Held in Cincinnati, the 2023 NCECA Current conference featured artist Sondra Elder demonstrating clay techniques. (Photo by Germaine Watkins)
Just as thousands of clay artists and educators from around the globe were due to arrive in Richmond in March 2020 for an annual conference hosted by the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The conference happened virtually in 2021, and then elsewhere in person in 2022 and 2023 because those locations were already locked in. This year, Richmond finally gets its moment in the kiln … er, sun.
“I’ve been telling people [this conference] is like Claychella” for ceramic artists, says Angelique Scott, one of two conference on-site liaisons, drawing a comparison to the music festival Coachella. “It is truly an experience.”
Scheduled for March 20-23, the conference — called Coalescence — will occur primarily at the Greater Richmond Convention Center downtown. It includes an opening event with a keynote speaker, demonstrations, resource hall, a gallery of businesses selected to show their wares and an annual cup sale that compels shoppers to line up before the doors open.
The beauty of the cup sale, says NCECA Managing Director of Marketing and Communications Edith Garcia, is that it both funds fellowships for emerging artists and places art directly in someone’s hands. “The first thing we touch when we wake up each morning is a cup,” she says. “Yes, we all have so many cups, but how many of them were made by someone? You can see the history of the hand within the object itself. That’s the magic of clay.”
The keynote speaker, cup sale, Gallery Expo and project space with demonstrations are free and open to the public; presentations and receptions require paid registration. More than 6,000 attendees are expected to take part in the dozens of presentations that feature artists and educators.
Garcia says everyone is welcome, whether novice or expert. “Clay grounds you, and the clay community is very embracing,” she says. “We all play fair with clay. That’s why this conference is so successful.”
Beyond the convention center, there are more than 60 exhibitions throughout the city showcasing the myriad ways artists can use clay. Scott, who graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with degrees in art education and craft and material studies, says she and her co-liaison, Jeff Vick, found plenty of hosting support. “People were really excited [the conference] was coming back,” she says. “We’ve got shows in South Side, along Broad Street, in Brookland Park, Glen Allen and Forest Hill. We really wanted to spread the joy and love and the sense of community and not keep the excitement just to downtown.”
Some area museums are hosting companion ceramics exhibitions, including a multicultural showcase at the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia that opens this month and continues through August. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts timed its showcase of Theaster Gates’ clay works with the event, and it will remain on display through Jan. 1, 2025. Ceramics artist Dara Hartman organized the “Women Working With Clay: A Shared Purpose” exhibition that will be on display at The Valentine during the conference.
Scott, who lives in Philadelphia, notes that Richmond is a perfect location for NCECA. “Richmond has an amazing ceramics community,” she says. “We have institutions with state-of-the-art programs, art centers if you’re not in a university, artists working in the field, clay in schools. There’s something for everyone when it comes to clay.”
