Rick Rudd Foundation awards residency and $15,000 to emerging ceramic artists

Quartz Emerging Artist Collection. Photo / Olivia Reid

Helen Bakker has been awarded the Rick Rudd Foundation’s Emerging Practitioner in Clay Award.

Established in 2018, the award is available to those who have been working with clay for less than five years and aims to give national recognition to new artists.

Bakker won the $15,000 for her piece Henri.

“It was such a nice surprise,” Bakker said.

Henri by Helen Baker. Image / Supplied

She developed her clay skills during the Covid-19 lockdowns after a friend encouraged her to give it a go.

Bakker now primarily works with the Titirangi Pottery Club, which she thanked for its support, along with potters Carla Ruka and Helen Perret.

With the $15,000 prize money she hopes to create a dedicated workspace and “stop working on the kitchen table”.

Bakker works in mental health and hopes in the future she will be able to combine her passions to provide “creative healing”.

The Rick Rudd Foundation has also introduced a second prize - a month-long residency at the Glasgow Street Arts Centre in Whanganui - with a stipend of $4800 from Creative New Zealand to support the artist.

This year’s winner was Dunedin’s Lucy Hunter for her piece titled Duality.

Duality by Lucy Hunter. Image / Supplied

“I’m still in shock,” Hunter said.

Hunter has an extensive history with the creative arts, starting off with music, moving to drawing and finally to clay work.

A lot of Hunter’s clay work is focused on commissions, so she is looking forward to a “month that is purely creative work”.

The two winning pieces, with 33 from the 76 entered, are now on display at the Quartz Museum.

“Our hope is you enjoy this exhibition and find work which will excite, inspire, challenge and stimulate discussion, or simply require your quiet contemplation,” Rudd said.

The display is at the Quartz Museum of Studio Ceramics in Whanganui until March 30, 2025.

Olivia Reid is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.