Photo by Nick Servian
“Doreen was responsible for helping a whole generation of New Zealanders to know the excitement of creating something, however humble, with their own hands... The whole country has been richer for her work.” Dr Clarence Beeby
Dame Doreen Blumhardt ONZ, DCNZM, CBE (1914 – 2009) quietly passed away on Saturday 18 October at the age of 95. A passionate ceramist and arts educator for close to 70 years, Doreen continued to work in her studio daily well into her 90s and inspired others with her passion for making and her boundless pursuit of knowledge.
Art making and education have been inseparable throughout her life. She attended art school and teachers college in Christchurch in the 1930s. In 1942 the revolutionary Director of Education, Dr Clarence Beeby, employed her to develop art and craft activities for a national programme. Dr Beeby believed that “putting tools for creativity into children’s hands would have a long-term effect on the adult community”. Doreen began her developmental work right here in Lower Hutt at Waterloo School. As Head of the Art Department at Wellington Teachers’ College from 1951 to 1972, she continued to implement Dr Beeby’s vision.
Doreen also played an instrumental role in New Zealand‘s pottery movement from the 1950s onward. A passionate, experimental potter and an avid traveller, she frequently returned from trips with boxes of ceramics from as far as Japan, Petra and Mexico to share with other enthusiasts. She also encouraged celebrated international potters, such as Bernard Leach from England and Takeichi Kawai and Shoji Hamada from Japan, to present workshops in New Zealand.
Throughout her career Doreen has exhibited widely both nationally and internationally. Her work is held in several international collections including the Victoria & Albert Museum, London and Museo Gaccia, Switzerland. The Dowse hosted the first solo exhibition of Doreen’s work in 1976. She was made a member of New Zealand’s highest honour, the Order of New Zealand, in the New Year’s Honours in 2007.
When TheNewDowse reopened in 2007, the exhibition in the new Blumhardt Gallery, entitled The Gift Exchange, was dedicated to makers like Doreen Blumhardt, who were not only outstanding practitioners in their own right, but also devoted to passing on their craft knowledge. Through our ongoing partnership with the Blumhardt Foundation, TheNewDowse aims to continue Doreen Blumhardt’s immense legacy through the Blumhardt Gallery exhibition programme and Creative New Zealand / Blumhardt Foundation curatorial internship.