ceramics | Petrine Archer [.com]

Norma Rodney Harrack

Norma Rodney Harrack’s association with the clay goes back some two and a half decades. Her work reflects what she calls the ‘classical contemporary’. Towards this end she seeks to demonstrate the consistent investigation of form; a pursuit more recently kindled by her desire to examine traditional vesel forms of Jamaica’s earliest peoples and to respond to the challenges of porcelain, the most demanding of all pottery mediums.

Several developments at home and abroad have contributed to the advancement of her career. Foremost have been the award of a Silver Musgrave Medal in 1993 from the Institute of Jamaica and the acceptance of her work in the prestigious Faenza Exhibition in Italy. Other invitations to exhibit in Croatia, Egypt and more recently a one person show at the Burlington Art Centre in Ontario, Canada have also significantly boosted her confidence. Most recently, she has been admitted as a Member of the International Academy of Ceramics in Geneva, Switzerland. She says: “These opportunities have provided valuable international exposure as well as broadened experience in the field and enhanced my development as a ceramist.” PA-S 2000

Cecil Baugh

Read more about Cecil Baugh

In an era when pottery was still regarded as a lesser art form Cecil Baugh was a pioneer in educating Jamaican art lovers and gaining their respect for its fine art status.

Cecil Baugh first developed an interest in clay making and ceramics as a young man living in Kingston. His first contact came through the Trenchfield sisters who lived in his Mountain View community. Originally from St Elizabeth, the sister made ‘yabbas’ in the traditional African way, and Baugh who had never seen these techniques in his home parish of Portland, became fascinated. He also recognized that making pots was a lucrative business, especially in the days before refrigeration when ‘yabbas’ were used for cool storage. Along with a fellow potter Wilfred Lord he established the Cornwall Works in Montego Bay, but later transferred to St Ann and then back to Kingston. Always innovative, Baugh worked to develop his techniques in pot making, experimenting with glazes and learning the intricacies of kiln firing to perfect his skills. Increasingly he moved further from the African tradition towards Western and Asian styles achieving his own distinctive coloured glazes.