The week’s news in the ceramic art world – March 20, 2024

• Applications for Artist in Residence programs are typically accepted around March. Here is a short list of programs in the United States that are mostly fully funded:

Northern Clay Center (Minneapolis, MN). Applications are due May 17
Office for the Arts at Harvard (Boston, MA). Applications are due April 5
Carbondale Clay Center (Carbondale, CO). Applications are due April 8
Artshack Brooklyn (New York, NY). Applications are due April 1
Clay Art Center (Port Chester, NY). Applications are due April 1
Saratoga Clay Arts Center (Schuylerville, NY). Applications are due May 1
Wesleyan Potters (Middletown, CT). Applications are due March 31
The Clay Studio of Missoula (Missoula, MT). Applications are due April 2
Baltimore Clayworks (Baltimore, MD). Applications are due April 1
KC Clay Guild (Kansas City, MO). Applications are due April 15
Flower City Arts Center (Rochester, NY) Applications are due April 15
Mudflat (Somerville, MA). Applications are due April 16
Sawtooth School for Visual Art (Winston-Salem, NC). Applications are due May 15
Morean Center for Clay (St. Petersburg, FL). Applications are due April 30
Starworks (Star, NC). Applications are due April 15
Pocosin Arts (Columbia, NC). Applications are due April 1
Iowa Ceramics Center and Glass Studio (Cedar Rapids, IA). Applications are due March 31
Clayroom (San Francisco, CA). Applications are due March 31
LUX Center for the Arts (Lincoln, NE). Applications are due April 10

• NCECA’s 58th Annual Conference, Coalescence, opens today in Richmond, Virginia. The event promises a wide range of experiences and exhibitions for everyone who wants to learn about the continuing evolution of humankind’s most enduring art form. The conference is anticipated to have around 5,000 attendees, including artists, designers, educators, students, and scholars. Various arts organizations, groups of artists, and galleries across the region will hold exhibitions during NCECA. Read more about the event, download the program (pdf) and the exhibitions listing (pdf), and follow the events on Instagram #NCECA2024.

• The Tyler School of Art and Architecture (Philadelphia, PA) invites artists to apply to their Artist in Residence Program. The resident artist mentors the undergraduate and graduate programs and compliments two full-time faculty, a full-time ceramics technician, adjunct faculty, and 4-6 MFA students. The resident artist will teach 1-2 courses each semester and is provided with a 150-square-foot studio space, materials, and kiln access. Deadline: April 1.

• The cultural office of Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie (France) invites artists to apply to its Artist Residency program. The residency aims to support artists in developing their creative process, encourage artistic research by experimenting with new techniques and approaches, and share know-how through artistic collaboration with local craftspeople. It is also a vehicle for establishing links with the locals. Applications are due April 14.

• The New York Times recently published a wonderful article by Hilarie M. Sheets about the Toshiko Takaezu retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. Born in Hawaii to parents of Okinawan ancestry, Toshiko Takaezu (1922–2011) was a technically masterful and innovative artist best known for her ceramic sculptures, which she treated as abstract paintings in the round. Her gestural style, distinctive palettes, and complex layering of glazes align with the practices of Abstract Expressionists, who were her contemporaries.

• If you happen to visit London in the next few weeks, make sure to book your ticket to the IN CLAY musical. Based on a true story, this “poignant reflection on ambition, regrets & self-fulfillment” (Fringebiscuit) is told from a quaint Parisian kitchen in the late 1930s. Marie-Berthe Cazin, a ceramist in her early 40s, eagerly awaits the arrival of her closest childhood friend and now-celebrated artist, Henrietta Tirman. As Marie prepares for the evening ahead, she reflects on the great joys and sorrows of a life devoted to making art.

• Book recommendation: Glazes for the Contemporary Maker by Louisa Taylor. This is an essential guide for all ceramic artists and potters looking to expand their knowledge and gain confidence in this dynamic area of ceramics practice. The book provides a holistic approach and serves as an introduction to glaze chemistry, materials knowledge, and methods of application via detailed step-by-step guidance and informative text. Buy the book on Bookshop (US) or Amazon (world).

• In the landscape of mid-20th century Japan, two significant sculptural ceramic movements, Sodeisha and Shikokai, emerged concurrently during the post-war period. Dai Ichi Arts (New York) is thrilled to present a landmark exhibition this March that illuminates the richness of these historical movements, offering a distinctive lens through which to explore “Post-war” ceramics from Japan. Read an excerpt from the essay “The Role of Shikokai and Sodeisha in Postwar Ceramic Art Objects” by Kazuko Todate.

• Stewart Scambler’s ceramic ode to the Land, Yindjibarndi Country, won the 2023 John Stringer Prize (Australia). Read an article by Louise Rae about the winning work.

• The University of Alaska Fairbanks (Fairbanks, AK) is hiring an Assistant Professor of Art – Ceramics / The University of Hartford (West Hartford, CT) is hiring a Ceramics Technician / Middle Georgia State University (Cochran, GA) is hiring an Assistant Professor of Art 3D – Ceramics

• What’s On View: The Clay Studio presents 50 Years in the Making during NCECA 2024 / Turns and Returns: Alison Britton and Johannes Nagel opens tomorrow at Taste Contemporary, Geneva / The Hungarian National Ceramic Art Triennial is on view at m21 Galéria, Pécs / Multitudes by Jessica Smith is on view at The Clay Center of New Orleans, New Orleans / Twenty Four/Seven is on view at Hypha Stratford, London / Kari Aasen: Feelings for Coiling is on view at Format Oslo, Oslo / Eternal Partnership: Japanese Ceramics in Blue/White is on view at Joan B Mirviss Ltd, New York / Sandrine Pagny: Glow Up and Sarah Clotuche: Miroir d’eau are on view at Centre Céramique Contemporaine La Borne, La Borne / Metamorphosis is on view at Nendo Galerie, Marseille