The Janet Leach Symposium
This event took place on the afternoon of March
7th 2007 at the Crafts Study Centre in Farnham, Hampshire. A panel
of distinguised potters - Alison Brittan, Emmanuel Cooper and
Edmund De Waal helped the 58 attendees build a picture Janet and
her life as a potter. With Alison chairing, Emmanuel and Edmund
gave presentations which provoked lively discussion between all
present.
Like many people, my interest the the Leach family
has centered on Bernard and David. I knew of Janet and had seen
some of her pots but I knew little about her life. She first met
Leach and Hamada on their tour of the USA in 1952 when they ran
a two week course at the Black Mountain College in North Carolina.
Janet was drawn to Hamada's work and spent time with himin Mashiko
observing and doing menial tasks. Hamada was reluctant to accept
Janet as a student so she took up his suggestion to visit the
potteries of the Tamba region. She worked in Tamba in the mid-1950s
before coming back to England and working in St. Ives for the
rest of her life. Edmund said that Janet is still a legend in
Tamba.
So although Bernard Leach also had a strong link
with Japan, Janet's links are with Tamba rather than Mashiko and
this is reflected in the style of her work. If Hamada had wanted
to work with Janet rather than sending her away to Tamba maybe
it would all have been different.
If you are interested in learning more of the
life and work of Janet Leach, I suggest you purchase a copy of
Emmanuel Cooper's book :
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