This year marks a century since King George V granted Stoke-on-Trent city status. It should be a moment for unbridled celebration, but the craft that has given the place its nickname, ‘the potteries’, is more under threat than ever. Just this February, historic firm Royal Stafford went into liquidation due in a large part to rising energy costs. It’s tough out there, but the fight back is in full force, with 1882 Ltd’s director Emily Johnson leading the charge.
As the fifth generation of Stoke’s Johnson Brothers family, Johnson founded 1882 Ltd in 2011, making it one of the youngest pottery firms in Staffordshire. Her intention for ‘100 Years, 60 Designers & 1 Future’, the new exhibition that is open at the Fine Art Gallery at The Potteries Museum & Gallery now, is to highlight the pivotal role contemporary design can play in bringing time-honoured ceramics techniques into the future. Many of the skills being used in Stoke today have recently been classified as endangered by the Heritage Crafts Council – Johnson has created this exhibition as a call to action, demonstrating how essential it is that a new generation of craftspeople are championed and encouraged into Stoke’s centuries-old potteries industry.
The headliner of the exhibition is Stoke-on-Trent’s golden boy, Robbie Williams. He’s currently on tour in pop star mode, but Williams also has an exhibition of art, called ‘Radical Honesty’, on display at London’s Moco Museum, as well as the four ceramic pieces he has created with 1882 Ltd.
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‘I’m from Stoke and the potteries are ingrained in me – we are of clay. Transforming my art into works of clay with 1882 Ltd has been amazing. The pottery industry has given me and my people a sense of identity, a sense of pride. Clay built our city so there couldn’t be anywhere better than having it on display,’ says Williams of the exhibition.
He is sharing the space with 60 other designers, artists and creatives, all of whom have designed a unique plate for ‘100 Years, 60 Designers & 1 Future’. In the mix are the likes of Zandra Rhodes, Giles Deacon, John Pawson, Barber & Osgerby, Max Lamb, Bethan Laura Wood, Tom Dixon, Faye Toogood, Sophie Ashby and Yinka Ilori. Their designs are displayed anonymously – guessing whose work is whose is very much part of the fun!
A signed collection of the plates will be auctioned in September to raise money for the development of an 1882 Ltd apprenticeship scheme, ensuring the invaluable skills of Stoke’s artisans are passed on to the next generation. A limited-edition run of unsigned plates will also be available to buy, with proceeds supporting this new scheme. The industry may be facing headwinds and obstacles, but now is the time to show support – visit the exhibition, bid on a plate, petition government for a change to the taxes and levies that are challenging the industry. 1882ltd.com
