Frances Smith

Team Leader

Frances completed a four-year design course at the Sydney College of the Arts.  She worked in television, becoming head of design for Channel 7 in Sydney before travelling to London, where she worked in various galleries and design practices.

Back in Australia, Fran was a senior designer at the ABC News before moving to the Sixty Minutes team in Sydney.  Later Fran headed the design department at a major independent TV studio.

Throughout this time, Fran worked in clay, gaining competence in both throwing and glazing, working at night and weekends mostly, but for several happy years, as a full-time production potter.

Fran says, “Compared to most of the mediums I have used, clay is the most challenging – but it is also the most rewarding.”

Fran was recently awarded an Advanced Diploma In Ceramic Design from the NSW TAFE.

Frances’ exhibition work has won several awards including in the recent North Queensland Ceramic Arts competition.  Her major exhibition celebrating the centenary of the birth of Australian poet Judith Wright has been successfully touring regional Queensland for the past two years attracting large audiences.