The Journal of Australian Ceramics Vol 51 No 1 April 2012
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
Tribute<br />
-----------------------<br />
Vale Wanda Garnsey<br />
1914-2011<br />
Some sad news. Wanda Garnsey,<br />
the founder and first editor <strong>of</strong> Pottery<br />
in Australia (now <strong>The</strong> <strong>Journal</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Australian</strong> Ceramic, JAC) passed away<br />
on 24 December 2011 at the age <strong>of</strong><br />
97 years. As an active member <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Potters Society <strong>of</strong> Australia, Wanda saw<br />
the need for a journal that would provide<br />
<strong>Australian</strong> potters with an overview <strong>of</strong><br />
what was happening in Australia as well<br />
as overseas. After a few PSA meetings<br />
in which this was discussed, Wanda<br />
decided to go ahead and just do it. On<br />
seeing the first edition, members <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Potters Society <strong>of</strong> Australia - who had<br />
been expecting a modest newsletter -<br />
realised the extent <strong>of</strong> Wanda's vision and<br />
applauded it.<br />
Wanda Garnsey<br />
Photo: Douglas Thompson<br />
She showcased work by <strong>Australian</strong><br />
potters and provided in-depth cutting<br />
edge technical articles using <strong>Australian</strong><br />
materials. <strong>The</strong>re were reports on<br />
exhibitions, workshops and visits by<br />
overseas celebrities. Bernard Leach's visit<br />
to Australia featured in the first edition.<br />
Potters who travelled overseas were<br />
persuaded to write illustrated articles on<br />
their visits to potters in Asia, Europe, USA<br />
and the Middle East. Her daughter, Julie<br />
Blakemore, recalls Wanda cajoling articles<br />
from potters uncertain <strong>of</strong> their writing skills (" Just get the gist <strong>of</strong> it down; I'll fix the rest! "), and, <strong>of</strong>ten<br />
with Margaret Tuckson at her side, poring over her living room table spread with typewritten articles<br />
glued on bits <strong>of</strong> paper. By herself, Wanda Garnsey created a template for the journal which, with a few<br />
updates and revisions, remains the format for the JAC to this day.<br />
Her desire to see the work <strong>of</strong> <strong>Australian</strong> potters recognised more widely led to <strong>Australian</strong> Pottery<br />
(1972), co-written with arts historian and critic Kenneth Hood, a pr<strong>of</strong>usely illustrated book which<br />
remains a valuable resource for researchers into <strong>Australian</strong> studio ceramics. Wanda had a deep interest<br />
in Asian ceramics. After several visits to mainland China, Japan and Korea, in 1983, in collaboration<br />
with NZ writer Rewi Alley, she wrote, China, ancient kilns and modern ceramics: a guide to the<br />
potteries, which is still cited in the Encyclopedia Britannica online as a reference text.<br />
12 THE JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIAN CERAMICS APRil <strong>2012</strong>
Change language