Saturday 4th August '99

It has been a long held ambition of this collector to see the work of Clarice Cliff exhibited on an academic campus. After one or two set-backs my dream was realised with the help of Carol McKay, the curator of the Vardy Gallery at the University of Sunderland. Carol was responsible for this exhibition being staged and to her we should all be truly grateful. She has worked tirelessly to make it a success. I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank Carol, who I cannot praise too highly. Her name should be remembered as long as Clarice has a place on campus, as she was the first academic curator in the world to show Bizarre Ware in its true form. Many thanks to Carol and the Trustee's of The Vardy Gallery Foundation.

As this exhibition is a first in many ways, a brief resume is needed. I erroneously thought the hard bit was to assemble the collection. Looking back it was one of the easier tasks. Never having written a catalogue before it took much longer than anticipated. The title, which may not be to everyone's taste, came naturally as it was bestowed by our opponents. Art history is littered with isms taken from detractors. What with proof reading and type setting along with taking photographs, which are a bit of a disappointment, (but do the job intended) and a host of other things associated with the exhibition, the actual display was the furthest thing from my mind. I thought it would be a doddle. Carol and I must have walked for miles placing things here and then there, trying to achieve the effect that we both desired. All of which was constantly interrupted by the incessant ringing of the phone.

Some of the phone calls were from the press who were intrigued by the title of the exhibition. The first was BBC Radio Newcastle who conducted a live interview, which lasted 15 minutes. Why does the name Andy ring a bell? The first question they wanted answering was about the name of the exhibition. This gave me the opportunity to put the alternative view to the standard academic rubbish. We then discussed Clarice in a very positive manner for the rest of the interview; the title was working.

As the opening time drew nearer the panic attacks began. The weather was red hot; would anyone come? When the doors were opened several people walked in; our show was on the road! It wasn't long before the first piece of Clarice was presented for assessment. It was a vase from the My Garden range, which was valued at 50 - 80. The owner in true road show fashion was delighted.

As the evening progressed the wine flowed, the conversation was enjoyable. The most frequently heard words were 'I didn't know she did all this.' Now the exhibits were doing the talking.

On Friday morning a phone call told me to buy my local paper The Newcastle Journal. On page 27 they carried a very good summary, which concentrated on the academic debate started in 1935. The piece finished thus; 'The pottery was originally called Bizarre Ware, added Dr Woodward, but in 1935 Cliff's work came under attack by academics who called for the banishment of ugliness - so she changed the name to Ugly Ware and the pottery became even more popular' I should add that I was not interviewed by the person who wrote the piece, I wish I had been as I would love to be able to claim this new slant as my own. I think it's a hoot. Shortly we will be turning up pieces marked Ugly Ware By Claris Cliff!!!

The next phone call was to inform me that Tyne Tees TV wanted to do a two minute report for that night's news. Two minutes equalled two hours under red hot lights on another sunny day. Once again the first question was; why the title? Academe got another kicking. I like the title:-)

The only weekend opening is next Saturday (11 th September) between 10 AM and 1 PM, so yesterday I visited an archive to conduct research for the day job. One find was a photograph of people drinking tea in a field near Newcastle in 1903. Everyone had a cup decorated with the early version of Delecia. You just never know when, or where, Cliff will pop up next.

Thanks are due to my many friends in the world of Clarice Cliff who have contributed to my education on this subject. Without their help this exhibition would never have happened. You know who you are, my thanks to each of you.

Philip Woodward