Arts-based curriculum honours Josiah legacy

JOSIAH Wedgwood was unquestionably one of the most creative figures of the Industrial Revolution.

- Paul Williams - Board member, Stoke Creates

In the words of his epitaph in Stoke Minster, he transformed 'a rude and inconsiderable manufactory into an elegant art and an important branch of national commerce'.

A pioneering 18th-century entrepreneur who 'applied himself to the important work of uniting art with industry, Wedgwood's global renown as an 'industrialising genius' and someone who 'commercialised creativity' by challenging traditional industry thinking by leading through innovation and new technology continues to be celebrated in the global digital age.

Tristram Hunt, director of the Victoria and Albert Museum, remarks in The Radical Potter, his recent tribute to the great designer: 'Wedgwood's vision and passion, technical ingenuity and business acumen, speak excitingly to us today.'

The extraordinary craft and design of the Vase Maker General to the Universe made an entire industry of his talent.

Significant achievements included the Portland Vase, which is a testament to the tenacity, persistence and experimental nature of the eponymous pottery founder.