Exhibitions
We have two exhibition spaces in the Museum: the Cube and the Entrance Gallery. We also hold exhibitions in the Shop Gallery. Our exhibition programme highlights the history of the Leach Pottery and the many potters who have worked here and been influenced by Bernard Leach, as well as the work of contemporary potters.
Exhibitions in 2024
Leach Studio: A Potter’s Challenge
Preview, Friday 13 September; runs 14 September - 28 December 2024; Entrance Gallery
Cube Gallery Exhibitions
Students Over a Century: Roots and Branches
Preview, Friday 19 July, 6-8pm; runs 20 July 2024 - 20 July 2025
For over a century, the Leach Pottery has been a site of training and learning – weaving people, pots, ideas and cultures together. This exhibition tells the story of a small number of the Leach Pottery’s students, from the early years to the present day. This intriguing collection of pots from the Leach Studio and individual potters – some made at the Leach Pottery, some in the potter’s own studios – gives a sense of how potters respond to their time here; some adopting, developing or even rejecting the aesthetics and ideas.
Past Exhibitions
2024
John Bedding: 60 Years On 25 May - 8 September 2024
Ellie Woods: An Apprenticeship 20 July - 18 August 2024
Leach Pottery: First Students 6 May 2023 - 30 June 2024
Colour & Movement 9 February - 19 May 2024
2023
Clive Bowen at 80 21 September - 30 December 2023
Roelof Uys: From Mashiko to St Ives 21 September - 8 October 2023
Niek Hoogland: Best of Both Worlds 5 - 13 August 2023
Lisa Hammond: Soda Alchemy 8 July - 17 September 2023
Isatu Hyde: Beauty Rooted in Use 6 May - 2 July 2023
Lou Tonkin: Sketches & Prints 6 May - 4 June 2023
Doug Fitch & Hannah McAndrew: An Ongoing Devotion 25 February - 30 April 2023
Michael Leach October 2022 - 16 April 2023
2022
Studio_Space July to December 2022
Helen Doherty: Encountering St Ives August to September 2022
People & Pottery - stories from our community April to October 2022
Tomoo Hamada: Pots from St Ives 2 to 31 July 2022
John Webb: 100 Pots April to July 2022
Clay & Community November 2021 to March 2022
2021
Hyosun Kim ‘Journey of a Moon Jar’ November to December 2021
Leach 100 Commission Artists November to December 2021
100 Years of Leach and Hamada Influence December to February 2021
John Leach 65 Years a Potter July to September 2021
2020
Annabelle Smith: An Apprenticeship 9 November - 18 December: Online
Century of Connections 9 September - 4 November: Cube Gallery
Leach Studio Potters: 100 Years On 15 February - 12 July: Entrance Gallery & Online
Kat Wheeler 1 November 2019 - 8 February 2020: Entrance Gallery
Surface 4 May 2019 - 8 March 2020: Cube Gallery
2019
Peter Rose: Soda Fired 11 October - 9 November 2019: Shop
Michel Francois & Young Gi Seo: Cornwall to Korea 17 August - 27 October 2019: Entrance Gallery
Callum Trudgeon: Japan & Denmark - Wood Fired Pots 17 August - 29 September 2019: Shop
Andile Dyalvane: Our Cultures In Constant Collaboration 29 June - 11 August 2019: Entrance Gallery
Potters From Japan 2 March - 19 May 2019: Entrance Gallery
Celebrating 10 Years 24 March 2018 - 23 April 2019: Cube Gallery
Shoji Hamada: 40 Years On 8 December 2018 - 24 February 2019: Entrance Gallery
2018
Clementina van der Walt: Solo Show 13 October - 2 December 2018: Entrance Gallery
Matthew Foster: An Apprenticeship 13 October - 2 December 2018: Shop
Roelof Uys: Works Of Function, Works Of Art 7 July - 7 October 2018: Entrance Gallery
Leach Pottery Studio: 10 Years On 7 July - 9 September 2018: Shop
Reunion: Potters From The Time Of Bernard Leach 24 March - 1 July 2018: Entrance Gallery
The Teabowl: Past & Present 9 September 2017 - 11 March 2018: Cube Gallery
Teachers’ Pots: Celebrating The Work Of Our Education Team 4 November - January 2018: Entrance Gallery
2017
Carson Culp: A Year at the Leach 17 November - 1 December 2017: Shop
Jim Malone: New Pots from the Kiln 9 September - 29 October 2017: Entrance Gallery
Potter's Prize Draw Exhibition 15 - 22 September 2017
Clay in Practice: The Leach Studio 17 June - 3 September 2017: Entrance Gallery
Clay: That Continuous Material 25 March - 27 August 2017: Cube Gallery
Callum Trudgeon: An Apprenticeship 17 June - 30 July 2017
Japanese Connections 25 March - 11 June 2017: Entrance Gallery
Plymouth in Practice: Tutors 21 January - 12 March 2017: Cube Gallery
Plymouth in Practice: Alumni & Students 21 January - 19 March 2017: Entrance Gallery
2016
Fire it Up 5 November 2016 - January 2017
Amanda Brier 10 September - 30 October 2016
David & Margaret Frith 9 July - 4 September 2016
Leach Heritage
David Leach: Industrial Devils and Standard Ware 13 September 2015 - 6 March 2016
Jeff Oestreich & Pat Burns 15 - 30 October 2016
2015
Doug Fitch & Hannah McAndrew: A Love Affair with Clay 28 November 2015 - 16 January 2016
Kat Wheeler: A Leach Potter in Japan 6 November 2015 - 30 March 2016
Joanna Wason 28 March - 23 May 2015
Mark Griffiths 30 May - 11 July 2015
Emmanuel Cooper: Connections & Contrasts 13 June - 6 September 2015
Glaze Alchemy 18 July - 6 September 2015
Robin Welch 12 September - 22 November 2015
2014
From the Studio 13 December 2014 - 31 January 2015
2013
Warren MacKenzie: An American Potter 21 September -2 November 2013
Leach Legacy 19 March - 8 May 2013
Previous Off-Site Exhibitions
Exhibitions about the Leach Pottery in other locations.
The Leach Pottery: Living The Legacy Thrown at Highgate Contemporary, London. 7 September - 3 October 2018
Illustrations of the Leach Pottery St Ives, 2012-2018 by Hilary Jean Gibson, Porthmeor Studios, St Ives. 27 August - 12 September 2018
The Leach Pottery: The Sound of it Craft Study Centre. 3 January - 9 December 2017
That Continuous Thing: Artists and the Ceramics Studio 1920 - Today Tate St Ives. 31 March- 3 September 2017