Rick Rudd sold his Castlecliff home to buy the Munford House building on Bates St. Photo / Mike Tweed
The country’s only dedicated studio ceramics museum has closed, 10 years to the day after it opened its doors in Whanganui.
Founder Rick Rudd opened the Quartz Museum of Studio Ceramics in 2015 after selling his house in Castlecliff and using the money to buy the Munford House building on Bates St.
He said Whanganui District Council’s decision earlier this year not to provide funding had been “a kick in the teeth”.
During hearings on the council’s annual plan in May, Rudd, citing burnout and a lack of funding for staff, requested $60,000 annually to employ two part-time staff.
Elected members voted it down by 9-3 (with one abstention) and Rudd’s application was referred to the council’s community grants fund.
“After that, we tried a fundraiser and applied to Lotteries and Creative NZ but both were turned down,” Rudd said.
“I’ve just got to the stage where I thought ‘something has to change’.
“The closing date, Monday [November 3], was exactly 10 years from when I opened. That wasn’t planned, it‘s just when everything imploded.”
Rudd said he understood that other lines of council funding were “for more social things”.
“I don’t want to take money from that. Social needs are important.”
Through its community contracts programme, the council partners with organisations providing services in community health, safety and wellbeing.
Its public arts fund is for “artists to deliver innovative and exciting public art for Whanganui”, and the Community Creative Scheme, a partnership between the council and Creative NZ, provides funding for materials, venue or equipment hire, promotion and publicity, and staff and administrative costs for short-term projects.
Rudd said the museum was funded by sales of his works, donations and his pension, and a couple of volunteers helped when they could.
“It’s not enough to pay a wage and I need staffing, even minimal staffing.
“There is a lot to be responsible for and there are processes I go through every morning and evening to make sure everything is right.
“I don’t think people realise what goes into running a museum. It’s a nationally significant museum, as well.”
Quartz’s collection had grown from 400 pieces to about 4600 – “the biggest and best collection in New Zealand”.
A bequest of more than 2700 works, from Wellington collector Simon Manchester, was received in 2019.
“Recently, someone drove up from Wellington and donated a pot made by Royce McGlashen in 1966. It’s an early piece of his, in perfect condition,” Rudd said.
“These things are offered to this place because they will be valued.”
Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe said what Rudd had achieved over the past 10 years was “phenomenal” but the council could not fund everything.
“We’d love to see the museum retained here somehow but we need the community to help out.
“The council has exhausted all efforts to contribute in this space. We can’t stretch our dollar any further at this point.”
Ceramicist Paul Maseyk, who exhibited at Whanganui’s Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery earlier this year, said a lot of his pots were part of Quartz’s collection.
Maseyk said he had known Rudd since he was a Wanganui Regional Community Polytechnic student and visited the museum regularly.
“It’s a real shame.
“My partner Luella [Raj] owns two galleries here in New Plymouth and she always gets people coming through saying they love Quartz.”
He said, in his opinion, Quartz was “the national ceramic museum”.
“I actually said to Rick that he should have called it that.
“Even in Auckland, nothing rivals his collection, especially now that Simon’s has joined it.”
Maseyk said he hoped Quartz would reopen in the future.
“I reckon it’ll be up and running again in some way. People will realise what’s been shut.”
Rudd gifted the Bates St building and collection to a charitable trust, The Rick Rudd Foundation, which was established in 2013.
He said about 5000 people visited the museum each year.
“One reaction to [a funding] application was that the number [of visitors] wasn’t high enough.
“How does one person do all this?
“There is something for everyone here but I don’t have funding for advertising.”
Rudd said he would now have time to visit friends and family, something he did not usually do.
“I’m 76 and I’m getting towards the end of what I’ve got. You have to accept that.”
He said he would try to accommodate requests to view the collection if available.
They can be made by calling (06) 348 5555.
Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily Whanganui District Council.