Doris Lusk Ceramics Residency awarded to Kate Fitzharris

Doris Lusk Ceramics Residency awarded to Kate Fitzharris

Award-winning Waitati ceramicist and Dunedin School of Art graduate, Kate Fitzharris, has won the 2017 Doris Lusk Ceramics Residency – a two-week teaching residency based at Risingholme Community College in Christchurch.

The biannual Residency is open to graduates of Otago Polytechnic’s Dunedin School of Art (DSA) – the only institute in New Zealand offering tertiary qualifications in ceramics. It is named for the iconic New Zealand painter and ceramicist, Doris Lusk, who grew up in Dunedin and studied at the DSA.

In addition, Doris Lusk taught pottery at Risingholme Community College, a not-for-profit organisation with a focus on promoting the development of appropriate social, educational and leisure activities. Risingholme is also a hub for the DSA’s 14 ceramics distance students based in Christchurch.

Lusk’s granddaughter, Tatyanna Mehrarry, teaches Christchurch-based ceramics students for the DSA, and also at Risingholme today. “We established the residency to honour my grandmother and her commitment to arts education,” she explains. “Her belief was that being an artist is a privilege, and that it is important for artists to pass on their knowledge and skills to others in the community.”

Kate Fitzharris says she is delighted to win the residency. “I’m really excited about the opportunity to be immersed in an environment of learning and to share knowledge with the students,” she says. “Teachers often say they learn from their students – and I am looking forward to enquiry and open dialogue.”

She will work with 150 students over the two week Residency, including the Christchurch-based students of the DSA‘s Diploma in Ceramics Arts.

There is a three-day student exhibition that takes place in the middle of the Residency, openng at 5pm on 1 September at three studio spaces on St Asaph Street, Christchurch:STUDIO80, NEXT Gallery and Space Academy. The proceeds from the exhibition will fund the next Doris Lusk Residency.

ENDS

© Scoop Media