The Devon Guild of Craftsmen

Randall-Page sculpture to arrive for gallery opening

This year the Devon Guild’s president and local sculptor Peter-Randall page will open their annual Summer exhibition. Inside, the gallery shows the best contemporary craft work by South West Members such as Jude Freeman’s mosaic cityscapes and Chris Elmer’s tactile wood forms. Outside in the courtyard, one of Randall-Page’s famous geometric stones will be placed in state to celebrate the exhibition launch. His stone: ‘The Sum of the Parts’ will be delivered by truck from Drewsteignton before the opening night. As the sloping courtyard of the Mill is enclosed by old walls and the gallery itself, staff have had to think about how the large granite sculpture which weighs nearly a ton can be properly placed. Peter’s work is inspired by the mathematical formulas which also appear in nature. He has carved geodesic geometrical shapes on to ‘Sum of the Parts’ in a patterning of hexagons which he says ‘show maximum efficiency of shapes packed together’. The Guild is hoping it can place the heavy stone in position with similar efficiency and minimum of chaos, using hydraulics, a fork lift or ramps.

Hosting an outdoor sculpture marks the beginning of summer activity at the Guild. Last summer the venue saw over 30,000 visitors and this year it hopes many more will enjoy seeing new textiles, mosaic, metal and glassware hand-made in workshops and studios across the region. There will be craft activities and a quiz trail in the gallery during the exhibition and every Saturday during July and August there are craft demonstrations given by Members: of glass-blowing, enamelling, porcelain decoration and silk-dyeing.

The great stone becomes the centre of attention again when it is surrounded by a specially landscaped garden in mid-July as part of the Guild’s Japanese inspired events and activities including a ‘Yakimono’ pottery showcase (15 July-15 August) and authentic tea ceremonies. Please contact the Devon Guild on 01626 832223 for more details of summertime exhibitions and events.

At The Devon Guild of Craftsmen, Bovey Tracey, Devon, TQ13 9AF FREE. Saturday 3 July - Sunday 5 September 2010. Open daily 10-5.30 pm www.crafts.org.uk