New Wave Clay: Ceramic Design, Art and Architecture
By Tom Morris
Throughout the twentieth century, ceramics were widely divided into two sectors. Studio pottery was a reaction to the mass-produced wares of the Industrial Revolution, and fine art by contemporary artists, who used clay in their practice but rejected many of their traditional codes of practice. The unprecedented increase in ceramic popularity over the last five years has helped create a new type of potter: a ceramic designer, a part-craftsman, a part-designer, a bridge between ceramic craft, collectable design and fine art.
These ceramists include product designers who use clay as a creative expression, classically trained potters who create design-led pieces, and interior decorators, illustrators, and graphic designers. Its collective output includes furniture, decorative objects, murals and vessels: not art, not craft, but design. The book aims to show the diversity of this creative production field and how history, craftsmanship, technology, and design all intersect today, creating a new type of designer—and a new kind of ceramic designer. The book is divided into four thematic chapters. Written contributions from designers, decorators and collectors accompany it.
📰 Latest in Ceramics: Global Voices, Local Clay
The world of ceramics continues to evolve with a surge of innovation and cultural storytelling. Fashion Journal celebrates the best in contemporary Australian ceramics, spotlighting makers who bridge functionality with artistic flair. Meanwhile, Artnet rounds up 15 ceramic artists transforming clay into sculptural statements. In rural Australia, a Gundaroo pop-up brings together talent from across the region, fostering community through craft (About Regional). In Japan, a ceramicist’s passion for real and mythical animals animates a whimsical exhibition in Canberra (CityNews). Over in Vancouver, five artists embraced speed and spontaneity during the VAG’s live Pottery Throwdown (Scout Magazine). And in North Carolina, a conversation on “radical ceramics” explores how clay is becoming a medium for activism, equity, and cultural critique. Together, these stories reflect the growing relevance of ceramics as both an expressive and social force in global design.
Recommended Reading Textile Design
The Ceramic Design Book: A Gallery of Contemporary Work. (2000). United States: Lark. https://amzn.to/3KwQLEG
Complete Pottery Techniques: Design, Form, Throw, Decorate and More, with Workshops from Professional Makers. (2019). United States: DK Publishing. https://amzn.to/4cCQ08s
Coutts, H. (2001). The art of ceramics: European ceramic design 1500-1830. United Kingdom: Yale University Press. https://amzn.to/3zlhEZj
Higgins, R., & Robinson, C. S. (2010). William De Morgan : arts and crafts potter. Shire https://amzn.to/3Wep8GR
Lane, P. (1998). Ceramic Form: Design & Decoration. Kiribati: A. & C. Black. https://amzn.to/3xCniWE
Leigh Ford, K. (2021). Pottery for Beginners: Projects for Beautiful Ceramic Bowls, Mugs, Vases and More. United Kingdom: Page Street Publishing. https://amzn.to/4cKva79
Morris, T. (2018). New Wave Clay: Ceramic Design, Art and Architecture. Netherlands: Frame Publishers. https://amzn.to/4eDF4JP
Richerson, D. W. (2012). The Magic of Ceramics. Wiley. https://amzn.to/3L2atIi
Schwartzkopf, D. (2020). Creative Pottery: Innovative Techniques and Experimental Designs in Thrown and Handbuilt Ceramics. United States: Quarry Books. https://amzn.to/3xEvBB9
Treggiden, K. (2021). Urban Potters: Makers in the City. Belgium: Thames & Hudson. https://amzn.to/4czsOby
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