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A new permanent exhibition of local ceramics
featuring recently acquired pieces has gone on display at North
Somerset Museum.
Entitled 'North Somerset Art Pottery', the display focuses on
the different decorative styles used on local pottery and also
features a unique interview with one of the district's surviving
craft potters.
The display was designed by Roger Vercoe, a volunteer at the
museum, as part of a post-graduate museum studies course at St
Andrew's University. "It's about giving people what they want, and
trying to help them understand what they see," said Roger. "A
survey told us that we had far too much crammed into the cabinets,
and visitors were tending to walk straight past."
The display now comprises fewer pieces, but tells the story by
beginning with pieces of ancient pottery. It then moves on to wares
produced in Bristol, before looking at the local art potters such
as Elton, Fishley Holland, Sheldon, and Wesuma. It includes an
audio track of an interview with John Bishop, proprietor of the
former Sheldon Pottery at Clevedon. He talks about his early
experiences working at Fishley Holland, and of how he came to set
up in business himself.
There is a special theme for children in the display to help
them understand the material on show. The exhibition uses a cartoon
character called Percy Potter to answer the sort of questions they
might ask. The questions were in fact asked by youngsters from Year
1 at Castle Batch School when Roger visited them with a selection
of pots to get their reaction.
"This new display shows how North Somerset Museum is constantly
working to improve its displays, put new material on show and
interpret it in ways that appeal to everyone," said Cllr Ian
Peddlesden, executive member responsible for the museum. "And
working with school children has brought a valuable additional
facet to the display."
'North Somerset Art Pottery' is on show upstairs on the balcony
in North Somerset Museum. The museum is in Burlington Street,
Weston-super-Mare and is open Monday to Saturday, 10am -
4.30pm.
Visit the museum section to find out what else
the museum has to offer!
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