Yvonne Rust

Yvonne Rust was a Pākehā potter, artist, and educator born in Whangarei in 1922. She was at the forefront of the pottery movement in the 1950's, establishing numerous art and pottery groups and advocating consistently for the development of the use of New Zealand's raw materials.

Her father and mother were respectively a headmaster and retired Design and Sculpture Lecturer from the Canterbury School of Art.

In 1928 her parents transferred to Te Hapua, to work at the Northernmost school in Aotearoa New Zealand. Rust was sent away to Christchurch for education the same year, but was back home one year later. In her biography, ‘Yvonne Rust QSM : Maverick Spirit’, Theresa Sjoquist says she “grew up during the Depression years as the only white child in Te Hapua, in the far North”. She returned briefly to Christchurch in 1934 (presumably for education), but changed to Te Awamutu High School the following year.

From 1942 she studied at the Canterbury College School of Art, graduating in 1946 with a DipFA. She went on to teach art in schools, including at the Wellington Technical College, but moved back to Christchurch in 1955 to be with her parents, who were unwell and had settled there due to their health. There she accepted a position with Adult Education Extension (AdEd), teaching pottery, jewellery, and embroidery in rural areas. This position required her to gain her driving license as she was required to travel.

In 1958 she organised a national adult education workshop in ceramics at Canterbury College School of Art. Attended by 80 participants, the event was a catalyst for the establishment of the New Zealand Potters’ Association, and the magazine ‘The Potter’. The following year she began working more formally as a ceramicist, and was involved in establishing The Craft Centre at Springfield Rd. In 1960 she established her own studio in Christchurch where she pioneered oil-fired kiln making and the use of local clays, and taught art and design to both amateur and professional practitioners. Demand grew, particularly with the number of people wanting to learn pottery, however the limited facilities proved inadequate so Rust decided to work on building a larger workshop. Unfortunately successive funding applications were turned down, so Rust decided to ultimately close the studio in 1965.

In 1967 she relocated to the West Coast of the South Island, teaching craft and art at Greymouth District High School and holding night classes for unemployed miners. This led to her establishing the Mawhera Potters’ Association in 1969, with the vision of creating a local craft industry based on local materials, and “articulating a West Coast identity and culture.” (Yvonne Rust: Instruction & Vision).

In 1972 she retired from teaching and returned to Whangarei to work in ceramics and painting, building her own home at Parua Bay from local clays and holding national ceramic schools at her studio which were attended by 100 students a year. In 1976 she stopped the national ceramic schools and focussed instead on establishing the Northland Craft Trust, which led to The Quarry Arts Centre opening in 1980.

Rust was recognised with several distinctions including the highest award from the Canterbury Society of Arts – a silver medal for services to art (1968); a Fellowship for Services to the Arts from the QEII Arts Council (1972); being made an honorary member of the New Zealand Society of Potters (1975); winning the National Bank Art Award for painting and being awarded a Queen’s Service Medal for community service (1983); and being made a life member of the Crafts Council for contributions to art and craft education (1989).

In 1997 she returned to live in Runanga on the West Coast of the South Island. She died in Greymouth in 2002, aged 79.

See also:

• ‘Success Led To Design Studio’s Closure’, Press (Christchurch), 20 Nov 1965, p.2
• Theresa Sjoquist, Yvonne Rust QSM : Maverick Spirit, (David Ling Publishing: 2011)
• Yvonne Rust, et al. ‘Yvonne Rust: Instruction & Vision’ (Centre of Contemporary Art: 2000)
• Yvonne Rust - Wikipedia
• Exhibition, ‘Yvonne Rust and her Pupils’ (1998), Left Bank Art Gallery, Greymouth
• Yvonne Rust - Art teacher at Greymouth High school.1967-72. | West Coast New Zealand History
• Obituary: Yvonne Rust - New Zealand News - NZ Herald