The week’s news in the ceramic art world – October 22, 2025

📙 We’re excited to announce a new call for papers for publication in Ceramics Now Magazine in 2026. Ceramics Now invites submissions of critical essays, exhibition reviews, and research-based articles for upcoming issues of the magazine. In honoring our commitment to showing the evolving trends and concepts that shape contemporary ceramics, we welcome writing that deepens the understanding of clay as a material of artistic, social, and ecological inquiry. We seek contributions that approach ceramics through diverse perspectives — artistic, curatorial, historical, philosophical, political, or environmental.

🌿 The Archie Bray Foundation (Helena, Montana) invites applications for its 2026 artist residencies. Up to seven long-term residencies (each with a $7,500 fellowship) and nine summer residencies ($1,500 scholarships) will be awarded to ceramic artists working across functional, sculptural, and conceptual forms. 2026 marks The Bray’s 75th anniversary, promising an especially dynamic and busy year of creative exchanges. In addition, one international long-term residency will be offered for 2027, also supported by a $7,500 fellowship. Applications close December 17, 2025.

⭐ CRAFT – Center for Research on Fire and Earth Arts (Limoges, France) invites applications for its 2026 international residency. Open to artists, designers, architects, and collectives, the 12-week program supports visionary projects that merge innovation with traditional ceramic expertise. The residency includes a €6,000 grant, up to €3,000 for production costs, accommodation, travel, and technical support. The project will culminate in an exhibition, publication, and international visibility. Applications are due December 31, 2025.

🎓 The Keramikkünstlerhaus Neumünster (Germany) invites applications for the Ceramic Artist Exchange – Tandem 2026. Six seven-week residencies will be awarded to pairs of artists from different generations, focusing on contemporary ceramics, intercultural dialogue, and collaboration. Residents receive free studio and living space, use of equipment and materials, and a €700 grant. The program culminates in a public presentation of works created during the residency. Applications are due November 9, 2025.

🌍 The European Ceramic Festival Terralha (Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie, France) invites applications from ceramic artists across Europe for its 2026 edition, taking place July 12–14, 2026. Twenty artists will be selected to present site-specific installations in unique indoor and outdoor venues throughout the historic village. Terralha offers an immersive encounter with contemporary ceramics through exhibitions, performances, and workshops. Participation fee: €180. Applications are open until January 15, 2026.

🙌 Last week, we announced the artists selected for Ceramics Now’s 15-Year Anniversary edition (to be published in December 2025). This special edition will celebrate 15 years of Ceramics Now, a milestone that marks our belief that ceramics today is as diverse, vital, and forward-thinking as it has ever been. We’re sincerely grateful to everyone who applied and are excited to continue following many artists who captured our attention.

👌 The 17th Aveiro International Biennial of Artistic Ceramics (Portugal) has just opened, transforming the city into a major stage for contemporary ceramic art. Running from October 18, 2025, to January 18, 2026, the Biennale features performances, talks, and no fewer than twelve exhibitions across museums, galleries, and public spaces, including the main competition with 96 artists from 36 countries. Congratulations to the winners: Hanna Miadzvedzeva (1st Prize), Fernando Garcés (2nd Prize), and Shiyuan Xu (3rd Prize).

📌 Applications are open for the Manchester Ceramics Fair 2026, taking place at the Whitworth Art Gallery between March 6-8, 2026. The fair will feature 70 ceramic makers across two floors, a ticketed private view, and Sunday workshops. Artists can apply for a makers’ table or to lead a workshop until November 16, 2025. The event offers a vibrant platform for showcasing contemporary ceramics in a major UK venue.

🗼 The first edition of Ceramic Art Fair Paris opens this week at the Maison de l’Amérique latine (October 21–25, 2025), bringing together 22 international galleries dedicated to ceramics and glass. Coinciding with Paris’s contemporary art week, the fair offers collectors, curators, and art lovers a refined selection of modern and contemporary works. Alongside the gallery presentations, a series of talks and encounters will explore current directions in ceramic art and its dialogue with design and architecture.

📙 Book recommendation: Linda Lighton: Love and War — A Fifty Year Survey, 1975–2025 (Radius Books, 2025) celebrates five decades of bold and subversive ceramic sculpture by American artist Linda Lighton. Through works that intertwine wit, sensuality, and activism, Lighton explores the charged intersections of sex, power, and politics. This richly illustrated monograph features new scholarship situating her feminist, politically engaged practice within the broader evolution of contemporary ceramic art. Buy the book: Bookshop.org (US) or Amazon (world).