Ceramics on the Move:
A Partnership of Peoples ©

The Museum of Anthropology (MOA) at the University
of British Columbia has the most representative collection
of world-wide ceramics in Canada. Numbering more than
3,000 pieces, it includes large collections from Europe, China,
and the Philippines, with smaller collections from other parts
of Asia, the Americas, Africa and the Pacific, and an even
smaller collection of contemporary B.C. ceramics.

In 1990, the museum added a new wing that highlighted
the European ceramics collection donated by Dr. Walter
Koerner and, at the same time, created a ceramics laboratory
and my position as curator of ceramics. Although the
addition of a ceramics gallery recetved much public acclaim
and has served to increase the profile of ceramics at MOA,
it struggled for attention with an entrance often missed
because it was separated from the existing traffic plan. Also,
the laboratory containing hundreds of ceramics was situated
in a high security area so the general public were not as aware of its existence. Since my appointment I have
curated seventeen ceramic-based exhibitions at MOA and public galleries, written articles, ran programmes
and spoken about ceramics at many conferences. Regardless, I am constantly reminded that many people
are still unaware of this rich and unique resource at MOA. It 1s therefore with much excitement that I share
with the ceramics community the news that the museum is now preparing for a major expansion, effectively
doubling its size by 2009. Called Partnership of Peoples , this project will make the collections more accessible to
visitors, students, scholars, artists, and members of communities.

The project includes three complementary components: the Reciprocal Research Network (RRN), a web-
based system designed to support collaborative research between museums and communities; a revitalized
Research Centre showcasing 15,000 objects and offering endless opportunities to discover cultural diversity;
and a new south wing, featuring exciting new exhibit galleries, visitor amenities, and state-of-the-art
public programming venues. Together, these components support collaborative, socially responsible, and
interdisciplinary research across local, national, and international borders.

In 1976, MOA introduced the concept of Visible Storage. Since then, the system has served as an
inspiration to museums and researchers around the world, and has become a favourite site of exploration
for visitors. Visible Storage served as a magnet for donations, including ceramics, and it was inevitable that
in time we would run out of space. In the past ten years, two large donations of Philippine and Chinese
ceramics have had to be stored behind the scenes, visually inaccessible to the visitor. Now that work has
begun on the new expansion the existing ceramics laboratory 1s now closed and the collections have been
packed in readiness for remstallation in MOA’s new 13,000-square-foot Research Centre. This Centre will
house the collection in customized storage units and in a specially designed and embedded Ceramics research
laboratory that will be visible and accessible to the public. It is hoped this space will be viewed as an important
resource by those who teach, study and practice ceramics. I am hoping it will be a place for research, hosting
potters-in-residence, classes from colleges that teach ceramics, lively public programs and demonstrations.
We are only lumited by our imagination. As well there will be a centrally-located Presentation Circle situated
within sight of the Ceramics laboratory with multimedia capabilities that will provide a unique educational
programming space for audio visual presentations and lectures. There will also be a number of specially-
designed interpretive nodes, incorporating computer access to MOA’s collections, installed throughout the
Centre. This will provide context for ceramics nearby, and opportunities for artists, curators, students, or
interns to create small, focused exhibits on topics of interest.

continued on page 10

— ayaa ——— rrr

Carol Mayer packing up the ceramic laboratory in readiness for
reinstallation in the new Research Centre, 2009

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POTTERS

GUILD
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COLUMBIA