Page 216 - Constructing Craft

Royce McGlashen with his individual work. Photo: The
Poi Room Limited.

From the early 1960s the number of craftspeople setting themselves up as potters

15
began to grow dramatically, encouraged by government policies that limited
imports of pottery to New Zealand; by the rising standard of the work produced; by
the enthusiastic response of the public to their work; and by the high prices being

asked for imported handmade pottery. These factors, in conjunction with the
increasing wealth of a well-educated middle class who were becoming more

interested in collecting craft art provided a small but enthusiastic audience. This

encouraged many people to choose pottery as a hobby, and for some, a career.
Pottery became the craft of choice for many people who earned some form of living

16
from craft. Another indicator of the growing interest in studio craft, and particularly
pottery, was the number of specialty shops that opened from the late-1940s and

1950s. Amongst these were the two branches of The Art of the Potter in Auckland,

one on the North Shore and the other in Takapuna; also in Auckland, Brenner
Associates and John Crichton; while in Wellington Stockton’s, Cadeaux, and,

Constructing Craft