June 27 – July 27, 2009
Spoleto – Italy

Fifty years ago there was no notion of designer goods, nor was the Italian Style such a big deal.

Then Dino Gavina, a cultural visionary and brilliant entrepreneur, put into mass production the designs for furniture made by Marcel Breuer, a member of the Bauhaus. For the first time the wider public had the chance to bring into their homes pieces that had been the exclusive privilege of a few people who could afford to purchase a unique handmade item, prized for the cachet of its designer’s name.

Continue reading ‘O’dino – Traces of Contemporary Design’

June 26 – July 12, 2009
Sept 12 – 20, 2009
Deruta – Italy

The second edition of Deruta Ceramic Festival is about to start. The program is attractive, not only for Italian pottery lovers, but for anyone who enjoys live shows and art in general.

The events will take place on Fridays through Sundays. Here is a selection:

ON GOING EVENTS: every Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Anyone willing to create his own ceramic masterpiece can join Deruta potters at the Open Ceramic Lab. From wheel throwing to free hand painting, visitors will experience the making of pottery and bring home their own solid ceramic pieces. The Lab is downtown in Piazza dei Consoli and is open from 11 am to 8 pm

Stands displaying Deruta artists’ works will be open all day in the main street of the old district

Exhibition of the 36 Italian Ceramic Towns Association (AICC) at Grazia’s Old Factory

Continue reading ‘Deruta - The Magic of Ceramic Art 2009′

Until October 30, 2009
Elba Island – Italy

The solo exhibition of Riccardo Biavati’s works will celebrate the 5th edition of Art in the Garden, a very original art event, indeed.

Biavati is one of the most poetic of Italian ceramic artists and the Elba Island is an ideal setting for his works. The natural and historical elements which are profusely to be found all over the island, the local tales and unique traditions are Biavati’s source of inspiration. His sculptures take from them their archaic symbols and speak the simple language of folks’ poems.

Continue reading ‘Riccardo Biavati - Art in the Garden 2009′

June 20-28, 2009
Montelupo – Italy

Hard to believe… the 2009 edition of the International Ceramic Festival seems even more interesting than the 2008 one, when the Regional Museum of Ceramics had just been re-opened and the city blew the candles on the 25th birthday of its School of Ceramics.

This year the focus will be on modern ceramic art with the grand opening of the first department of the Museum of Contemporary Ceramic Art and Nanni Valentini’s retrospective exhibition – separate articles will soon be published on these key events.

Together with Nanni Valentini, other established artists will be honored with solo or collective exhibitions. As an encouragement to the younger generations and their experimental vision of ceramic art, the municipality has sponsored the production of many installations made by young artists and placed all over the town.

Continue reading ‘2009 International Ceramic Festival in Montelupo - Tuscany’

The title of this book – 1900. Key artists and works of the 20th century. Vol.3: last decades -  says all we needed to spring to our feet and rush to the nearest bookshop, longing to own it.

Mind you: this is not an objective book review. How can it be? We LOVE books AND we have a PASSION for Italian pottery. And this is an excellent, though opinionated (impossible to do differently!), collection of the most interesting works made between the Eighties and the end of the century, thus offering a good perspective on the status of the art and a concise interpretation of its development.

Continue reading ‘Novecento – Italian Ceramics. Volume 3: last decades’

This year the Ceramic Art Classes in Urbania are particularly good, thanks to the variety of interesting subjects and the potters and artists who will share their experience with the attendees.

The Summer Programs are organized by the coop Casteldurante Cultura Ceramica, with the help of the Associazione Amici della Ceramica di Urbania.
Focusing on pottery as a form of visual art, the classes will cover a number of topics, from the bucchero technique to raku, from basic pottery making to elaborate drawing techniques.

Continue reading ‘Casteldurante Pottery - Summer Classes’

April 4 - Mid June, 2009
Todi - Italy

No words need to be spent on the beauty of Todi, an old town nested on a steep hill not far from Perugia,  in Umbria. These days, however, there is one more reason to plan a visit to Todi: a fascinating combination of art and good food, meant to provide enjoyment to all the senses.

The main characters of the experiment are a restaurant, hosting the exhibition “Art through Fire”, an art gallery organizing the event and the outstanding ceramic works by Luca Schiavon.

Continue reading ‘Art through Fire - Luca Schiavon in Todi’

To all of our readers who celebrate Easter,
we wish you a truly wonderful break.

We also wish to send a message of hope and love
to all the people who are mourning their dearest one
and who lost their homes and belongings
in the recent earthquake in Abruzzo.
Our heart is there with them.

Manuela and Tiziana

We made it. It’s always complicated to get organized with husbands and children to go to art events. They are not in the least interested but … Manuela and I have a secret weapon: GOOD FOOD!

We discovered a couple of years ago a nice wine bar in Arezzo, with excellent food, home made local dishes with fresh ingredient from the area. You know, ribollita, white beans, finocchiona, pecorino … Suddenly no one had any objection to a Sunday off and we met in Arezzo, under a cloudy sky, excited to see so many Della Robbia works in a single place. Continue reading ‘We went to Della Robbia exhibition!’

April 5-19, 2009
Nove – Italy

Each year the Museum of Ceramics in Nove celebrates Easter with an exhibition of Ceramic Eggs made by Italian pottery artists.
There is no limit to the freedom of the artist in creating their egg shaped works, and the results are often beyond expectations, as you can see from our short selection of pieces on display last year.

The exhibition will start next Sunday, in the Sala Fabris of the Museum and it’ll be open Sat/Sun and on holidays 10 am - 12.30 pm and 3.30 - 7.00 pm.

The egg is a worldwide symbol of the start of new life, of rebirth and new beginnings.

Continue reading ‘Ceramic Easter Eggs in Nove’