call for artists: The British Ceramics Biennial

by | Jan 27, 2015 | call for entry, emerging artist, job posting, monday morning eye candy, movie day, residency opportunity, show us your influences, technical tuesday

The British Ceramics Biennial is returning to Stoke-on-Trent for a fourth time from the 26 Sept to 8 Nov 2015.  Following the success of the last Biennial in 2013, the festival will again take over the spectacular China Hall at the original Spode factory site in Stoke town. Applications are now open for the prestigious AWARD and FRESH exhibitions.

AWARD
At the heart of the British Ceramics Biennial, the AWARD exhibition will again be “It is the energetic, non-conformist, challenging spirit we need to encourage. It is the spirit which brought about Stoke-on-Trent’s success in the 18th century. And the Biennial plays an important part in reviving that culture by bringing in talent, discovering new designers, and forcing us to think on an international scale.” Tristram Hunt, MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central, writing in Apollo Magazine

The celebrated AWARD exhibition will sit at the centre of the fourth British Ceramics Biennial taking place in Stoke-on-Trent from 26 September to 8 November 2015.

In 2015 we will be developing AWARD, with an emphasis on new work, work with little previous exposure, work which projects ceramic practice forward to match the ambition of BCB as a national showcase.

You are invited to apply for the BCB AWARD 2015 – a prestigious exhibition that celebrates the vitality and standing of contemporary British ceramics, in the context of its long history in Stoke-on-Trent.

Deadline for applications: Monday 30 March 2015

Building on the success and growing reputation of the AWARD exhibition by siting the show at the centre of the programme of exhibitions on the Spode site. A new selection panel chaired by Alun Graves (Curator of Ceramics & Glass at the V&A) will choose 10 artists, giving each exhibitor more space, providing a platform and more focused opportunity for critical appraisal.

A single cash prize of ££5,000 will be made together with an offer to the winner to be involved in both the selection process for AWARD 2017 and the subsequent BCB 2017 exhibition programme.

Artists are asked to submit proposals, outlining what work they would seek to present if selected. It is a condition that all work proposed will be current (no more than three years old). We anticipate that many of the artists will propose to make new work for the 2015 exhibition.

FRESH

“The Fresh exhibition is so much more than a collective graduate show; it is about representing our education, about being present and creating a presence in the ceramics field”

Helen Felcey
Manchester School of Art, NACHE executive
and chair of Fresh 2015 selection panel
The acclaimed FRESH show will be one of the main exhibitions at the fourth British Ceramics Biennial, taking place in Stoke-on-Trent, from 26 September to 8 November 2015.

Graduates (BA, MA) of UK higher education universities and colleges who graduated in 2014 or 2015 are invited to apply for the BCB FRESH 2015 – a prestigious exhibition that celebrates the emerging talent in contemporary British ceramics, in the context of its long history in Stoke-on-Trent.

Deadline for applications: Monday 6 July 2015

What is FRESH?

FRESH is:
A curated survey exhibition of new ceramic work by recent graduates from UK Higher Education programmes. Organised by the British Ceramics Biennial BCB and the National Association of Ceramics in Higher Education (NACHE).

Venue: BCB Exhibition Space the original Spode factory site, Stoke Town, Stoke-on-Trent

FRESH will:
Promote the high quality work of graduates to a professional and public audience through a combination of visitors to the show, symposium, journal articles and reviews.
Represent the range of practice of graduates within the field, which is anticipated to include work from across the ceramic spectrum: studio pottery, tableware and industrial design, figurative and abstract sculpture and installation.

Provide an invaluable launch pad for the exhibitors as they embark on their professional careers.
Award commendations for three exhibitors demonstrating talent and professional potential in the disciplines of craft, design and fine art.

Find all the details here: www.britishceramicsbiennial.com/get-involved/artist-opportunities/?mdid=0

British Ceramics Biennial returns to Stoke-on-Trent for the UK’s biggest celebration of ceramics

by | Sep 3, 2013 | Uncategorized

 This autumn, the British Ceramics Biennial (BCB) returns to Stoke-on-Trent for its biggest line-up to date. Running from 28 September to 10 November, this festival of the best in contemporary ceramics will bring together 150 artists through exhibitions, installations and events that draw on the heritage and creative edge of Stoke-on-Trent.

The 2013 festival will celebrate the role of the individual artist, inviting them to explore, create and curate makingvisitors’ encounter with ceramics all the more special, entertaining and meaningful. Alongside this, a workingceramic studio and programme of hands-on workshops will make sure everyone leaves the Biennial with at least some clay under their fingernails.

The full programme can be viewed at www.britishceramicsbiennial.com

The British Ceramics Biennial is a prestigious cultural event taking place in Stoke-on-Trentfrom 28 September to 10 November 2013. This six-week long festival will present work from the UK’s leading contemporary ceramic artists in a series of new exhibitions and special events across the city, embracing the heritage of Stoke-on-Trent as the home ofBritish ceramics, and celebrating the city’s creative edge as an international centre for excellence in contemporary ceramics.

The British Ceramics Biennial launched in 2009 as a five-year initiative of residencies,fellowships, commissions, education and enterpriseprojects from 2009 to 2013 with a major festival every two years. BCB is intended to be a catalyst for regeneration in the region andto create a platform for the best in current ceramic design, both nationally and internationally. The Biennial draws on the historical strengths of the past in championing new future directions for the city.

The Biennial works in partnership with organisations and individuals in the museums, cultural industry, business, education, community and voluntary sectors across the city in the development and delivery of projects with a particular focus on public engagement. The festival and supporting BCB Projects programme will not only highlight and raise the profile of the many ceramics industries still working in Stoke-on-Trent, but will also create commissioning and exhibition opportunities for local ceramic artists as well as national and international artists.

www.britishceramicsbiennial.com/