Contemporary Australian Ceramics

With our belief in the positive value of cultural exchange, the Crafts Board of the Australia Council is delighted to present this collection of Contemporary Australian Ceramics. We expect that this exciting and compact exhibition will assist in satisfying the increasing international interest being shown in Australian crafts.

The exhibition has been selected by Kenneth Hood, Deputy Director of the National Gallery of Victoria. As a former Curator of Decorative Arts, he has had a long association with the collection of ceramics in Australia, and he draws on a wide perspective and deep, personal knowledge of ceramicists and their work, in bringing this collection together. While this is not a survey exhibition, it amply illustrates the breadth and vigour of ceramic artists currently working in Australia. As one of our earliest established crafts, ceramics continues to dominate both in its maturity and the number of practitioners. The last ten years have seen the emergence of a strong professional core of potters who have responded to their environment in a personal way. Their work reflects a vitality and diversity which now contributes significantly to the international development of ceramics. Perhaps the merging of Asian and European influences may be of greatest interest to the viewers in New Zealand, Canada and the United States.

Sourced from: “Foreward” by Cedar Prest, Chairperson, Crafts Board, Australia Council, Contemporary Australian Ceramics, National Gallery of Victoria, 1982