Friday 28th June 2024 marked a beautifully poignant occasion in the village of Belleek, where the coming together of art, history, heritage and culture, were unveiled with the new installation of the Potter’s Bench in the village centre.
Revealing the bench was a group who represented the true meaning of local spirit, the enrichment of community heritage and the respect given to craftmanship:
Past – Fergus Cleary – for the hundreds of potters and team that have worked in the pottery and made the Belleek brand what it is today.
Present – Rachel Love – to those currently working in the pottery including Rachel Love who are carrying on those traditional methods of Parian that date back to 1857.
People- Stephen Heron – representing our community and the importance of working together for the greater good of our rural community.
Place- Eleanor Wheeler – for interpreting the brief and truly creating a piece that demonstrates a sense of place.
Eleanor Wheeler one of Northern Irelands leading Sculptors whose work is seen in Belfast, at the Big Fish and more locally in Enniskillen, collaborated with Clare Rowe Head of Design at Belleek Pottery using actual pottery moulds to create some of the features. Eleanor photographed potter’s hands and involved potters from the flowering department to add true to life details of a potter bench.
Eleanor remarked ‘The Potter’s Bench is handmade from ceramic set in a steel frame. The work incorporates carved detail based on the famous Belleek basket weave pattern and photographs of pottery staff working on different stages of production. The bench legs are made using moulds used to produce Belleek pottery, whilst the seat illustrates the factory building and Irish wolfhound taken from the pottery logo.’
The Potter’s Bench creates a stronger and more visible connection between the village and the pottery and is indicative of the process which went into creating the installation, including the expert guidance of Claire Rowe Head of Design at Belleek, alongside Fergus Cleary Belleek Pottery Archivist. By using moulds and traditional methods and applying to the materials used by Eleanor to create a durable, lasting piece of public art.
Claire commented, “Belleek Pottery are delighted to be part of this latest art installation for the village. The bench which includes moulds from our archive and our famous handmade flowers and trademark are a celebration of design and craftmanship past and present.”
Also in attendance was Kevin McHugh Mural Artist, who has created two beautiful pieces of art for the village. One a view of the waterfall that once existed and one of potters skillfully carrying pieces on a plank of wood to the kilns. This piece allows you to be part of the scene and have your photo taken alongside the potters and once again this reserved nod to the links between Belleek village and the world-famous Belleek Pottery has been captured in a captivating way.
Belleek Development Heritage Group wanted to make note of the time and dedication which the committee members and volunteers have put in to the village renewal scheme.
A special word of thanks was noted by the group to The Lough Erne Landscape Partnership and the National Lottery Heritage Fund who contributed to the launch, and funders of the Village Renewal Scheme Fermanagh Omagh District Council, who have been exceptional throughout the project.
A big thank you to these organisations for supporting the Belleek Development Heritage Group’s endeavours to develop Belleek as the first heritage village on the island of Ireland.