Ardmore Ceramics

Ardmore began in 1985 when Fée Halsted, an art teacher, started working with Bonnie Ntshalintshali, a young woman on the farm who had polio and could not do field work. Their collaboration produced sculptural ceramics unlike anything else being made in the country - extravagant, narrative, covered in animals and figures - and in 1990 the two jointly won the Standard Bank Young Artist Award, the first time it went to a rural black artist. Ntshalintshali died of AIDS in 1999, as did a number of Ardmore's artists in that period, and the studio's history is bound up with that. It now employs dozens of sculptors and painters who work in pairs, one forming and one decorating, with both names on the piece. Work is in the Victoria and Albert Museum among others, and Christie's has held dedicated sales. The gallery is open to visitors and the studio by arrangement.

What you'll find

• The paired making - a sculptor and a painter on each piece, both signing it.
• The 1985 origin - a collaboration between a teacher and a young woman with polio.
• The narrative ceramics - extravagant forms covered in animals and figures.
• The collection status - work held in major museums and sold at international auction.

When to go

All year. Two hours. Studio visits need arranging; the gallery is open in normal hours.

What to expect

Pieces are expensive - this is collected art, not craft-market pricing. Studio access is by arrangement and not always available. The gallery is on rural roads. The studio's history includes the AIDS deaths of several founding artists, which the staff discuss openly.

Nearby

Champagne Valley and the central Drakensberg are close; the Midlands Meander is east.