A retired and respected art teacher from Port Moody secondary will lead a talk about pottery — and demonstrate the craft — this week to help a Nepalese family ruined by the earthquake.
Keith Rice-Jones and his wife, Celia, who work out of their Wild Rice Studio in Burnaby, will donate part of the proceeds from their two events to support the guide they met while hiking the country. The guide’s home was destroyed in April in the 8.1-magnitude shake and his relatives injured.
“They are now living in tents like refugees,” Rice-Jones said. “We want to pass money on.”
At the request of the Tri-City Potters, the pair will offer an evening talk at the Port Moody Arts Centre Friday as well as a demonstration workshop all day Saturday. Rice-Jones is most excited to speak about and show off some pieces from couple’s collection, which guests can handle.
They will have a PowerPoint Presentation that describes why the items are important to them. “It’s really interesting drawing some of that history which goes back to the 1950s,” he said, noting some of the pots are quirky while others are plain and straightforward in their concept.
The two, who have been married for 26 years, have different backgrounds.
Keith Rice-Jones, an English native, was influenced by the Bauhaus and modernist movements. He started with stylized functional vessels and containers but moved on to large sculptural work — a form that he is known for today, especially by his PMSS alumni.
But Celia, also a former teacher and from England, is rooted in Leach, Cardew and Davis traditions. She is fond of vessels for food and living such as bowls , dishes, vases and jars.
To register, call PMAC at 604-931-2008 or visit pomoarts.ca.
