By Louise Irvine

It wasn’t just the elephants who were dancing for joy on November 18 when Fée Halsted, the founder of Ardmore Ceramic Art in South Africa, received the Order of Ikhamanga in Silver for her contribution to visual art and generous transferring of skills to others. The National Orders are the highest awards that South Africa, through its President, bestows on its citizens. President Cyril Ramaphosa presented the 2021 National Orders Awards which recognize the contributions made by individuals towards building a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa and improving the lives of South Africans.

The results of Fée’s endeavors are much in evidence in the Ardmore gallery at WMODA, which she opened in 2017, and it has become one of the most popular exhibits in the museum. Subsequent exhibitions, including Safari for the Soul, the Big Five and Safari Dance have introduced Ardmore to a wider audience in the US. Many of our WMODA visitors have started collecting these unique pieces of ceramic art and decorating their homes with pillows, table linens and other décor available at our Ardmore selling events..

On November 12 and 13, Ed Pascoe brought a great selection from his gallery for our pop-up selling exhibition including a massive pair of elephant urns standing over 33 inches tall. Ed had just returned from visiting Fée at the Ardmore studio in South Africa and guests enjoyed hearing the latest news about the talented artists and choosing new pieces for their collections.

The monumental ceramics have moved on to their next show but a selection of the smaller pieces, including teapots, trays, and trinket boxes, will be on display at WMODA for a festive month of Holiday gift shopping. We also have a fabulous range of Ardmore pillows and tabletop accessories in our Studio Collection. Big cats and mischievous monkeys cavort alongside elephants in our safari shopping selection of pillows in silk, cotton, and velvet as well as the new outdoor Solaris collection. For your Holiday table, we have Ardmore placemats, coasters, and tea towels in stock. We can also order tablecloths and runners in time for Christmas.

All sales benefit the educational programs at WMODA, a 501c3 not-for-profit museum. You don’t have to purchase a ticket to visit the museum to shop with us.

Save the date for Louise Irvine’s Ardmore presentation A Safari for the Soul at the Palm Beach Show on Friday, February 18.