Friend of the Akili Trust and art expert Dr Marie Anne Mancio returns to give a talk on the work of renowned ceramic artist Magdalene Odundo, whose work is currently on exhibition at The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge until July.

All proceeds raised from tickets to this talk go directly to supporting community libraries and educational opportunities in Kilifi County, Kenya.

Magdalene Odundo in Cambridge

The Fitzwilliam Museum describes Kenyan born Odundo as one of the greatest ceramic artists working today. They write:

'Her distinctive, burnished vessels are informed by a range of art and craft traditions from around the world.

This display marks 50 years since Odundo moved from Kenya to Cambridge to take an Art Foundation Course at Cambridge School of Art. Intending to study graphic design, Odundo soon switched her focus to ceramics, inspired by Zimbabwean-born pottery teacher, Zoë Ellison. Ellison encouraged Odundo in her first attempts at making and introduced her to a number of contemporary British studio potters.

Immersed in Cambridge, Odundo visited The Fitzwilliam Museum and the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology where she was captivated by the versatility of clay and hugely influenced by the variety of ceramics from around the world on display.

These visits to Cambridge museums combined with Ellison’s teaching underpinned Odundo’s decision to embark on a career in ceramics and inspired her subsequent trips to train with women potters in Nigeria and Kenya.

In this display, Odundo brings together a selection of the global ceramics from Cambridge collections that were key to this formative period and examples of her own unmistakable work.'