John Hinchcliffe MA RCA

1949-2010

John’s career encompassed many roles and embraced diverse media. He enjoyed acclaim as a weaver, and achieved success as a designer and maker of studio and commercial ceramics and printed textiles. Latterly he worked as a painter and illustrator. His distinctive and bold style is apparent in all his work.

There are many pieces of John's work held in museums and private collections throughout the world.

John was a founding partner of the ceramics and homewares brand Hinchcliffe & Barber, with his wife and design partner Wendy Barber.

Read John Hinchcliffe's obituary in The Telegraph.

HINCHCLIFFE: A SHORT BIOGRAPHY

Education

1967-1968 West Sussex College of Art and Design, Worthing

1968-1970 Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts

1970-71 Awarded travel scholarship to attend the weaving department of the Konstfachskolan, Stockholm, Sweden

1971-73 Royal College of Art London [MA Woven Textiles]

Public Collections

The Victoria & Albert Museum

The Crafts Council

The Southern Arts Association

Shipley Art Gallery

American Crafts Council

Ulster Museum

Salisbury Museum

Portsmouth Museum 

Romsey Abbey 

Russell-Cotes Museum and Art Gallery

Exhibitions

1970s

Building Centre, Liverpool

Design Centre, London

Craftsman & Commissions - British Craft Centre, London

Gardiner Centre, Sussex University

Masterpiece - Craft Advisory Centre, London

Crafts of the Seventies - Whitworth Gallery, Manchester

Contemporary German and British Crafts, Frankfurt

Objects - Victorian & Albert Museum, London/ Museum and Art Gallery, Birmingham

Star Quality - British Crafts Centre, London

1980s

Prescot in Edinburgh - City Arts Centre, Edinburgh

Contemporary Craft - The Museum and Art Gallery, Brighton

Textiles Today - Kettles Yard, Cambridge

British Ceramics and Textiles - Knokke-Heist, Belgium

Prophesy and Vision - Museum Touring Exhibition, Bristol

[First Hinchcliffe & Barber Exhibition] Hinchcliffe & Barber, Paintings, Ceramics & Textiles - The Salisbury Arts Centre, Salisbury

A Closer Look at Rugs - Crafts Council, London

The New Omega - The V&A Shop, The Victoria & Albert Museum, London

John HInchcliffe - Catherine House Gallery, Marlborough

Hinchcliffe & Barber - Bowen Gallery, Henley-on-Thames

Hinchcliffe & Barber - British Crafts Centre, London

Hinchcliffe & Barber - Crafts Tent, Edinburgh Festival

Hinchcliffe & Barber - Chelsea Crafts Fair, London

Fish - Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery

Smith Art Gallery, Covent Garden, London

Welsh Arts Centre Touring Exhibition, Wales

1990s

A Contemporary Tradition - Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum, Bournemouth

Winter Fair, Menton, France

Hinchcliffe & Barber - Le Pressoir, Normandy, France

Hinchcliffe & Barber - Dartington Cider Press, Devon

2000s

Paintings - The Church Street Gallery, Cobham

John Hinchcliffe; Recent work - The Crafts Study Centre, The University of Surrey

Awards

1977

British Craft Award for Textiles -

John Player Award Sunday Telegraph Magazine 

1980

Southern Arts Award

1982

Major Award South West Arts

Lecture Tours

1977

Lecture Tour of the USA funded by the American Crafts Council and The National Endowment for the Arts

1978

Lecture Tour of Australia funded by the Australian Crafts Council 

Broadcasting and Publications

1975

Two Contemporary Craftsmen - Subject of BBC2 Second House documentary]

1977

 Rugs from rags - John Hinchcliffe and Angela Jeffs (Orbis Books, 1977)

1994

Ceramic Style: making and decorating patterned ceramic ware - John Hinchcliffe and Wendy Barber (Cassell, 1994)

1995

Print Style: hand-printed patterns for home decoration - John Hinchcliffe and Wendy Barber (Cassell, 1995)

1998

The Arts and Crafts Show - BBC2 

Selected Design Clients

Next

G plan

Boots

Sari Fabrics

Blackstaff Textiles

Poole Pottery

Honiton Pottery

Dart Pottery

Johnson Bros/Wedgewood Group

British Ceramic Tiles

Selected Retailers for Hinchcliffe & Barber

Harrods, London

John Lewis Partnership, Nationwide

General Trading Company, London

Harvey Nichols, London

Bloomingdale's, New York

Macey's, New York

Lord & Taylor, New York

Barneys, New York

Isetan, Tokyo

Printemps, Paris

Teaching

1973-85

West Sussex College of Art & Design - Vising lecturer [Printed & Woven Textiles]

Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts - Visiting lecturer [Woven Textile dept.]

1985-2005 

West Dean College - Visiting lecturer [Textile and Ceramics]

1985-1987

Clayesmore School - Part-time teacher [Woven and printed textiles]

1995

The Royal College of Art - Occasional lecturer

1997

Yeovil College of Art - Part-time lecturer [Ceramics]

1999

Bournemouth Education Authority - Projects to increase textile and teaching skills to teachers

1999-2001

Clayesmore Preparatory School - Ceramic and Textile Projects 

2002-2010

Milton Abbey School, Dorset