A Poisoned Chalice at the Opera House and a Living Treasure of Craft – 8 August 2019
Peter Hall
This week on Arts Thursday with Maisy Stapleton, the program focusses on two fascinating arts stories.
Dr Anne Watson
In the first segment, Dr Anne Watson speaks about her research and subsequent publication on the work of Peter Hall – of Hall, Todd and Littlemore – a successful young architect who was invited to step in to complete work on the Sydney Opera House, after Jørn Utzon’s sensational departure from the unfinished building.
Hall found that he had accepted a poisoned chalice: a seemingly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that brought conflict, controversy and condemnation, as well as destroying his future career.
Anne talks to us about her book The Poisoned Chalice: Peter Hall and the Sydney Opera House and the ensuing drama when Hall took on the task of completing the building for the nation.
Alison Britton and Prue Venables 1996
In the second segment you can meet Prue Venables, a ceramic artist and the focus of an exhibition at the Australian Design Centre: Living Treasures: Masters of Australian Craft \ Prue Venables. Prue is the ninth artist to be honoured by the ADA as a Master of Australian Craft.
Prue is joined in the interview by Alison Britton, an English ceramicist, who was awarded an OBE for services to art and is a fellow of the Royal College of Art in London. Prue and Alison shared a studio together in London, as well as being fellow potters.
Together in the interview, Prue and Alison delve in to the work and underlying motivation of artists and Prue explains her development as a potter – by no means a straightforward path.
Tune into the program at 10:30am.
For further information:
The Poisoned Chalice: Peter Hall and the Sydney Opera House: https://opus-soh.com/
Prue Venables at the Australian Design Centre – Living Treasures Exhibition: https://australiandesigncentre.com/prue-venables/
Prue Venables: https://pruevenables.com/ceramics/
DON’T WORRY IF YOU MISS THE PROGRAM!
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Listen to Arts Thursday with Maisy Stapleton every fortnight from 10:30 to noon for in-depth conversations on the arts.