Join us for a special evening at Watts Gallery as celebrated ceramic artists Rich Miller and Magdalene Odundo come together in conversation.
Taking place during Miller’s exhibition Fired Legacies: The Ceramic World of Rich Miller, the discussion will explore themes emerging from his work, including heritage and British colonial history. The artists will examine the complexities of migration and the lasting cultural influences woven into the fabric of British society, reflecting on how clay can serve as a powerful medium for uncovering personal and collective narratives and engaging with complex social histories.
In his first major solo exhibition, Rich Miller - ceramicist and judge on Channel 4’s The Great Pottery Throwdown, delves into his own heritage while examining the broader histories of trade, labour and identity that have shaped contemporary Britain. Drawing inspiration from historical objects and stories, his work prompts challenging conversations about our shared past, while showcasing beautifully crafted, individually made ceramic works.
This event offers a rare opportunity to hear two leading voices in contemporary ceramics discuss practice, process and the cultural stories embedded in clay.
16 April – 28 June 2026
Ceramicist, Great Pottery Throw Down judge and specialist Tile Maker, Richard Miller’s ceramics career spans over two decades of technical innovation and artistic exploration. A graduate of the Surrey Institute of Art and Design (2003), Rich spent 20 years at the helm of Froyle Tiles, a bespoke stoneware tile company. Under his leadership, the studio became a primary collaborator for world-class architects, most notably producing 11,000 crystal-glazed tiles for the award-winning facade of 24 Savile Row (with Kate Malone and EPR Architects) and the artisanal cladding for the Tate St Ives Pavilion (with Jamie Fobert Architects).
Parallel to his industrial expertise, Rich has maintained a rigorous studio practice. His personal work serves as a poignant exploration of British colonial history, examining the complexities of migration and the lasting cultural influences woven into the fabric of British society. This duality of roles, as both a master technician and a conceptual ceramicist, led to his appointment as a Judge on The Great Pottery Throw Down (BBC / Channel 4] following two/three? seasons as the show’s technical consultant.
Beyond the studio, Rich is a dedicated advocate for the ceramics community. Alongside his wife, Anna, he organizes Art in Clay Farnham, one of the UK’s premier ceramic fairs, fostering a vital platform for makers from across Europe.
Professor Dame Magdalene Odundo OBE is an internationally acclaimed ceramic artist, who received her early education in India and Kenya before moving to England in 1971. After completing her undergraduate at the West Surrey College of Art Design (now known as the University for the Creative Arts, Farnham) in 1976, she undertook a teaching post at the Commonwealth Institute, London, in Museum Education before completing her masters at the Royal College of Art, London. She returned to teach at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) in 1997, becoming Professor of Ceramics in 2000 and inaugurated as a Professor Emerita in 2016 in recognition of her contribution to the University's research culture. Magdalene is the Chancellor of the University for the Creative Arts. Magdalene's best-known works are hand built using similar techniques as the ancient Greeks and Romans - such as the coiling technique. Many of these are now part of the permanent collections of nearly 50 international museums including the Art Institute of Chicago, The British Museum in London, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York and the National Museum of African Art in Washington DC. She has held workshops, lectures and residences, solo exhibitions and been part of group exhibitions in various locations across the world for over 40 years. For her work she has been awarded the African Art Recognition Award by the Detroit Institute of Arts in 2008 and the African Heritage Outstanding Achievement in the Arts Award in 2012 in Nairobi, Kenya. She has also received honorary doctorates from the University of Florida (2014) and University of the Arts London (2016). In 2008 she was awarded an OBE for services to the Arts and Art Education and was made a Dame in the 2020 New Year Honours. At present, Magdalene is also a member of the International Academy of Ceramics, The Art Workers Guild and Chelsea Arts Club. She is a Patron of the National Society for Education and Design (NSEAD) and a Trustee of the Hepworth Wakefield in Yorkshire. Magdalene sits on the Collections and Exhibitions Committee and the Nominations Committee and is a member of the Board Diversity and Inclusion working group.