A Passion for Beauty: Collecting the Work of Jim Smith

Exhibition Statement

This exhibition displays selected pieces from the collection of Frances Gregor, a private collector of the work of Jim Smith, RCA. The exhibit represents a 25 year retrospective of the artist’s work and includes some of the most significant pieces produced by the artist.

Smith draws cues from historical models that serve as a framework on which to build contemporary ideas regarding function and beauty. Travel research helps to inform his exploration of cross-cultural influences in the development of ceramics. His goal is to provide a well considered contemporary object encoded with historical references that can offer an intellectual, visual, and sensual experience.

The intent of this exhibition is to present the artist’s work from the viewpoint of a committed collector, and to share insights into the process of building a collection of fine craft objects. Frances Gregor shares her vision in this Collector’s Statement …

My first purchase was a two-piece butter dish. I was drawn to its beautiful yellow cover. It was 1993 and, though I didn’t know it, I had taken the first step in building a collection of Smith’s work that, 25 years later, numbers over 100 pieces.

In the following years, I made annual purchases, usually the small serving pieces that Smith made for sale to visitors to Chester. Occasionally I bought pieces of limited production: a pair of tall layered leaf candlesticks in 1999, and a pair of acorn and oak leaf demitasse in 2000.

In 2004, the late Dr. Marie Elwood, decorative arts historian, asked me why I collected Smith’s work. “Because he creates objects of beauty ” I said, “ and, where I can, I want to surround myself with beauty.” Elwood’s question led me to a conscious decision;

I would seek Smith’s guidance and, as funds permitted, purchase what he judged his best work.

My collection illustrates Smith’s evolution as a ceramic artist. I see the development of his technical skill and artistic ability as I scan the collection created across several decades.

Beauty, as I perceive it, governs my purchases across the entire craft domain. But I deliberately choose to support Nova Scotian artisans through the acquisition and use of their work. This is my ‘craft credo’.

Smith continues to produce beautiful and well considered objects as he explores new dimensions of his craft, such as his recent embellishment of clay with metal. And I continue to live surrounded by the beauty I find in his work.

– Frances Gregor

A Passion for Beauty: Collecting the Work of Jim Smith showcases an expansive body of work which belongs to collector Frances Gregor. Jim Smith is a ceramic artist living in Chester, Nova Scotia who has exhibited both nationally and internationally and has been inducted into the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. For twenty-five years Frances Gregor has collected Jim’s work filling her home with his elegant pieces with their sumptuous surface designs.

In this exhibition the collected work becomes an encapsulation of artistic evolution, showcasing Jim’s advancement in skills and technique over decades of his practice. Presented by the pair, their collaboration really started with Frances’s keen patronage and Jim’s guidance of her acquisitions over the years. Frances says of his work “I admire how each of Smith’s pieces tells a story, how he engages the history of ceramics and explores new ways to translate his influences into gracious works of art.”

It is the dream of many crafts people to bring joy into the homes of those who own their works. And the support of collectors can bring a sustaining assurance to an artist’s practice. A Passion for Beauty showcases not only a retrospective of one artist’s career but also shines a light on the nature of Jim and Frances’s relationship. Sharing this collection at the Mary E. Black Gallery welcomes the public into Frances’ living space. And it is at home where, for so many of us who love and admire ceramics, the craft truly is meant to reside; meeting its fullest intention through everyday use, bringing everyday joy.

EXHIBITION CATALOGUE