The Leach Pottery: Community & Legacy

The Leach Pottery is currently undergoing the biggest changes onsite since it was set up in 1920. It is expanding its teaching and training spaces, building capacity for more apprenticeships, working with the local community, redesigning interpretation around the old pottery, creating new spaces for temporary exhibitions and getting ‘hands on’ with clay. Sustainability is a big part of the changes it is making onsite, from the environmental impact of buildings and firings to the longevity of the charity itself. Community and connection are at the heart of all of this work, creating a space for friendship, experiences and the pottery’s legacy.

Libby Buckley has been Director of the Leach Pottery since 2016, leading its transformation into a thriving cultural hub for training, making, residencies, exhibitions, and commerce. With nearly 20 years of experience as a museum director, she previously led the Telegraph Museum Porthcurno and held roles at the British Museum, the Postal Museum, and the Turks & Caicos National Museum. A Fellow of the Museums Association and the RSA, she has attracted over £10 million in investment to the Leach Pottery. The daughter of a silversmith and a weaver, she has a lifelong passion for craft and currently also serves as Vice Chair of the St Ives Town Deal Board.