Review of Ceramic Art York – Rebecca Appleby
Ceramic Art York was presented by the Craft Potters Association of Great Britain and York Museums Trust.
The event took place on Friday September 11th to Sunday September 13th 2015 with the selected work exhibited in a specially commissioned exhibition pavilion in the beautiful surroundings of York Museum Gardens. It showcased contemporary ceramic art from 50 accomplished exhibitors selected from the UK and beyond.
CAY is a brand new event, marking the opening of the new Centre of Ceramic Art (CoCA) at York Art Gallery.
I was elated to be selected for the first CAY. Being based in Leeds I was excited that the CPA (the national body representing ceramic artists in the UK) had decided to organise a major selling fair in the North.
Having participated in Ceramic Art London several years ago I was intrigued as to how CAY would compare. I was not disappointed. In fact I was thoroughly impressed from start to finish. Ben Pugh, Ruth King, staff at CoCA, CPA and YMT tirelessly organised a brilliant show, their enthusiasm, cheer and energy never faulting over the three-day event.
Ceramic Art York displayed an eclectic spectrum of exciting and challenging ceramic works. It was targeted at an enthusiastic and art-loving public as well as gallery owners and collectors. The fair also hosted a daily programme of educational talks, discussions, demonstrations and films – by well-known figures in the ceramics world.
It was evident when walking around the exhibition that the makers were selected, among other things for their love and dedication to clay. I had many a visitor exclaiming how nice it was to chat to the exhibitors about their practise and generally ‘what a lovely, talented, friendly lot we were!’
Personally I loved chatting to visitors and fellow makers about my new body of work, providing me with valuable feedback and a very positive response. It was great to meet ceramicists with a lifetime’s experience as well as new makers at the early stages of their careers. Some valuable advise and knowledge was gained and new friendships were formed.
Another highlight for me was to meet Anthony Shaw in CoCA as part of the Discovery Programme. He was situated in CoCA with his display each day during CAY available for questions and to talk informally about his collection.
I also managed to catch Lars Tharp, (Ceramic and oriental art specialist) on Friday giving a personal take on clay and it’s place in human culture, and a fantastic demonstration on the Sunday by James Oughtibridge discussing his technique using large slabs formed in curved plaster moulds.
In conclusion I know I share the opinion of many others that both exhibited and visited CAY when I say that it was a highly successful event and that I genuinely can’t wait for next year!
