HOW ART CAN SAVE A LIFE – In conversation with Marice Cumber
We spoke with ceramicist Marice Cumber about how her lived experiences have impacted her creative practice, livelihood, and mental well-being over time. Exhibited today by Own Art member Zuleika Gallery, among others, Marice discusses how important it is that her work may be accessed by and accessible to as many people as possible and that “without Own Art, people are denied the possibility of enjoying art.”
Marice’s creative journey began in her 20s when she made ceramics at Morley College. In the mid 80’s she started a design business using the motifs developed through her hand-built work, to decorate china mugs, plates and other ceramics. Marice started the business to support her fine art practice, but “if you’re going to run a business, you’ve got to run a business” she told me, which she did until her 40s – putting her creative practice on hold. Marice then went into teaching and founded the charity Accumulate, The Art School For The Homeless, where she worked with hostels, asylum seekers, and ex-offenders across London to provide creative workshops.
About 5 years ago, an old friend said, “This is all very well, Marice, but when are you going to get back to your ceramics?” A question that cut her like a dagger to her heart. She recognises now that in those later years, “there was a deep lack of fulfilment because I wasn’t doing what I should have been doing”. Many female artists give up their creative practice when they have children, which was the case for Marice. She remarked that “for female artists, other things take priority, but rarely does a man give up his creative practice or studio when he has kids”, and that so much talent is lost because of this. After that comment from her friend, Marice booked herself a spot at Turning Earth, which she described as “like a gym membership, but for pottery”; you pay per week and are given access to the studio.
The Big Cup of Looking Over My Shoulder, 2021
“I remember the day I went back to ceramics – I brought my clay, unpacked it and began making the only thing I could think of. I felt this overwhelming, physical sensation like I was an empty well that was finally being filled up with water again. With the smell of the clay and the kiln, I felt an unbelievable sense that I was finally where I was meant to be.”
When Marice was about fifty, she took a year off work due to a breakdown in her mental health. During this very difficult time, she kept diaries of her emotions – her reflections on a life lived up to that point. As a creative person who had denied herself a means of self-expression for so long, her diaries became the therapy that she needed. At Turning Earth, surrounded by people throwing mugs and plates, Marice looked to her diaries for inspiration and reflected on how this felt, “When I gave these thoughts a physical presence in my pottery, it was like I was expelling them from myself. When I was writing it down, it was just between me and my diary, but now I was making physical objects in a shared studio space, where my thoughts had nowhere to hide.”
The Tall Vessel of (almost) Freedom, 2024
Suddenly, and unexpectedly for Marice, people in the studio were saying how much they loved her work and that she could sell them (a thought that had never crossed her mind). Turning Earth put on a Christmas craft fair each year, and after shying away from the first one, when Christmas came around again, Marice said to herself “You’ve got to get out of bed!”
So, she did. She had her stall with her “bonkers work”, amongst others selling plates and bowls and trinkets. In that first year, the reception was good, but people weren’t buying. Then, an art consultant called Lousia Warfield showed interest saying, “Your work is important, it speaks to me – let’s keep in touch”, giving Marice her card. The following year, Louisa returned to the craft fair, this time purchasing something and inviting Marice to exhibit with her at the London Art Fair where she sold many pieces – one to a collector who, on receiving the artwork, loved it so much that she took all of what Louisa had left of Marice’s work!
Marice returned to the London Art Fair in 2022 with sixteen works and was left with just one – “It was crazy, I just couldn’t believe what was going on”, Marice recalled. Around this time, Louisa introduced her to Zuleika Gallery, who took some work for their summer show and continues to exhibit her work today. Marice said that she owes her art career to Louisa because she would never have gone to that gallery and pitched herself, but Louisa believed in her.
Blue Beakers
People would have very emotional responses to Marice’s work, some even bursting into tears at the words written on them, the words she had taken from her diaries. What had begun as a necessary therapeutic act, exercised in private, was now being said out loud for audiences to hear and respond to. “I think my honesty was my biggest asset, my bravery to say how shit things can be sometimes. These feelings and reflections aren’t just mine – they belong to so many people”, Marice told me.
Access to the arts has always been at the core of Marice’s work because she understands how beneficial creativity can be for people. “When I talk about creativity, it’s not just about making”, Marice said, “it is also about the joy that art can bring somebody”. Own Art allows more people to be able to afford the art that brings them joy, something that Marice recognises as deeply important.
“I’m conscious of the price of my work – that it’s out of reach for a lot of people – but the emotions they speak to aren’t restricted to those within a certain income bracket. They are universal. I want my work to be accessed by and accessible for as many people as possible because if it is healing for them, then it shouldn’t be just for the privileged few”.
The Tall Vessel of Feeling Smug, 2023
Marice went on to say that she would be happier if more of her buyers were people on lower incomes, first-time buyers and those that Own Art supports because “then you know how significant that purchase is. It is more of a financial consideration for someone using Own Art to buy an artwork than someone who can afford to purchase conventionally, and that opportunity can be life-changing. It could turn them into a collector. Without Own Art, we could be missing out on a whole generation of buyers, collectors and tastemakers in the art market”. Marice continued,
“I think that the presence of Own Art in galleries makes those spaces less intimidating to people who may not have accessed them before. With Own Art, the gallery becomes a place for everyone – with it, anyone can be an art buyer or a collector. Without it, people are denied the possibility of enjoying art and if the Arts Council wants to help more people to experience the benefits of art, then that benefit would be denied without the Own Art scheme.”
The Big Cup of Total Truth and Honesty
Marice concluded our talk by saying that through it all, she had learned that things do happen for a reason, recognising that she could never have made the work she makes today in her 20s and 30s. It is clear just how important, how lifesaving, art has been for her, as it is for so many people. At Own Art, we believe that art should be for everyone, and it is our mission to continue to reduce the financial barriers and perceptions of elitism that commonly exist within the art market, by making it easier and more affordable for people to purchase and enjoy original art and craft, regardless of their income and socio-economic background.
Find out more…
Marice and her work
Instagram: @maricecumber
Website: www.maricecumber.com
Zuleika Gallery
Instagram: @zuleikagalleryuk
Website: www.zuleikagallery.com
Accumulate
Instagram: @accumulate_ldn
Website: www.accumulate.org.uk
Turning Earth
Instagram: @turning_earth
Website: www.turningearth.org
This article was written and edited by Steph Garratt following an interview with Marice Cumber. All quotes come from Marice herself, edited by Steph for length and clarity
Image credits: Doug Atfield