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Spomenik
A bit off subject, I wanted to share with you another interest I have which has become a bit of a project… I’ve been researching old Soviet monumnets. Many of them are epic sculptural monuments and memorials and because the cause has long ago dissipated they have been left as ruinous statements of a lost day, their … Read more
New terracotta for Bath’s Holburne Museum
I had assumed the Holburne Museum was well outside of the city from what I had seen pictured in green surroundings. In fact I found it on a surprisingly short walk along Great Pultney Street with the elegant neoclassical Museum facing the city and reflecting its Bath stone grandeur. Reopened in May 2011 the museum … Read more
Shaws of Darwen
The last visit I made as part of my research for my Winston Churchill Fellowship was one of the first I planned and one of the most exciting and informative; to Shaws of Darwen in Lancashire. Jon Wilson and I had talked on the phone since I first applied for the opportunity and I expressed … Read more
Architectural Terracotta: An Exploration of Transatlantic Opportunity
I’m pleased to share the findings of my 2011 Winston Churchill Travelling Fellowship! I spent 2 months in the USA studying architectural terracotta, historical and contemporary uses in comparison with the UK. Please follow this link to read an online copy of my Report. The report details my findings and experiences in meeting the manufacturers … Read more
The Great British Seaside
Keen to explore and to glimpse the difficulties of a town built on pleasure during the ‘off season’, off I ventured with my terracotta hitlist. I found perhaps one of the most uplifting experiences I have had: and perhaps one of the most depressing too: This dichotomy will perhaps be my lasting memory of … Read more
Winston Churchill Fellowship Report
Amy Smith 2011: Winston Churchill Travelling Fellow . Architectural Terracotta: An Exploration of Transatlantic Opportunity . Click HERE for Report .
Beautiful Brutalism in Sacramento
My creative self has been tapped into this month as I moved, finally, into a newly evolving workshop space. I’ve been ‘in storage’ for several months while travelling and working on academic projects. It is interesting how the realisation of this space and access to my workshop, tools and clay once again has gradually unleashed … Read more
Cheers 2011
As we settle into a new year spend a moment to enjoy
Pressing the Natural History Museum Beasts
I passed the Natural History Museum recently and, once again, was struck by its confident decorative grandeur. Whilst aware of the massive size of the animal characters that sit every few metres along the roofline; some peering down at us, some gazing dismissively off to the distance; I also enjoy the scale of the building, allowing … Read more
On site at 188 Randolph, Chicago
Randolph Tower in the Loop, Chicago, is undergoing the largest ever removal and replacement of terracotta. Mark Kuberski, Central Building and Preservation, the Contractors on this almighty project, was kind enough to give me the grand tour of this 45 storey skyscraper. With hard hats donned, we made our way to the site office, where … Read more
