Hilda Katherine Ross facts for kids
Hilda Katherine Ross (born in 1902) was a talented Canadian artist. She was a potter, a painter, and a teacher. Most of her work happened in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Early Life and Art Training
Hilda Ross was born in Ottawa, Ontario. Her parents were William Lebreton Ross and Caroline Stewart Lapman.
She loved art and studied at the Winnipeg School of Art. There, she learned from Group of Seven artist Lionel LeMoine FitzGerald. The Group of Seven was a famous Canadian art group.
Later, she studied with another Group of Seven artist, Frederick Horsman Varley. This was at the British Columbia College of Art. This school later became the Emily Carr University of Art and Design. Hilda also learned about ceramics (making things from clay). She studied ceramics at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Her teachers included Rex Mason and Carleton Ball.
Awards and Exhibitions
Hilda Ross won many awards for her ceramic art. In 1953, she won an award from the Canadian Handicrafts Guild. The next year, in 1954, she received the UBC Art Gallery Purchase Award. This meant the gallery bought one of her artworks.
In 1955, she won another prize for a bowl from the Canadian Handicrafts Guild. She also won an award in 1956 from the Independent Order of the Daughters of the Empire (IODE). This was at the British Columbia Potters 8th Annual Exhibition. Her biggest award was a Gold medal at the Prague International Exhibition in 1962.
Hilda Ross showed her art in many places. She exhibited her work across Canada and in other countries. Some major shows included the Canadian Pavilion at Expo 67. She also showed her art at the Universal and International Exhibition in Brussels in 1958. Her work was seen at the 3rd International Exhibition of Ceramic Art in Prague in 1962. She also had exhibitions in Berlin and Florence in 1964.
Helping Pottery Grow in BC
Hilda Ross played a big part in making pottery a popular art form in British Columbia. In the late 1940s, she taught pottery classes with Molly Carter. These were some of the first independent pottery classes in Vancouver. They taught at Gordon House in West End, Vancouver.
In 1948, Hilda, Molly Carter, and Zoltan Kiss started teaching ceramics at UBC. These classes were in the library basement. The University Branch of the IODE helped pay for the pottery program. In 1952, the classes moved to a new place. They used an old army building that they called the "Pottery Hut." Hilda taught there part-time. Her former teacher, Rex Mason, also taught there.
Hilda also helped potters find good clay. In 1958, she worked with Olea Davis, Reg Dixon, and Stan Clarke. They received money from a grant. They used it to write a report about British Columbia clays for UBC. This report helped local potters find materials.
In 1949, Hilda Ross visited the Canadian Guild of Potters in Ontario. After her visit, she, Olea Davis, Avery Huyghe, and Stan Clarke decided to start a similar group in British Columbia. This group became the Potters Guild of British Columbia in 1955. Olea Davis was the first president of the guild.
