The week’s news in the ceramic art world – July 20, 2026

🙌 Last month, we announced an open call for Ceramics Now Annual, a new flagship publication launching this December (when we also celebrate 16 years of Ceramics Now). Published in print and digital editions, the Annual will feature at least 20 artists selected through an international open call, with the digital edition free to read. Open to ceramic artists worldwide, the call has no fixed theme. Selected artists will receive a dedicated profile in the Annual, online and newsletter visibility, and permanent archival presence on Ceramics Now. We look forward to receiving your applications by September 15, 2026. Submission fee: $15.

👌 The LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize 2027 is now open for submissions, marking the 10th edition of the international prize dedicated to excellence, innovation, and artistic merit in contemporary craft. Artists aged 18 and over, of all nationalities, are invited to submit original, one-of-a-kind works created in the last five years, including ceramics and other applied arts. A shortlist of 30 finalists will be selected for an exhibition and catalogue in spring 2027, when the €50,000 prize will be awarded. Applications close October 15, 2026.

🎓 A-B Projects is inviting proposals for future State of Ceramics programs, an ongoing series of critical, collective conversations about ceramics and its relationship to the wider world. The call is open to artists, curators, historians, anthropologists, material researchers, teachers, and others working with unanswered questions in the field. Applicants are invited to propose a research topic and the questions they would like to explore with participants. The call is open year-round, with the next seasonal deadline on July 31 for programs taking place from September to December.

🧶 Wayne Art Center is inviting artists worldwide to submit work to CraftForms 2026, the 31st International Juried Exhibition of Contemporary Fine Craft. Open to media including ceramics, fiber, glass, metal, wood, mixed media, wearable art, and works using CAD/CAM or 3D printing, the exhibition will be held in Wayne, Pennsylvania, from December 6, 2026 to January 23, 2027. Juried by Dr. Robert K. Liu and Patrick Benesh-Liu, CraftForms 2026 will award over $12,000 in prizes. Submissions close September 9, 2026, with a $50 entry fee.

📌 Artists based in the United States are invited to apply for Peters Valley’s Fall Guest Artist Residency Program (Layton, NJ), taking place in November 2026 with support from the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation. The fully funded residencies are open to artists working in blacksmithing, ceramics, fibers, jewelry/fine metals, wood, or printmaking, and offer two or three weeks of dedicated studio time. Selected artists receive a private room, unlimited access to fully equipped studios, and a stipend of $600 or $900, depending on the residency length. Applications close July 31, with a $10 application fee.

⭐ US-based artists are also invited to apply for the Box Factory Ceramics residency in Queens, New York. The program supports artists with three months of rent-free studio access in a shared, class-free environment designed for independent work. Resident artists receive 24/7 access to the studio and a personal storage shelf while working alongside the studio’s wider membership community. Materials and firing fees are not included. Applications are open from August 1 to October 31, 2026.

🎉 Congratulations to the winners of the 33rd Mediterraneo Contemporary Ceramics Competition in Grottaglie, Italy. The first prize was awarded to Christin Løkke from Norway, while the second prize, a solo exhibition, went to Paula Bastiaansen from the Netherlands. The Under 35 Artist Residency Prize was awarded to Jihuyn Kim from South Korea, and the newly introduced Grande Opera prize was awarded to Elena Buran and Chiara Marchegiani. The exhibition is on view until October 18, with guided tours also available.

🌎 ClayZieFest, a new international ceramics festival, will take place in Belgium from August 20–23, 2026, transforming a former industrial site into a multi-stage event dedicated to clay. Conceived as a ceramics festival with the energy of a music festival, ClayZieFest will bring together live demonstrations, performances, firings, workshops, talks, a partner area, and a market. The programme includes a Main Stage with large-scale demonstrations, Performance Stages where artists develop works over several days, and a Fire Stage for Raku and Naked Raku firings.

🍁 1001 Pots returns to Val-David, Quebec, from July 3 to August 16, 2026, for its 37th edition. Held in a lush garden setting in the Laurentians, just north of Montreal, the event is recognized as one of North America’s largest outdoor ceramics exhibitions. This year’s edition brings together more than 120 ceramic artists from Quebec and beyond, inviting visitors to discover a wide range of functional and sculptural ceramics, meet makers, attend demonstrations, and experience one of the region’s most beloved summer clay events.

📙 Book recommendation: Temperatures Volume 4. Temperatures is an occasional publication about artists working with clay, with each 24-page issue dedicated to a single artist whose work advances the conversation around ceramic art. Volume 4 features Rob Raphael, an artist based in Brooklyn, whose porcelain sculptures bring together references to Etruscan artifacts, Italian Rationalist architecture, and the life and work of Corrado Cagli. The issue presents Raphael’s recent works alongside research, images, and selected excerpts from D. H. Lawrence’s Etruscan Places. Published in an edition of 200, and available for $20.

🔎 Farmhouse Pottery in Woodstock, Vermont, is hiring a Production Potter for a full- or part-time position. The role includes production throwing, customer interaction in the open studio, and teaching wheel workshops. / The School of Art within the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Syracuse University (New York) invites applications for a Visiting Assistant Teaching Professor – Ceramics, to begin Fall 2026.