My sister sez go vote.

Have you met my sister's pottery yet? You can go see it here.

(The picture on the left is part of my collection of her pots, a Rosemary Zorza vase and cup, a Kevin Crowe casserole, and a bunch of vitamins and pills--and matches for our stupid stove.)

This isn't about her work but she's still connected to pottery in England, so this matters to her..... Here's a note from someone else in the US who also cares:

There is a major price in England called the "Art Fund Prize," and it awards a £100,000 prize to a museum or gallery, based at least partially on online voting, and anyone can vote. The facility that is currently in the lead is the recently restored and expanded Bernard Leach Studio in St. Ives, England. They have done a magnificent job of restoring the studio, and have expanded it on adjacent land to provide exhibition space and an educational facility for potters. My recent BFA grad Kat Livesey (who was featured in the Ceramics Monthly Undergraduate Showcase last year) is currently one of the first residents at the Leach Studio, studying with head potter Jack Doherty. She is really thriving there.

Most of the other galleries or museums under consideration are big places like the Ashmolean. Think what this would mean to the Leach Studio. I encourage you to go to http://www.artfundprize.org.uk/2010/vote and vote for the Leach Studio. It is a very simple process, and you will have an opportunity to write a short statement explaining why you support this facility. I encourage you to (in your own words) mention the importance of the restoration and preservation of the Leach Studio, and the creation of new gallery and exhibition spaces, but also the importance of the educational mission for upcoming ceramic artists. After you place a check in the box for the Leach Studio, write your statement, and submit your vote, you will see a chart of all the facilities being considered, and an indication of the relative number of votes for each.

The winner of the Art Fund Prize will be announced on Wednesday, June 30, 2010. The Prize is administered by The Museum Prize Trust and sponsored by The Art Fund. The Art Fund is a charity committed to helping Museums and Galleries across the UK build their collections for future generations; through campaigning to save iconic works or through grants to unlock further funding for acquisitions. Famous works such as the 'Rokeby Venus' by Velázquez, Canova’s Three Graces; Picasso’s Weeping Women and Turner’s Blue
Rigi all hang in public galleries today because of the Art Fund’s members and donors.

- Vince

Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft
Tennessee Tech University
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka