Abstract

For many people, the creation of CoCA, the Centre of Ceramic Art, was the highlight of York Art Gallery’s transformational redevelopment in 2015. The two new gallery spaces devoted to British studio ceramics have enabled us to display our world class collections properly in beautiful spacious surroundings. Our collections, based on four important collectors’ work, and supported by related archives, are now amongst the biggest and the most important in the UK.
The mission of CoCA is to encourage the understanding and enjoyment of British studio ceramics. We encourage audiences to experience ceramics in new ways from the domestic intimacy of our display of Anthony Shaw’s collection to the drama of Clare Twomey’s opening installation, ‘Manifest: 10,000 hours’. As well as displays showcasing key works in the collection, we currently have a temporary exhibition ‘Sara Radstone: More Than Words’ and a new display and selection
from Anthony Shaw’s collection by Per Inge Bjørlo. Ceramics students from Central Saint Martins have responded enthusiastically and in the spirit of playful access to our collections with their works in the ‘A Sense of Home’ exhibition in the Project Gallery.
It is fitting then that CoCA leads the Contemporary Studio Ceramics Subject Specialist Network and this is an important part of our call to arms: to rethink ceramics. Restating Clay is the first international conference CoCA has organised since its launch in 2015 and it is organised under the umbrella of the Contemporary Studio Ceramics Subject Specialist Network. The Network has continued to develop since its foundation in 2012 and we hope that this conference’s legacy will be the continuing growth of the Network and ever greater engagement in studio ceramics.
Reyahn King, Chief Executive, York Museums Trust