My high point of the trip

It was a dangerous strategy to look forward to something too much, but my anticipation was more than amply fulfilled.  I was eager to visit CoCA in York: the Centre of Ceramic Art at York Art Gallery, and especially the Anthony Shaw collection installation.  In preparation for the visit I had watched this video, and was already excited.
But I was still blown away by reality.

My first encounter with the ceramics in the collection was with the Wall of Pots, which in itself would have been worth visiting.  I really enjoyed the presentation by colour, mixed styles and ages, and was entranced by the visual excitement created by the dramatic lighting too and the reflections created.

Photography is allowed with no flash, so it is possible to take better pix than my snaps.  The Wall of Pots is in the same room as the Anthony Shaw installation, but there is also another large gallery full of displays and information.

Felicity Aylieff

Christie Brown

Grayson Perry

The crème de la crème, however, as I said was the room setting with bench, chairs, table, bookshelves, rugs, cushions, and a stunning exciting collection of ceramics.  In the late '90s I curated an exhibition which presented all the art and crafts as in a house and garden: furniture maker, weavers, silversmith, kitchen carpenter, textile artists, painters, glassmakers, potters, printmakers, ....  I have always thought that people would enjoy seeing fine work in context.  Here again I found once again that pleasure, and wanted to move right in!

I also very much enjoyed the juxtaposition of the line of stitch on the cushions with the line of wood on the bench.