INVITE: 100 Years, 60 Designers & 1 Future
Robbie Williams leads a stunning cast of artists showcasing their ceramic designs at PMAG. Opening Exhibition, 24th June.
As part of Stoke on Trent’s Centenary, Stoke-on-Trent native Robbie Williams will be exhibiting four vibrant, dynamic and imaginative ceramic artworks as part of ‘100 Years, 61 Designers & 1 Future’ in the Fine Art Gallery at The Potteries Museum & Gallery (PMAG), running from June 12th, 2025. There’s an opening event on Tuesday 24th June that we are pleased to share with you as an exclusive invite for The Knot readers.
These pieces will also sit alongside a specially commissioned collection of plates decorated by 60 friends of the brand, on show as part of the centenary celebrations.
In the mix are British fashion designers Zandra Rhodes and Giles Deacon; artists Bruce McLean, Hayden Kays and Barnaby Barford; musician Maxim, Robbie Williams; architects John Pawson and Amanda Levete; revolutionary designers Neville Brodie, Barber & Osgerby, Max Lamb, Bethan Laura Wood, Tom Dixon, Faye Toogood and Yinka Ilori; Oscar-winning set designer Shona Heath and costume designer Sandy Powell; and interior designers Sophie Ashby and Natalia Miyar.
Made in collaboration with Emily Johnson, co-founder and creative director of ceramic design brand 1882. Ltd and her team of expert potters at their factory in Barlaston, this exhibition of plates and Williams’ ceramics works also showcases the work of the amazing potters whose talent, experience and skills continue to keep Stoke’s pottery industry alive today.
For each plate, an illustration, drawing, creative graphic, handwritten script or painting has been donated by the artist or creative and then translated by 1882 Ltd.’s team of artisans onto a classic bone china plate through hand painting, decal application and hand finishing.
Equally, it took 1882 Ltd.’s potters, modelers, casters, painters, in fact - all on the factory - three months to translate Williams’ 2D ‘inkling’ drawings of Jesus and The Pope – made with posca pens on paper – into 3D life. Built using hand clay coiling techniques, these pieces, some standing 80cm tall, were then put through weeks of drying, a series of multiple firings and endless experimentations with pigment-intensive painting to get just the right shades of cobalt blue, lime green, fire engine red, neon yellow and bubblegum pink.
As the fifth generation of Stoke’s famous Johnson Brothers pottery family, Johnson’s intention for 100 Years, 60 Designers & 1 Future is to highlight the pivotal role contemporary design can play in bringing traditional but timeless handcrafted and industrial ceramic techniques into the future. Many of the skills being used in Stoke today have recently been classified as endangered by the Heritage Crafts Council – Johnson has created this exhibition as a call to action, demonstrating through these pieces how essential it is that a new generation of craftsmen are championed and encouraged into Stoke’s centuries-old potteries industry. You can hear her speak fiercely to this mission in her Ted Talk at University of Staffordshire here.
In early August there will be a set on display at Fortnum & Mason in London as part of their Fortnum & Makers programme, which celebrates British craftsmanship.
A signed collection of plates will be auctioned in September to raise money for the development of an 1882 Ltd apprenticeship scheme, ensuring the invaluable skills of Stoke’s artisans not only survive but thrive. A limited-edition run of unsigned plates will also be available to buy, with proceeds also supporting this new scheme.
15% of funds raised will also go to The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) to fund opportunities for Stoke-on-Trent schoolchildren to experience working and playing with clay.
In a world where many of the stories we see about our ceramics industry are littered with decline and closure, 1882 are showing that there’s life in our pots still yet. This exhibition is a great example of how Stoke-on-Trent can still lead the way in art, design and collaboration driving innovation in the ceramics industry forward.
We’ll see you there.
