Ceramics & Glass Circle of Australia Inc.
Welcome to the Ceramics and Glass Circle of Australia, an organisation to promote the understanding of ceramics and glass. While we are based in Australia, we have members internationally.
The Ceramics and Glass Circle of Australia was established in 1984 when a group of like-minded individuals convened at Melbourne University with a view to establishing an association through which those interested in ceramics and glass could mix and expand their knowledge and enjoyment of the subjects. On 18 June 1984, 13 foundation members met and established the Circle.
A small and enthusiastic group, they met regularly and numbers gradually increased so that, by October 1985, the Circle had 25 members and a formal constitution and committee. Over the decades, the Circle has continued to expand and now has over 100 members and meets regularly at the Toorak Uniting Church hall.
The Circle focuses on scholarly and quality presentations, but without pretension, maintaining a warm, friendly and welcoming atmosphere. It is always interested in new and contemporary ceramics and glass, the activities of modern creatives, and to support the tastes of those interested in these arts.
Circle members enjoy a regular newsletter, monthly meetings with presentations by members, external and even international speakers, regular social occasions, such as the Spring and Autumn dinners, studio and gallery visits, an annual study weekend and much enthusiastic fellowship.
The Circle has conducted numerous exhibitions, including ‘Parasols & Pagodas: the influence of Chinese and Japanese porcelain on 18th century European ceramics’, ‘Radiant Reflections in Chinese Glass’, ‘The Japanese Aesthetic: three centuries of Japanese porcelain design and Western interpretation’, and the KenDon Exhibition of Australian Ceramics, to name but a few.
The success of the Circle is due to the support of the members who are always willing to bring their precious pieces to meetings and lend them for study weekends and exhibitions.
Membership
Join the Ceramics and Glass Circle of Australia our association through which those interested in ceramics and glass can mix and expand their knowledge and enjoyment of the subjects
Meetings and Events
This page contains details of our meetings and a list of events that may be of interest to members and followers
Links
This page contains information about local and international associations and groups that may be of interest to members and followers
Gallery
Stunning photos of ceramics and glass
2024 program
October - Our speaker will be Colin Smith, an expert on the Boyd artistic dynasty, about whom he has published three books, Merric Boyd and Murrumbeena, Lucy Boyd Beck Life and Art, and Sunlight and Storm: The Life and Art of Penleigh Boyd. Colin will present on Lucy Boyd Beck and her husband Hatton Beck, whom she married in 1939, after which they set up a ceramics studio in Murrumbeena. Lucy spent much of her life as an artist, producing mainly painted ceramic tiles, but also working as a visual artist. Colin knew Lucy for over ten years and his talk will cover her life and art, including from a personal perspective, and will feature many images from across the decades.
November - Carl Wantrup will speak on ’Japanese tea-wares from the Momoyama to Showa periods’. Carl is a long-time friend of the Circle, an independent consultant and dealer in Asian art with over twenty-five year’s experience, and an Approved Valuer for Asian arts under the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program. Carl will cover the origins of tea culture in Japan and the influences and wares from China, moving on to the birth of wabi-cha in the Muromachi period, the explosion of tea-wares from the Momoyama to Meiji periods and the renaissance of tea-wares in the Showa period.
December - The theme for our Christmas supper ‘show and tell’ will be ‘Celebratory Comestibles’, with a focus on the artifacts and objects that accompany all sorts of festive foods.
Merric Boyd and Doris Boyd's family and friends, Open Country, Murrumbeena. 2 January 1943 Source https://viewer.slv.vic.gov.au/?entity=IE1853340 Photographer; Albert Tucker
Meetings are held on the second Monday of each month starting at 7.30 pm