National Ceramics Week

I would like to play a part, no matter how small in raising the profile of Ceramics in the UK, and further afield, which is a possibility with the internet (most of my readers are from the US).

We have ceramics festivals in the UK however they only reach 20-30,00 people. Not an awful lot when you consider the population of sleepy Eastbourne, my home town was at 98,673 in 2011. The population of the Uk stood at 62.2118 Million in 2010 thats means that ceramics festivals reach only 0.048% of the population. That is most certainly a niche market, possibly even an endangered species! 

I have heard about an event that started last year National Ceramics Week in the first week of May which sounds like a fantastic idea and a way to pull people together. You can list any even, no matter how small on the website. AND there is promotional material you can download from the site.

Many people say the way to get ceramics out there is to do it ourselves, from with in our communities. Eventually as time goes by it will become a staple event. Last year 200 potters took part. Could we double it this year? What about in the US is there an event like this? Could it become a global event? 

'To see far is one thing, to get there is another' - Brancusi

I have economic and statistical proof that craft and more specifically Ceramics is-a-changing I just read Rosy Greenlees article on the Huffpost website and she raised some interesting points regarding changes that are effecting ceramics and all of humanity at this moment, as I sit here typing it goes on changing outside my window here on this rainy day and all over the world. It will never stop.
Greenless's article is based on the Crafts Council report Craft in an Age of Change. In the introduction it relates a future 'where hand made might be seen as de-facto requirement'. Are we operating in a business that has no place in the technological age? Is the fact that people who desire to make enough to validate our existence, even if we aren't strictly needed.
Or could it be that we are moving into a space that requires a different definition. Oscar Wilde said 'All art is quite useless'. Even if we are making functional items, it doesn't mean they are a necessity, they could be luxury items that are beyond necessity and move into the realm of luxury and decadence. In the report it states
'if technologies such as 3D printing become ubiquitous, and it becomes possible to make distinctive items at the touch of a button, what does that imply for the whole of craft? Will the boundaries between  craft, fine art and design blur still further as a result? Is such a change a threat to the identity of craft or an opportunity for exchanging ideas across artistis and wider agendas?'

70% of makers do not export their wares, and many are focussed on local trade as a way forward for ceramics and craft. This approach could be shutting off opportunities for better sales and a wider reach. Given that growth is occurring in the East and things are pretty slow here, it is essential that makers start to export. BUT buying hand made tactile items often requires a thorough handling and examination, marketing would have to incredibly well photographed and descriptive language should be used in order to attempt to secure to a sale to a new buyer over the WWW. 

Technology is changing the way we buy, sell and make. New markets are opening up all over the world, particularly in the East. More and more sales are taking place over the internet rather than at craft fairs and shows. Globalisation and competition will mean that the emphasis will be on skills, knowledge, originality and aesthetics. However the waning economy means that people are not making big buys. If all we have to fall back on is quality, authenticity and truth to materials we will need to up the game in order to survive. There does seem to be a natural place fro the hand made in the market, however my feeling is that it will need a helping hand to compete in this world of global marketing, multinationals and cheaply produced products. The tiny sole trader has to find a way to make their voice heard amongst all these giants. The only people that will help us is ourselves. 

I feel like I am being quite negative about the current state of affairs. But we are in turbulent times unless there is recognition of the situation nothing will be done. I am very keen to further open the discourse on this. I have generated a lot of response through my blog with over 6000 visitors. I would really like to encourage people to take part in the debate and offer solutions and ways forward. I am considering creating a body of work that responds to the situation. But then if it had an agenda and a concept behind it, would it then be art?

The Latest on Ceramics World Domination

I posted links to some of my blogs on the ceramicartsdaily.org forum which serves a mainly American audience and was BLOWN AWAY by the responses, here is a link to the full thread, I will break it down a bit and take out some of the suggestions and ideas put forward. There appears to be wide spread recognition by those that contributed to the thread that Ceramics is in a state on flux and is largely on the down turn. University courses are closing, not just in the UK (any info about any other countries would be absolutely brilliant) Ceramics is not being taught on any thing other than a superficial level in schools. I am a secondary school art teacher and I have been involved with the firing up project with the crafts council in the UK in a drive to raise the profile of ceramics in a education. I see it with my own eyes in almost every school I go to. So if there is no one learning it now what it the future of ceramics?

If you type Ceramics into google trends it is plain to see that the amount the Ceramics has been 'Googled' over the past 7 years all over the world is in a steady decline. And is only just starting to Plateau . How do we make this rise? How do we increase general interest.

I will put forward some of the ideas suggested by other Ceramists. I have my own agenda whether I fully realise it or not and these quotes are taken to explore a point that I have seen. I recommend that you take a look at the whole thread to see if you think I am chatting utter rubbish, I have taken the points out of context and it would be wort seeing them in their original place.

