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“ THE WONDERFUL WORLD
OF ARDMORE “ Ardmore’s greatest ever!! The Ardmore Groote Schuur exhibition was an historical event and we were blown away by the overwhelming response and sales from Cape-tonians oversees guests and collectors. Some of our Ardmore fans even flew in especially for the exhibition from the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Holland and America. We felt so privileged at being invited to exhibit “The Wonderful World of Ardmore “ in the display cabinet of South Africa’s pre-eminent home, which took place on the 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th February 2008. We showcased 455 of our most exquisite masterpieces, which Fee carefully selected and collected throughout 2007. Sales soared over the five day exhibition period, with guests still purchasing Ardmore pieces on the Wednesday afternoon whilst we were packing up. Only 20 pieces were returned to the Ardmore Gallery in Kwazulu – Natal, which were all sold within the following week! We were honored to have Dr Lindiwe Mabuza, the High Commissioner of South Africa in London to open the exhibition, with Mr Ronnie Kasrils, the Minister of Intelligence as Master of Ceremonies. The minister referred to Wonderboy’s quote on one of his special plates which paralleled with President Thabo Mbeki’s opening of parliament speech that afternoon.
Fee honored her mum in her speech and invited her up to wish her a happy 84th birthday. Christopher Ntshalintshali, Ardmore artist and manager, introduced each Ardmore Artist in a very special and humble way. It was a splendid evening indeed and uplifted everyone’s spirits in a positive and memorable way! What a glorious sight it was to see Ardmore
ceramics so beautifully curatored amidst the splendor of the Presidential
home’s rich
furnishings. The natural fusion of Ardmore Art, a product of its
time, combined with the European antique collectibles created an
alive and fresh style. The exhibition was abuzz with excitement with
the guests attending dressed ‘to the nines’ and full
of spirit for the love of art, thus making the entire evening complete.
There was a spirit and ambiance of love and cultural togetherness.
We were delighted to have Mrs Zanele Mbeki honor us with her presence,
to which she was greatly impressed. She, herself, looked like an
Ardmore artwork in a colourful electric blue satin skirt and blouse.
The artists were overcome with pride at meeting our first lady and
all their Ardmore admirers. A highlight of the exhibition was the immense
interest in the ‘Ardmore
Museum’, where we were exhibiting very special and historical
pieces created by Bonnie Ntshalintshali and Wonderboy Nxumalo, for
all of our guests to share with us. Several of the artists spent
a considerable amount of their time sharing the history of Ardmore
with the guests, who were all enthralled by the wonderful journey
of Ardmore since 1985, of which Bonnie has been an integral part
of. Exhibiting museum pieces was an important focus for us at the
Groote Schuur exhibition as it represented the past, the present
and the future of Ardmore Ceramic Art’s culmination with South
African history. A special thank you must be extended to our
very own, Mrs Eleanor Kasrils, who made the exhibition possible.
She was unbelievable in all that she did for us, from bringing
everyone lunch on a daily basis to unpacking boxes and basically ‘doing what needed to
be done’, always Long standing friends and patrons, Donald Greig
and Tony De Klerk of Charles Greig Jewellers V & A Waterfront,
once again outdid themselves at their exhibition that Fee invited
them tohold on the Sunday evening. It was an absolute pleasure
and utter treat to have them as part of the Ardmore family and
to meet their fabulous guests. Lastly, we must thank special friend to Fee, Molly Buchanan, who
produced the most superb Groote Schuur brochure, along with renowned
photographer, Roger de la Harpe, for his excellent photography for
the brochure. To all other friends and patrons who devoted
their time and energies to the success of our exhibition – We
thank and salute you for your unconditional support as a great
team. The culmination of all who contributed was spectacular and
made it all worth while. For more information or inquiries regarding the success story of the Groote Schuur exhibition or information regarding any future exhibitions, please kindly contact Angela Gill as per the contact details below.
E – mail : angela@ardmoreceramics.co.za Ardmore Ceramic Art Studio : |