About Us
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The WPA was incorporated in 1958 and is probably one of the oldest such potters club in the country. We are based at the Wellington Potters Centre on the edge of Wellington's green belt in Thorndon, close to the central city.
If you have just started your pottery journey or are an expert and are looking for somewhere to practice and connect with other potters, we would love to have you onboard.
We hold exhibitions at least once a year with our annual Ceramicus exhibition providing a showcase for members’ work. Throughout the year, we hold various workshops and classes for our members. We also have an Anagama kiln in Horokiwi that provides opportunities for our members to undertake and participate in a wood firing once a year.
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We have:
Excellent, secure and readily accessible facilities with good parking
24-hour access
Kilns (6 electric)
Wheels (15 electric and 1 kick wheel)
Extensive library
A collection of work by many internationally recognised potters
Spacious work areas
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We offer many activities:
Annual exhibitions and public events
Evening and weekend courses for members that cater for different levels of competency
Tuesday Club morning for members – Mal Sole and Vera Burton are on hand to help and answer your questions
Glaze Club meets every month to make and explore different glazes for our members
Friday night activities such as Friends & Family evenings, Show & Tell events, general support for club members. Share wine, food, tips - or just your company!
Workshops and demonstrations
Visiting potters
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Wellington Potters’ Association (WPA) was established in 1958, when a meeting of all Wellington potters was called by the Wellington Potters’ Group. The meeting was held in Miss Doreen Blumhardt’s Craft Room at Wellington Teachers Training College on 27 February 1958. The first committee was elected at a meeting on 16 May 1958 at which the constitution was adopted. The committee elected comprised:
President: Miss Doreen Blumhardt.
Vice-President: Mr J L Steward.
Secretary: Mrs I D McInnes.
Treasurer: Mrs A Rose.
Committee: Mesdames Helen, Lee Thomson, Muriel Moody and Miss D Hall.
Wellington Potters’ Association incorporated on 29 May 1958 with Common Seal and letterhead designed by Doreen Blumhardt. The initial membership was 76 and the annual subscription £1.
Check out the Radio NZ interview with Elaine Marland about the WPA.
“Big in the 1970s and then relegated to the craft section thereafter - recently, pottery - or ceramics as it has come to be known - has once again become fashionable. Major surveys of leading figures in major galleries have made that resurgence clear. Through it all regional pottery collectives have kept on firing up their kilns.
One of the oldest if not the oldest is the Wellington Potters' Association, which this week celebrates its 60th birthday with its annual showcase of new works. Joining Mark Amery to discuss is potter and the Wellington association's vice president Elaine Marland. They discuss the resurgence in membership, that 60 year history and the remarkable kilns the association have in Horokiwi.”