The week’s news in the ceramic art world – June 14, 2023

• The Hunterdon Art Museum in Clinton (New Jersey) recently opened Claybash 2023, a juried exhibition exploring the innovation and diversity of contemporary ceramics by artists from across the United States. The first in a series of triennial exhibitions planned by the museum, Claybash 2023 features works by 42 ceramic artists selected by juror Jennifer Martin, executive director of The Clay Studio in Philadelphia. Congratulations to the winners: Skeff Thomas (1st Prize), Joan Lurie (2nd Prize), and Mila Vovk, Tony Moore, Joni Maya Oye (Honorable Mentions). Read more and view an exclusive photo gallery.

• Meet Lauren Kearns, a ceramic artist and teacher who boldly decided to relocate to the scenic south of France in 2018, where she opened a ceramics studio and residency program. Named IaRex l’Atelier: International Artists Residency Exchange, this creative space welcomes individuals who want to work independently, take private lessons, participate in workshops, or have a pause in travels and create in a beautiful environment. In this interview published in Ceramics Now, Kearns takes us on a journey through her inspiring path in the world of ceramics.

• The Virginia A. Groot Foundation just opened the applications for its 2024 Grants and offers three grants (up to $60,000, $30,000, $20,000) to artists with exceptional talent and demonstrated ability in ceramic sculpture. They welcome and encourage international applicants. Applications are due February 1, 2024.

• Join artists Elena Gileva and Rebecca Griffiths, with Tessa Peters as chair for Clay in Conversation 4: Risk, the fourth in a series of conversations curated by artist Julia Ellen Lancaster, presenting artists working with clay and ceramics. Each conversation centers on a specific theme – acting as a lens through which the artists will present a single piece of work or project. A Q&A session with the audience follows the presentations. The event will be held at the University of Westminster, London, on June 23.

• MIC Faenza announced the winners of the 62nd Faenza Prize: Yves Malfliet (Over 35 Prize) and Bao Wei (Under 35 Prize). Anja Seiler, Marieke Pauwels, Sarah Pschorn, Victor Fotso Nyie, Marco Samorè, Elysia Athanatos, Hongli Peng, and Velimir Vukicevic won other prizes. The exhibition will open on July 1st at the International Museum of Ceramics in Faenza.

• The Competition of Contemporary Ceramic Art “Mediterraneo” also announced the list of selected artists for this year’s event. The winners of the 30th edition will be announced at the exhibition’s opening reception on July 2nd.

• HANDMADE: A Scientist’s Search for Meaning Through Making by Anna Ploszajski will be published later this month. Anna, a flawed twenty-something materials scientist, travels the length and breadth of the country to meet makers, artists and craftspeople to try her hand at their craft. Each chapter focuses on a different material. By the end, Anna’s eyes become opened to the human side of materials, and the journey takes her from thinking like a scientist to handmaking like an artist. Buy the book on Bookshop (US) or Amazon (world).

• Anglim/Trimble (San Francisco) invites the public to an artist talk and walk-through with John Roloff on June 17 at 3 pm. John’s current exhibition, Sentient Terrains, presents new ceramic projects, assemblages, and related site studies that investigate metabolism, climate, transmutation, and correlations between living and non-living systems. During his talk, John will explain how the exhibition is thematic, interwoven from narratives explored in his work from the mid-1990s to the present, focusing on new work, new ceramics, and new approaches.

• Anderson Ranch Arts Center (Colorado) announced its annual benefit art auction details. This year, the Ranch will exclusively highlight contemporary ceramic artworks, with works from artists including Kazunori Hamana, Roger Herman, Yukiko Kuroda, Hun Chung Lee, Erin Jane Nelson, Jun Kaneko, Kathy Ruttenberg, Arlene Shechet, Katie Stout, and Bari Ziperstein. Proceeds from the auction will support emerging artists with scholarship aid and access to career-enhancing faculty and facilities.

• The ceramic art community is sad to learn about the passing of artist and professor Jim Melchert. Throughout his remarkable fifty-year career, Jim Melchert left a lasting impression of grace and influence on the ceramic arts community. Read the message from Griff Williams, owner of Gallery 16, and look into Jim Melchert’s body of work to remember his artistic contributions.

• The second edition of the International Ceramics Symposium “Bird of Paradise” took place a few weeks ago in Lopota, Georgia. Twelve artists from 9 countries participated in the symposium, contributing to an open-air museum.

• The second edition of the Delft Ceramics Days will take place later this month in the historic city center of Delft, the Netherlands. Over 70 artists from all over the world will show their work at the ceramics market.

• What’s On View: Rites of Passage is on view at Joanna Bird Gallery, London / Splintered: Ali Smith And Virginia Leonard and Fractured: Andrew Casto, David Hicks, Francie Bishop Good are on view at Mindy Solomon Gallery, Miami / Wild Hearts: Ule Elwelt, Bertrand Secret, Mélanie Duchaussoy is on view at Galerie Terra Viva, Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie / Emily Yong Beck: Gimbap Heaven 김밥천국 is on view at Galerie Lefebvre & Fils, Paris / Gabo Martinez: The Land of Flowers is on view at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Houston / Brian Molanphy: lǎo měi chá 老美茶 is on view at 純Object, Taipei City / Holding Space is on view at Clay Art Center, Port Chester, NY / Nesting is on view at Fuguei Art Museum, Taiwan / The Weight of Clay: 40 Years of the Collection opens this week at The Art Gallery of Burlington, Ontario