b. 1951, Turkey

Jenny Orchard is a highly recognised ceramic artist. Her work is represented in all the major art galleries in Australia, including the National Gallery of Australia and the Powerhouse Museum, as well as in galleries and private exhibitions overseas. She has exhibited throughout Australia and in Germany, Japan, Italy and the USA.

She currently teaches ceramics at the university of New South Wales, whilst maintaining a continuous exhibiting programme from her studio.

My current work is about metaphor and metamorphosis, a merging of plant and animal, marine and airborne; microscopic and monumental life forms. Each figure has a story to tell, they emerge from an interconnected unconscious, and represent a frozen millisecond, hoping to flash a simple message, the celebration of our precious diversity. -- Jenny Orchard, 2001

Jenny has had a continuous exhibiting record since 1980; internationally beginning in 1989 with the Contemporary Australian Ceramics show at the Couturier Gallery in Los Angeles, and the contemporary Ceramic Art show at the Tao Gallery in Tokyo.

Her works have been shown at CINAFE and SOFA (sculptural objects and functional art) in Chicago between 1994 and 1999. Delinquent Angel, an exhibition of Australian Historical Aboriginal and Contemporary Ceramics at the Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche in Faenze Italy 1995, and SOFA, Miami Florida in 1995 and New York in 1999. In 2000, Jenny won the Townsville Regional Gallery Ceramics Award and had works on show at the Marianne Heller Gallery in Heidelberg, Cerebration-ceramics at the Manly Regional Gallery and the Gold Coast Regional Gallery biannual ceramics award show. Her work will feature in the International Ceramics show at the Rufford Craft Centre, Ollerton, Nottinghamshire in September. She was also represented at SOFA in Chicago by Gallery 500 Rita Greenfield.

Represented in collections
 

Australian National Gallery, Canberra
Victorian National Gallery
Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Tasmania
Art Gallery of Western Australia
Art Gallery of South Australia
Queen Victorian Museum, Launceston
Powerhouse Museum, Sydney
Aichi Prefecture Government Design Center, Japan
Snowy Mountains Authority, Cooma
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
University of New South Wales
Darling Downs Institute, Queensland
Orange Regional Gallery
Shepparton Regional Gallery, Victoria
Queensland Institute of Technology
Gold Coast Regional Art Gallery
Bathurst Regional Gallery
Newcastle Regional Gallery
Queensland Art Gallery
Private collectors in the USA, Japan, England and Europe include Billy Wilder, Elton John, Pamela Stephenson and Billy Conolly.

Publications
 

Ceramics Art and Perception, No 30 1997
Ceramics Art and Perception, No 7 1992
Pottery in Australia, 37/3 September 1998
Masters of their craft, Norris Iannow, Craftsman Press 1997
Australian art and artists, Sue Melville and Julie Rollinson, Science Press 1996
Contemporary ceramic art in Australia and New Zealand, Janet Mansfield, Craftsman House 1995
Aspects of art, L Tessorero and H Nilson, Science Press 1989
A Collector's guide to contemporary Australian ceramics, Janet Mansfield, Craftsman Press 1988
New art two, Neville Drury, Craftsman House 1988
Spirit and place artworks on Commonwealth properties in Australia, Pot Still Press

Reviews
 

Canberra Times, 20 February 1998
Muse, March 1998
Huntleys Australian Art Investor, February 1990
Australian Financial Review, 16 September 1988
Sydney Morning Herald, 3 December 1986 and 28 April 1987

Commissions
 

Ceramic murals for Sheraton International Hotel, Arlington, Virginia, USA
Ceramic mural for Darling Harbour, Sydney
Ceramic murals for Vatulele Resort, Fiji

Teaching positions
 

University of New South Wales
Sydney University
National Art School
Randwick CAE