will coincide with the 50th Anniversary of ceramics teaching at Harrow.

The decision has been made despite the courses’ long held outstanding national and international reputation; first class academic standing and a distinguished assembly of professional expertise including

Edmund de Waal,

Emmanuel Cooper,

Kyra Cane,

Professor Christie Brown,

Professor Nigel Wood,

Steve Buck,

Clare Twomey

and a roster of world famous ceramicists as both alumni and staff.

Its closure has huge significance for British art, craft and design. We call on the University to reverse this decision, reinstate the recruitment of new students and SAVE HARROW CERAMICS.


Please click on the link and sign the petition today.

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/CeramicsHarrow/

Thank you

5 comments:

Hollis Engley said...

I'd sign, Doug, but one apparently must be a British citizen. I know Toff Milway and Bill Van Gilder, both products of the Harrow course, and met Mick Casson some years ago. Fine potters, all of them. So, good luck with the campaign to save the course.

Paul Jessop said...

I've signed up.

Ron said...

I found I couldn't sign either. I've known about the Harrow Course for years and often thought we should have something similar in the States. I hope it is not shut down there.

Christine said...

What ever next....the last ceramics course in Scotland going and now this! What is WRONG with people. I'll sign, but I despair of this aesthetically blind market driven world we seem to be inhabiting....

Dan Finnegan said...

The BEAUTY of clay is that you can't store it on a memory stick!