90 - An article on visibility and representation in South African ceramics

Ceramics Now Weekly #90 features an article on representation in South African Ceramics, highlights from London Craft Week and Ceramic Art London 2025, the week's news, and new artist profiles.

Jun 24, 2025

Hello! Welcome to the 90th edition of Ceramics Now Weekly. This is Vasi Hirdo, the founding editor of Ceramics Now.

I hope you are doing well today 👋

Before we begin, I'd like to highlight the June 2025 issue of Ceramics Now Magazine, which features Claire Lindner's work on the cover. This issue brings together essays, artist profiles, and exhibitions that reflect the evolving language of contemporary ceramics. Ceramics Now members get instant access to the magazine. Learn more about subscriptions and join our community here if you haven't already.

Let's see what's new.

Shaping Visibility: Reflecting on Representation in South African Ceramics

By Monica Monaia

South Africa, with its rich diversity of ethnicities, is often seen as a place of cultural convergence. Art, in its many forms, holds a significant place in the country’s cultural landscape. It is also home to a vibrant community of ceramicists, where traditional and contemporary practices intersect in dynamic ways. The art of ceramics is particularly celebrated through various events that bring together an eclectic group of artists, showcasing their work and highlighting the depth of talent within the field.

Despite this rich artistic environment, the full diversity of South Africa’s ceramic community is not always equally reflected across all spaces. While many Black artists are nationally and internationally recognized, questions remain about access, visibility, and structural equity, especially for Black and Multiracial ceramicists.1 This article reflects on the evolving dynamics of representation in South African ceramics, drawing from personal interviews and recent initiatives aimed at bridging past and present.

Highlights from London Craft Week and Ceramic Art London 2025

By Emma Park

Appreciation of traditional and contemporary crafts is booming in London, and ceramics is comfortably established as one of the most popular. This was demonstrated in May by two of the highlights of the city’s art calendar, London Craft Week (12-18 May) and Ceramic Art London (9-11 May). London Craft Week, in its eleventh edition this year, was an ambitious festival which encompassed over 400 exhibitions, installations, masterclasses and performances around the city. Ceramic Art London, held in the exhibition space of the ever more developed district of Kensington Olympia, presented stalls with the work of 120 makers from around the world, accompanied by a programme of talks. In what follows, we review some of the highlights of both events.

New featured artists in Ceramics Now

Kristy Moreno’s artist profile was published with the participation of OCHI Gallery, Los Angeles.

The week’s news in the ceramic world

🙌 We recently announced our first-ever Open Call for ceramic artists. We're looking for artists working with ceramics whose works reflect unique perspectives and the creative potential of the field to be featured in the 15-year anniversary issue of Ceramics Now Magazine (December 2025). The call is part of our commitment to editorial independence, giving a voice to artists worldwide and creating new connections across the ceramics community. All ceramic artists are encouraged to apply.

🥇 The first edition of the Jingdezhen Prize will take place in October at the Taoxichuan Ceramic Art Avenue in Jingdezhen, China. Initiated by the World Crafts Council (WCC), the International Academy of Ceramics (IAC), and the Jingdezhen Ceramic Creative Design Center, the 2025 Jingdezhen Prize aims to create a high-level platform for the global exchange and cooperation in ceramic innovation, engaging artists, collectors, designers, museums, and art lovers worldwide. Several prizes and residencies will be awarded, including the Jingdezhen Prize worth around $14,000. The competition includes distinct categories such as creative design, emerging artists, interdisciplinary practice, and the main Jingdezhen Prize. Applications are due July 30, 2025.

👌 Artists are invited to apply for the 2026 Taiwan Ceramic Residency Program. To broaden the perspectives of contemporary ceramics and encourage interaction and learning among artists from diverse cultural backgrounds, the Yingge Ceramics Museum has initiated this international residency program to provide ceramic artists from around the world an opportunity to engage deeply with Taiwan's ceramic art and culture. The program offers ceramic facilities, working space, accommodation, material subsidies, and transportation subsidies. Applications are due July 31, 2025.

🗨️ Join Clay In Conversation 11: Residency for a deep dive into the world of Artist/Makers Residencies. Taking place on July 3, 2025, at the University of Westminster (Portland Hall), this event explores the value and impact of artist residencies. Hear from Harriet Hellman, Jacqui Ramrayka, Alex Simpson, and Julia Ellen Lancaster as they share their residency experiences. The conversation continues with a panel discussion chaired by Tessa Peters, tackling key questions around what artists seek from residencies, how to find the right fit, and how to influence future models.

🎓 The Bruckner Foundation in Carouge, Switzerland, is now accepting applications for its 2025 Support Residencies, with an extended deadline of August 31, 2025. Two residencies are available: the Support Residency for Young Ceramicists, open to recent graduates from Swiss ceramics schools, and the Support Residency for Ceramics Creation, open to all ceramicists and artists regardless of nationality, age, or background. Both residencies offer two or three months of studio access, financial support, and possible free accommodation in Carouge.

📍 Several ceramic events are taking place later this week. The first edition of the International Ceramic Sculpture Triennale Poland (ICST) opens on Thursday, June 26, in Warsaw. Saint-Sulpice Céramique (June 26-29) transforms Paris's Place Saint-Sulpice into a hub for ceramic art, while the International Ceramics Festival (June 27-29) returns to Aberystwyth Arts Centre in Wales, featuring exhibitions, firings, and talks. The 63rd Faenza Prize opens on Friday, June 27, at MIC Faenza in Italy, showcasing exceptional contemporary ceramic artists. The Festival of High Temperatures (June 28-29) in Wrocław, Poland, hosts an international tea bowl competition and other events, and The Hepworth Wakefield Ceramics Fair (June 28-29) gathers ceramicists and makers from the UK. All these events are mentioned in our Ceramics Calendar.

💬 The Ceramics Program at the Office for the Arts at Harvard is hosting two artist lectures with Mary Cale Wilson (June 26) - Mary Cale Wilson's sculptures, ceramics, and paintings explore themes of visual culture, memory, and home, and Lily Fein (July 31) - Lily Fein makes coil-built porcelain vessels that capture and imply movement. The objects morph and change as she creates them, developing a language of improvisation that gives form to a stream-of-consciousness approach to making. Registration is free.

🔨 We recently published a news piece on the new Ceramind Tools clay extruder. Designed for efficiency and consistency, the extruder makes it easy to create clean coils, perfect handles, and custom shapes—fast. Built for serious studio use, it offers strong torque, easy cleaning, and a wide range of die options, including custom designs. A smart upgrade for handbuilders and throwers alike.

⚱️ 1001 Pots, Canada's largest ceramics event, is back for its 36th edition from July 4 to August 17, 2025, in the heart of the village of Val-David. This outdoor gathering, which annually welcomes over 100 ceramists from Quebec and beyond, offers visitors an immersion in the world of ceramics.

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