English: Title:
Art - Pottery
Publicity Caption:
Peter Stitchbury checking pottery prior to firing.
Photographer:
G. Riethmaier
March 1974, Auckland
Archives New Zealand Reference: AAQT 6539 W3537 140 / B4505 www.archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=24811877
Stichbury was born in 1924. In 1957, he was the first recipient of a fellowship from the Association of New Zealand Art Societies, which is now Creative New Zealand, and went with his wife Diane to St Ives, Cornwall, England to study with Bernard Leach. From there, he went to Africa and was Michael Cardew’s first western student in Abuja in Nigeria. Stichbury set up the pottery department at Ardmore Teachers College. His pottery was given to Queen Elizabeth II during her 1974 royal tour to New Zealand.
While Stichbury is mostly known for his pottery he also built musical string instruments (cellos, violas) in his later years. The work of Stichbury was honoured by exhibitions at the Auckland Museum[ in 2004 and the New Zealand National Museum Te Papa in 2011/12.
In the 2002 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to pottery. Stichbury died on 24 March 2015.
For further enquiries email research.archives@dia.govt.nz
Material from Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga