3 BY 1

The Crafts Council together with the Crafts Study Centre and the British Council present Three by One, a major new exhibition of modern and contemporary craft, at the Crafts Study Centre, University for the Creative Arts, Farnham, from 13 January to 19 December 2009

Three by One is an exhibition of over 90 pieces of craft made by influential and pioneering makers, ranging from historic pieces from the Bernard Leach source collection, such as a 13th century Korean rice bowl to work made in the 21st century. The works on display are all selected from one of the three public collections; the British Council, Crafts Council and the Crafts Study Centre, by curator and potter, Alison Britton.

Through the eyes of one maker with over 35 years experience of making and looking at craft, Three by One offers a snapshot of the history of the public collecting of contemporary craft in the UK. It begins with the start of the British Council's craft collection in 1940, through the 1970s when public collecting gained more cultural importance, to the present day. Three by One offers a vital and colourful insight into the UK's rich craft heritage through three important collections. These collections have been built by curators and makers over the last 70 years and all continue to collect important modern and contemporary craft for the nation

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Included in Alison's selection are Edward Bawden's distinctive lino-cuts for wallpaper from 1928, a beautiful length of indigo block-printed cotton by Barron and Larcher from the 1930s, Richard Slee's exuberant 'Pumpkin Pot' from 1986 and Yoko Izawa's 'Wrapped'; delicate jewellery made of scrunched-up paper wrapped in nylon from 2007. Other featured makers include Rushton Aust, Caroline Broadhead, Michael Cardew, Edward Johnston, Bruce McLean, Lucie Rie, Hans Stofer and Takeshi Yasuda.

"I have chosen some familiar pieces and many that are a real surprise to me; there are such unexpected and rich discoveries in these collections with their different emphases and strengths. It has been like assembling an orchestra while I write the music, with the tune evolving in my mind."

Alison Britton

www.csc.ucreative.ac.uk