Making a Difference

摘要

Think of a craft centre nestling deep in a Welsh vale and images of traditional crafts being demonstrated for the benefit of passing tourists come easily to mind. This is exactly how the local authority conceived of the Ruthin Craft Centre in the Vale of Clwyd some twenty years ago. A single storey courtyard studio complex housing a variety of craftsworkers, their wares on sale in the adjacent shop. Recession at the end of the eighties severely affected the Centre, but in the last decade Ruthin's fortunes, and profile, have been turned around dramatically by the energy and vision of Philip Hughes, the current gallery director and centre managerAs I journeyed to meet him, I passed the hours reading through some of the material he had sent in advance to give me an idea of the breadth of his activities. Jaded commuters shot curious glances as I pulled a succession of exquisite little catalogues from my bag - solo shows for ceramists Beverley Bell-Hughes, David Binns, Claire Curneen, Emmanuel Cooper, textile artists Eleri Mills, Kei Ito and Audrey Walker. Survey shows, ranging across a variety of media, had intriguing themes: Farmers' Daughters, A Room of One's Own, Destination Unknown. The production values and the quality of the writing in these publications spell major leaguer gallery-not a trace of craft center rusticity to be found.