Chris Cambell past president of the Potters Council who put forward this suggestion

'The best thing that could happen right now is for potters to hitch their wagons to the "Buy Local" movement. If we could get into that frame of reference marketing we would be golden. You want to buy local food, well how about serving it in local wares'


There has been an enormous rise in the desire for locally made, I link this with the down turn of the economy and the onslaught of the technical revolution in the 1980s. With every move away from what is deemed 'natural', 'organic', 'traditional' or comfortable and familiar there is a counter movement putting us in touch with our roots. It could be likened to the advent of the Arts and Crafts in the 1800 during Industrialisation. People realise that in a global community we need to invest in our locality. Tescos, Starbucks and all these mammoth organisations do little for local communities and take the money and business else where. There is general recognition that in order to keep our communities as communities we need to invest in them, with time and money, or they will whither and die. No body wants to live in a no mans land town which I am sure we have all seen, no matter where in the western world you live. The big multi nationals have taken the business to the industrial estate out of town and all that can be found on the high street is boarded up shops and the proverbial tumble weed. 


Can Ceramics be part of this local revolution? I do see this as a way forward. One of many ways, it should form part of the ceramics revolution, it is a solution but not the situation. We need local makers feeding the local community (which lets face it is quite an old school romantic leachesque idea). But we also need something else something forward looking and innovative, something different, outside of the comfort zone of the old school potter. Dare I adopt the rhetoric of the multi nationals and say a rebranding!!


I am looking for a way to bring ALL of these threads and ideas together. If ANYONE has ANYTHING they are doing which is another way forward. PLEASE comment or send a link.

I have much more to say on this and there is more that I would like to pull from that thread on Ceramic Arts Daily and reflect on. HOWEVER I only have two ceramics days a week (yes you guessed it teaching part time) and I am trying to stick to and hour and a half out of each of those days for blogs/emails etc and I have already gone over today. So I have to stop.....NOW.

One more thing, if you have a reflection or thought. I don't care if you hate my ideas, or you just saw something on the weekend, what ever. PLEASE post a comment here. That way I can gather everything in one place. I am starting to think PHD, and could this be the basis of some sort of research of the current state of ceramics. Just a thought at the moment. 


And finally on a personal note I fired my new kiln for the first time this weekend (£150 it cost, what a bargain). And this is the moment of the first opening of the first bisque....

PS. PLEASE FOLLOW MY BLOG 

A Proposition

Having recently initiated myself into 'twitter' I am yet to determine how it will benefit ceramics or contribute to raising its profile. But I do have a suggestion, which is this:

Anybody, anywhere who into Ceramics create a twitter account and in every 'tweet' somewhere in the sentence put #ceramics. That way when ever you or anybody searches #ceramics, every ceramist/potter/designer/makers last thoughts will be there and we can all pull together and formulate our plans for world domination. I just searched it now on twitter and this is what came up....

The revolution has already begun, we just need to join it!! Unite the ceramic types of the world!

Living in the Past?

Are some ceramic practitioners living in the past? In my post 'Ceramics will Take Over the World' the point that I was attempting to communicate was that the country potter who supplies the local community with tableware at cheap prices is well and truly a thing of the past. We now have potters who work in urban and country studios providing what can only be called luxury goods. Industry has made it impossible for the potter to provide tableware, or any kind of ceramics at affordable prices. To provide tableware at the same competitive prices as Ikea would mean a life of the poverty line. I think that we ned to accept our new place in the world and adapt and change to fill it.

This is a teapot on sale from ikea for £6.99.

I am not making any technical or aesthetic judgements on this teapot. I a purely using it to communicate a point which is that I certainly could not produce a teapot and sell it for that price. I would not be able to put dinner on the table. The annoying thing is that your average consumer does not understand the research, development and hours that goes in to making a teapot such as yours.

This is a teapot by Linda Bloomfield, this teapot retails at £58.

I know which one I would like on both technical and aesthetic terms. I think part of what what we need to do is raise awareness of the amount of work that goes into handmade ceramics and the skill that is required to produce any one item. As much as I do moan about the Leach Legacy I do agree with the old boy that there is something unmistakably magical about using such precious items on a day to day basis, it is this essence that need to be communicated more clearly.

In India in some areas Chai tea is served by Chai Wallas on the side of the road in beautiful low fired biodegradable terracotta cups.

As soon as the tea is finished the cup is dropped to the floor, broken and trodden into the ground. The ground around the stands are orange after thousands of cups of tea. I cannot for one moment imagine getting my coffee from Starbucks in anything but a plastic totally un-biodegradable cup! Even though India is post industrial nation, it is more viable to buy wares from the local potter than it is from a manufacturer outlet as it is more affordable. Although it is changing there as well. The economy there is different. But those days have gone for us in the West. We need to accept that and embrace new horizons. Change is inevitable whether we like it or not. Ceramics is a many facetted beast and it comes in all shapes and sizes. Whether it is conceptual performance art.....

Or more traditional tableware..This video is LEGEND a must see!