Maker from Mayo highlighted at new exhibition in National Design & Craft Gallery
Design & Crafts Council Ireland has announced the launch of From the Ground Up: The Transformation of Irish Clay – a new exhibition taking place at the National Design & Craft Gallery until July 18.
Erris native Claire Finlay is one of the makers highlighted in this exhibition, curated by John Goode, which brings together 42 of Ireland’s leading ceramic artists.
From the Ground Up: The Transformation of Irish Clay represents over 1,000 years of combined creativity and craftsmanship. Collectively, the artists showcase the strength, diversity and vitality of Irish ceramics today, with each one contributing a unique voice and vision.
Celebrating technical mastery and innovation across traditional, contemporary and experimental approaches, the exhibition’s pieces reflect the deep connection between material, maker and place.
Grounded in Irish earth yet open to the world, From the Ground Up: The Transformation of Irish Clay, highlights clay as a medium continually renewed by the imagination and skill of today’s makers.
Mary Blanchfield, CEO of DCCI, commented: “We’re delighted to welcome From the Ground Up: The Transformation of Irish Clay to the National Design & Craft Gallery. The participating artists reflect and position the medium of ceramics as a vital contributor to Ireland’s contemporary design and craft landscape.
“This exhibition embodies DCCI’s commitment to championing Irish design, celebrating the creativity, skill and vision of Ireland’s ceramic makers, and the distinct voices, practices and regional traditions that make Irish ceramics so unique. It highlights DCCI’s ongoing investment in the future education of ceramics, with the launch of applications opening for the new DCCI Academy Ceramics Skills and Design degree course. We celebrate the hard work and dedication of these artists, and we look forward to what the future holds.”
Tracing the evolution of Irish clay from deep local roots to an international presence, the exhibition spans generations and techniques and the artists’ practices embody both continuity and transformation. These ceramic artists have exhibited widely across Ireland and internationally, including throughout Europe, the United States, South America, Japan, China and India, demonstrating the global significance of Irish ceramics as a discipline grounded in locality yet engaged in worldwide conversations on art, design, material culture and sustainability.
John Goode, curator, writer and ceramic scholar, added: “Irish ceramics are experiencing a remarkable moment. This exhibition celebrates artists who are pushing clay into new territories of meaning, form and expression, affirming the global significance of Ireland’s vibrant ceramic community.”
From the Ground Up: The Transformation of Irish Clay opened last Saturday (March 21) and closes on Saturday, July 18. Admission to the exhibition is free. For more information, visit https://www.dcci.ie/events/transformation-of-irish-clay.