Distinguished Alumni Awards 2018: Chris Weaver

Distinguished Alumni Awards 2018

Otago Polytechnic’s 2018 Distinguished Alumni are notable for their contribution to society. Sixteen former students were honoured at the ceremony which was held on 11 May, 2018.

Chris Weaver

Diploma in Fine and Applied Arts (Distinction in Design and Sculpture) (1976), Certificate in Ceramics (1976)

Studio Potter

Growing up in a family of five boys, Chris Weaver learned quickly that he wanted something he had to make it with what he had at hand, or go without. 

He built a potter’s wheel while at high school and taught himself to make pots. He then headed to the Dunedin School of Art in the early 70s and turned a necessity into a lifelong  passion.

Based on the West Coast, Chris has won many awards — too many to list them all— and undertaken a range of prestigious international residencies. He produces new work for at least one exhibition every year, and his work has been exhibited widely.

His collections are held in numerous prominent institutions, including the Auckland War Memorial Museum; The Dowse Art Museum; Shepparton Art Museum, Australia; and Mino Ceramic Park in Tajimi, Japan.

Yet despite all the accolades, he remains down to earth and ever-curious.

This from the Otago Potters’ Group, which hosted Chris for a weekend masterclass last year:

“While we were all aware of his status in the art world . . . the calm, meditative way in which this modest artist demonstrated his techniques  . . . was inspiring.”

Chris’ career includes the following highlights:
> 1993 Norsewear Art Award for Ceramics
> 1994 Norsewear Art Award - Merit Award
> 1995 New Zealand Society of Potters - Merit Award
> 1996 Fletcher Challenge Ceramics Award - Finalist
> 1995 Awarded Creative New Zealand grant to travel and study in the United States, the United Kingdom and Ireland.
> 2007 One of six New Zealand potters invited to undertake a residency at FuLe International Ceramic Art Museum, in Fuping, China.
> 2010 Invited as an Artist in Residence at the Sturt Arts Centre in Mittagong, Australia
> Collections held in the Auckland War Memorial Museum; The Dowse Art Museum; the Suter Art Gallery, Nelson; Canterbury Museum; Hawkes Bay Museum, Napier; Shepparton Art Museum, Australia; and Mino Ceramic Park in Tajimi, Japan