This award, which will be offered annually, is designed to help a recent ceramics graduate ease the transition from formal tuition to professional practice and to instil in them a need for continual skill development and excellence in everything they do.
Graduates often find it hard to know where to start once a course is completed, and the absence of any formal apprenticeship system or mentoring program in Australia exacerbates this.
Tertiary courses invariably cover a huge range of topics but, realistically, can only ever hope to make students aware of areas they may then choose to explore in more depth. This is particularly the case given the cutbacks in contact hours some courses have been experiencing. Teaching staff, already covering a huge range of topics, are now required to cover that material in less time and, often, with larger classes. This reflects the fact that Governments and bureaucrats have tended to judge the worth of ceramics courses based only on whether they place graduates in jobs directly related to ceramics. It is also important, however, to consider the broader life skills students obtain from a ceramics course; for example, being able to work others and patience in learning new and difficult tasks. These additional skills are in heavy demand from employers.
The skill shortages Australia has experienced in areas such as carpentry etc has also resulted in teaching for these disciplines being funded in some institutions by reducing contact hours in ceramics.
The plight of the graduate is also made worse by the fact that Australia does not have a tradition of formal ceramic apprenticeship or mentoring. Some production potteries have offered apprenticeships in years gone by (e.g. Broomhill pottery in Victoria and Lusham pottery in Queensland) but these are extremely rare these days.
Apprenticeships, where they exist, have been more by way of allowing graduates to work at perfecting their skills in the studio of a professional. Both Andrew Halford and Ted Secombe have provided this kind of arrangement. The professional potters who provide these facilities give generously of their time. Mentoring, also, tends to be informal. A graduate may be lucky enough to be "noticed" by someone who is able to guide them in future years or they may seek to build mentoring-type relationships with teachers. Mentoring, if comprehensive and on-going, has the potential to provide many of the benefits of apprentice type training. Government funded mentoring already exists in a number of areas of business. Perhaps it is time to consider a formal, Government funded, mentoring program for ceramics. This is unlikely to have the same cost to the budget as formal apprenticeship training but, as noted above, could still provide many of the benefits.
Establishing networks and attending workshops is very important for graduates but will not necessarily produce the discipline required when developing and practicing new work. The fact is that ceramics is a lifelong journey in which one can never learn everything. The trick is to work out what to focus on having left formal tertiary training and then to put in place a practice regime that will enable you to take produce work which is valued in the commercial market.
I have been fortunate to be taught and guided by a number of renowned ceramic artists including Victor Greenaway, Jane Sawyer, Barry Hayes and Michael Rigby. All have given very generously of their time and what they taught will be practiced for many years yet. It is now my turn to give something back.
The recipient of the Award will be provided with 24 weeks intensive tuition, an hour and a half per week, on a project of their choice. The aim is to significantly lift a current area of their wheel thrown practice and to ensure that the improvements achieved are permanent. All materials (clay, glazes, firings are included).
