Dame Vera Doreen Blumhardt (7 March 1914 – 17 October 2009) was a New Zealand
potter,
ceramicist and
arts educator.
Early life
Vera Doreen Blumhardt was born on 7 March 1914 in Huanui in the North of New Zealand. Her parents were German-born David Blumhardt and Wilhelmina Elisabeth Magdalene Hartdegen who ran a small farm near Whangārei.
Blumhardt attended Whangarei High School and studied the violin. She had a keen interest in drawing and watercolours and went on to study at the Canterbury College of Art in Christchurch. From 1937, she attended a teacher training programme at Christchurch Teachers' Training College and studied German and education at Canterbury University College.
Career
in 1940, Blumhardt began her teaching career at Nelson Central School. After acting as interim head of the art department at the Christchurch Teachers' Training College, Blumhardt took up the newly created position of National Art and Craft Adviser to implement an arts and craft programme for primary schools in New Zealand. In this role, she developed a national teacher training course and travelled to Europe to develop as an arts educator, attending at the UNESCO arts and crafts education conference in Paris and staying at the Brighton College of Art. In 1951, Blumhardt was appointed the head of the Art Department of
Wellington College of Education, a position she held for over 20 years.
In the 1950s, in addition to her works in watercolour, printing and weaving, Blumhardt developed an interest in ceramics, experimenting with different methods and becoming a prominent member of the New Zealand Society of Potters.
After she retired, Blumhardt focused on her pottery career, holding her first solo exhibition at the Dowse Gallery. In 1957, she participated in New Zealand's first national pottery exhibition along with fifteen other potters.
Blumhardt's works are included in many overseas galleries and institutions, including the
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...
in London and the Museo Gaccia in Switzerland as well as in her home nation of
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
.
A retrospective of her works was displayed at the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts in 1991.
In the 1970s, Blumhardt took up writing; she collaborated with
Brian Brake on ''New Zealand Potters: Their Work and Words'' (1976) and ''Craft New Zealand, the Art of the Craftsman'' (1981), the latter won the Watties Book of the Year award.
Blumhardt also founded and ran the ''
New Zealand Potter'' magazine together with
Helen Mason.
Blumhardt travelled extensively and collected pottery from countries including Japan and Mexico. She was instrumental to international potters including Takeichi Kawai and
Bernard Leach exhibiting in New Zealand.
In later years, Blumhardt completed a series of large commissions, including the
Richard Byrd Memorial in Wellington in 1992, the tiles of which depict the
Aurora Australis.
In 2003, Blumhardt founded the Blumhardt Foundation to foster, support, collect, and display the best examples of decorative arts and design in New Zealand. Every year, the Foundation,
The Dowse Art Museum, and
Creative New Zealand offer a Cultural Internship, providing opportunities for artists to nurture curatorial interest and expertise in the areas of decorative arts and design.
Honours
In the
1981 New Year Honours, Blumhardt was appointed a
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
, for services to art, especially pottery. In the same year, she was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in London.
Ten years later she was awarded an honorary doctorate in literature by Victoria University of Wellington. In 2003, Blumhardt received a
Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to pottery and art education. She was made a
Member of the Order of New Zealand
The Order of New Zealand is the highest honour in the New Zealand royal honours system, created "to recognise outstanding service to the Crown and people of New Zealand in a civil or military capacity". It was instituted by Royal warrant (documen ...
in the
2007 New Year Honours.
In 2009, two months before her death, Blumhardt accepted the redesigned title of
Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit following the restoration of titular honours by the New Zealand government.
Special Honours List, 1 August 2009
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet; retrieved 1 June 2013.
Death
Dame Vera Doreen Blumhardt died on 17 October 2009, aged 95.[Dates of birth and death of Dame Doreen Blumhardt](_blank)
tributes.co.nz; accessed 16 July 2015.
Publications
* Blumhardt D, (1976): ''New Zealand potters : their work and words'', Wellington, Reed
* Blumhardt D., Brake B. (1981): ''Craft New Zealand : the art of the craftsman'', New York, Universe
* Blumhardt D. (1991): ''Education through art'', Wellington, Wellington College of Education
* McLeod M., Brake B.; Bumhardt D. (1991): ''Doreen Blumhardt: teacher & potter'', Wellington, Daphne Brasell Associates Press
References
External links
Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Obit for Dame Doreen Blumhardt
New Zealand Herald obituary for Dame Doreen Blumhardt
Blumhardt profile at ''Te Papa''
Blumhardt Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blumhardt, Doreen
1914 births
2009 deaths
New Zealand potters
New Zealand Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Dames Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
Members of the Order of New Zealand
New Zealand people of German descent
Artisans from Wellington City
New Zealand women potters
20th-century New Zealand ceramists
New Zealand women ceramicists