Mayfield ceramics dazzle crowds
St Leonards-Mayfield School’s annual Ceramics Exhibition opened on Friday 18th June, with twenty-eight girls from the award-winning department placing their year’s work on display. Up to 100 guests from across Sussex and Kent were present at an opening night party to congratulate the girls on their achievements, which this year are all the more remarkable in light of the disruption that the recent volcanic ash clouds caused to their preparations.
The exhibition is the pinnacle of the year for the Ceramics Department, now widely-regarded as the finest such department of any secondary school in the country. The ceramics on display have been produced by girls from Years 11, 12 and 13, who are currently in the midst of taking their GCSE and A-Level examinations. The pieces include a magnificent raku-fired head of Buddha, garden lanterns, a sea-horse mirror, table fountains, and sculpture inspired by beach groynes and chilli peppers.
Preparations for the ceramics examinations and exhibition were this year seriously hampered by the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull, the volcano in Iceland which caused such disruption to international travel. Almost one quarter of the girls taking ceramics exams this summer were trapped abroad by the ash clouds for up to two weeks after the start of term.
One of those was Deputy Head Girl, Lucy Sampson (18), who returned from holiday a week after term started but nevertheless managed to complete her examination and coursework on time. Lucy’s exhibit includes an expressive, sawdust-fired sculpture of a boxer puppy, a set of bone china vessels, and six brightly-glazed earthenware platters.
“The girls have again expressed their interests and personalities through their ceramic work, making for an exhibition of great variety and technical expertise. All credit must go in particular to those students who were stranded abroad and had to catch up with their work.”
- Head of Ceramics, Andrew Topliss
