"The 2009 International Ceramics Festival - one of the world's most prestigious events for professional and amateur potters is fast approaching, and the line-up of guest potters and ceramicists is now confirmed. The Festival will run from Friday 3 - Sunday 5 July 2009 in Aberystwyth.

The Festival, which takes place every two years, attracts visitors from across the globe who travel to join their fellow ceramicists in Mid Wales. Over 800 ceramicists and potters gather for the weekend to discuss techniques, watch demonstrations and share ideas. This year the Festival will play host to demonstrators from all over the world including Japan, the USA, China and France. Among the highlights for 2009 will be demonstrations and a lecture by the highly influential American ceramicist Don Reitz, spectacular kilns from Nina Hole and Tom Barnett, plus demonstrations of thrown, slab built and sculptural ceramics - and much more.

Demonstrating their work and techniques on stage will be:

• Daniel Allen demonstrating his work on a large scale hollow standing figure, built up with small sheets of flattened paperclay without the use of armatures.
• Sandy Brown demonstrating her making and decorating techniques with characteristic exuberance and spirit.
• Jack Doherty, Chair of the CPA and Lead Potter at the Leach Pottery in St. Ives, Cornwall, demonstrating both thrown and slab pieces in porcelain.
• Jean Nicola Gerard, master of terre vernisee or slipware, demonstrating how he creates his series of pots, both thrown and slab built, and also his decorating techniques.
• Regina Heinz, taking inspiration from the mountainous landscapes of her home country of Austria, and demonstrating her own making methods which emphasise the softness and tactile qualities of clay.
• Shozo Michikawa, one of Japan's leading ceramicists, whose works have been called haikus in clay, demonstrating his throwing techniques, particularly in making triangular and square forms.
• Don Reitz, one of the most important and influential ceramicists working today, he has pursued a life-long investigation of both salt and wood firing, his forms full bodied and boldly marked and etched with knife marks.
• Jeff Shapiro demonstrating his methods of slab construction using templates, working on large pieces including a five foot tall triangular bottle. He will also show how he makes thick platters from recycled clay, and hand carves tea bowls.
• Plus the festival is pleased to welcome back Jim Robison and Ingrid Murphy as Master of Ceremonies for the weekend, and also Henry Sandon, Honorary President, with his encyclopaedic knowledge of and fascination for pottery and porcelain.

Kilns will be ablaze from Friday night, including:
• Peter Hayes, demonstrating how to build a high quality affordable raku kiln.
• Nina Hole, a Danish artist who builds enormous clay sculptures which act as their own kiln. She will be building a 2 metre high sculpture, ready for firing.
• Tom Barnett will be building a multi media project called '(fire) capsule' - an artwork 'conceived to overload the senses', with the firing of a hollow clay form at its centre.

In addition to the demonstrations and lectures, the festival site marquees will host workspaces for many of the demonstrators and trade stands selling everything from potters wheels to the latest equipment, books, magazines and everything ceramic related. A busy programme of films and slide shows screens back-to-back in the cinema, and everywhere in the building can be found groups of enthusiastic potters - from the inexperienced to the world class professionals - talking about clays and glazes, temperatures and kilns, techniques and tricks, successes and failures.

The 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award will be made during the festival. It is an award which recognises ceramic artists or potters who have made a major contribution to the world of ceramics. Earlier winners have included Ruth Duckworth, David Leach, Mick Casson, Ray Finch, Janet Mansfield, Warren McKenzie, and.Janet and Frank Hamer.

There are only 40 places left out of the 800 allocation, so visitors are strongly recommended to book as soon as possible to be sure of a place.

Further information about bookings is online at the International Ceramics Festival website for which there is a link on the right hand side of the page."

Article written by Louise Amery