Child vandals smash pottery at Holloway Arts Festival exhibition

Published: 02 July, 2010
by RÓISÍN GADELRAB

CHILDREN ran riot through a Holloway Arts Festival exhibition preview on Friday night, smashing a prized piece of pottery made by a disabled artist who can use only one hand.

Lee Savery, who has cerebral palsy, said he was shocked that anyone could destroy the hard work of artists displaying their work at the first ever exhibition at Art and Clay in Roman Way.

The opening night of the exhibition by artists living around the Roman Way-Caledonian Road area was shattered by three children who came into the show and started running around.

As the 30-strong group of exhibitors and visitors tried to form a human wall to stop work being damaged, one of the children picked up a bowl made by Mr Savery and threw it at a window, where it smashed.

Police were called and the children eventually agreed to leave. Witnesses say they returned the next day and threw bricks at the centre’s door.

Pauline Finnegan, who founded Art and Clay three years ago, says the centre has been the target of a campaign of harassment.

She said: “We’ve had harassment for about three years. We’ve had over 550 logged incidents but things had quietened down. 

“This was our first exhibition. It was of local artists, many of whom didn’t know each other until we did this. We’re so proud of this show.  Then on Friday they came in, picked up the bowl and threw it at a window. It was nasty.”

She added: “I just felt devastated because I know how much time and effort it took the artists. Lee made the pot over several weeks. He’s on a mission to be a potter.”

Mr Savery, 32, a former pupil at Richard Cloudesley School in Finsbury, said: “It’s terrible, really shocking. It’s such a shame that it happened. Pauline’s been putting up with this for a long time. 

“If it wasn’t for people like Pauline I’d be in the shadows. She taught me to throw pots with one hand.”