The week’s news in the ceramic art world – February 1, 2024

The applications are now open for the 2024 Shiwan Cup’s Annual International Youth Ceramic Arts Competition: Vitality Clay. The competition will take place at the Guangdong Shiwan Ceramics Museum (Foshan, China) in the Fall of 2024. Various prizes will be awarded, including a Grand Prize worth ~$25,000. Only artists between between the ages of 18 and 45 can apply.

Today we are featuring Kristina Rutar’s article about the kinetic nature of ceramics. From the initial malleability of clay to its final form, Rutar examines how societal views and artistic practices have shaped our interactions with ceramics. The article emphasizes the dynamic, evolving nature of ceramics, showcasing how the interaction between movement and the material opens up a cycle of change and expands clay’s expressive possibilities into performance, multimedia, concept art, and interdisciplinary projects.

Damon Crain at Culture Object New York is accepting submissions of functional forms for an upcoming show. You may submit a maximum of 5 works. This is a good opportunity for artists living in the US. Applications are due February 20, 2024.

For some forty years, potter, theorist, historian, and educator Paul Mathieu has been a powerful voice in ceramics discourse. Through his teaching, writing, lectures, exhibitions—and now, YouTube videos—Mathieu has consistently challenged conventional models for thinking about craft, particularly ceramics. Read Amy Gogarty’s article and discover the perspectives Paul Mathieu offers in his essays on ceramics.

The Clay Studio (Philadelphia, PA) is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year! Join their next Clay & Conversations online talk today (February 1) at 1 PM EST with artists Syd Carpenter & Martha Jackson Jarvis. Happy anniversary!

Sonoma Community Center (California) invites artists to apply to their Artist in Residence Program, offering ceramic artists a supportive work environment to explore ideas and create a cohesive body of work. They offer two 6-month, all-inclusive residencies per year for potters or ceramic sculptors. Applications are due February 15, 2024.

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft is pleased to announce the opening of online applications for the 2024-2025 Cycle (September 2024 – August 2025) of its Artist Residency Program. They offer time and space for craft artists to focus on their creative work and interact with the public. Applications are due March 1, 2024.

The second volume of Contemporary British Studio Pottery (Forms of Expression) was recently released in the US. This volume by Ashley Thorpe explores how contemporary makers use the ancient language of the pot to convey contemporary ideas, from the sculptural and painterly to the ecological and satirical. Find the book on Bookshop (US) or Amazon (world).

Nerikomi: The Art of Colored Clay, by Thomas Hoadley, will be released in February. Published by Herbert Press, this is a fully illustrated examination of the use of color in clay, outlining its history and exploring the styles and techniques of the leading modern makers. Pre-order the book on Bookshop (US) or Amazon (world).

Earlier this month, we published an overview of the winners of the 2023 Jingdezhen International Ceramic Art Biennale: The Journey of Ceramics. It’s a good opportunity to discover exceptional ceramic artists living in China.

We’ve also published Kristina Rutar’s article about the 5th International Ceramics Triennial UNICUM 2023, held in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The event showcased a stunning display of contemporary ceramic art from around the world.

What’s On View: Kiyoshi Kaneshiro and Brian Rochefort: Strange Matter and Linda Lopez: Drift are on view at Mindy Solomon Gallery, Miami / Gareth Mason: Seeing Things is on view at Carpenters Workshop Gallery, Paris / Babs Haenen: Porcelain Mountains at Kunstmuseum De Haag, The Hague / Experimental Ceramics is on view at Strathnairn Arts, Canberra / GRAAH is on view at Galerie Lefebvre & Fils, Paris / Olivia Bax: Floss is on view at Holtermann Fine Art, London