WANG QIN STUDIO

Ahead of the Curve: new china from China

Introduction

The New china from China symposium will be a 1-day symposium on the 17th of April 2015, organised in conjunction with the Ahead of the Curve: new china from China exhibition. Ahead of the Curve  is a ground-breaking exhibition showcasing the latest developments in studio ceramics
and glass art from China (particularly Shanghai and Jingdezhen). Lead partner Bristol Museum & Art Gallery (BMAG) is working with The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery (PMAG), The Wilson, Cheltenham and twocities gallery, Shanghai. 
   The symposium will be hosted by The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent. Stoke-on-Trent, commonly known as The Potteries, is the historical centre of ceramic production in the UK. The city’s ceramic heritage is vital to its civic pride. Those attending the symposium will not only be able to visit the museum’s galleries, which host internationally significant collections of ceramics, but also see the archaeological legacy of the industry. The city remains the centre of pottery making in the country and visits to pottery factories and studios can be arranged.  
   Funding for the project which has been developed over four years has been supplied by Arts Council England through Grants for the Arts, with grants for research visits to China from The British Council (Connections Through Culture) and The Art Fund (Jonathan Ruffer Curatorial Grants Programme). The project has the support of fellow museum professionals, academics and local politicians and government officers. 
   Both the exhibition and the symposium seek to showcase exciting developments over the last decade in Chinese studio glass and ceramics. Studio glass making departments have only emerged in Chinese universities since 2000, whilst in the field of contemporary ceramics, a wave of new graduates are challenging the boundaries of their field. 
The symposium will bring together academics and artists to examine the development of contemporary Chinese practice in ceramics and glass. It will serve as a stepping stone towards our partnership’s aim to strengthen links between the applied arts scenes in China and the UK. 
   By engaging arts and crafts professional and non-professional practitioners, academics and university students through the symposium, we will increase awareness of contemporary Chinese studio glass and ceramic artists. This will lay the ground for future opportunities: Chinese artists taking residencies in the UK (or vice versa), international travelling exhibitions, research projects in collaboration with Chinese and UK universities. The project represents professional development for the Chinese artists involved, and give UK artists a chance to engage with practitioners from China.
   Potential speakers include: 
Shannon Guo, Co-curator of Ahead of the Curve, Curator of the twocities gallery in Shanghai Associate Professor, Fine Arts College of Shanghai University 
Chen Guanghui, Professor, Ceramics Studio at the College of Fine Arts, Shanghai University
Dr. Shelly Xue, Associate Professor, Glass Studio, Shanghai Institute of Visual Art and Researcher, Shanghai Museum of Glass
Claire Blakey, Co-curator of Ahead of the Curve, Assistant Ceramics Officer, The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent 
Helen Brown, Co-curator of Ahead of the Curve, freelance curator, previously Collections Manager and Curator of Fine Art at the Wilson, Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum
Rachel Marsden, Specialist in Transcultural Curating & Chinese/Asian contemporary culture 
Stacey Pierson, Senior Lecturer in Chinese Ceramics, School of Oriental and African Studies, London
Neil Brownsword, artist, senior lecturer and researcher at Buckinghamshire New University
Andrew Brewerton, artist, writer on glass and Principal of Plymouth College of Art

Opening time

18:00-20:00 2014/10/10

Exhibition time

2014/10/11-2015/11/30

Location

Organized by