Kilkenny gallery hosts 43 ceramists

Ceramics are having a bit of a national moment in Ireland — and Kilkenny is where that gets made visible. The National Design & Craft Gallery has opened *From the Ground Up(dcci.ie)e simple point: Irish clay work is no longer something you file away as heritage craft and move on from. It is contemporary design, stud(govserv.org)s free through July 18. (dcci.ie) ### What actually open(dcci.ie)how at the National Design & Craft Gallery in Castle Yard, Kilkenny. DCCI describes it as a survey of the vitality and global significance of contemporary Irish ceramics, which is a pretty clear signal that this is meant to be more than a local gallery event. (dcci.ie) ### How big is the show? Big enough to feel like a statement. DCCI’s launch material says the exhibition features 43 ceramic artists from 18 counties across the island of Ireland, whi(dcci.ie)fer read is that the official organizer is presenting it as a 43-artist exhibition, and that scale is part of the point — this is a national spread, not a tight boutique selection. (govserv.org) ### Who put it together? The curator is John Goode of Mill Cove Gall(dcci.ie)ional roll call — it is being shaped by someone with deep ties to Irish ceramics and to the makers themselves. The framing is broad: traditional, contemporary, and experimental practices all sit inside the same room. (govserv.org) ### Why call it “The Transformation of Irish Clay”? Because the pitch is really about category change. Clay used t(govserv.org)t the field has expanded — into sculpture, design objects, technically ambitious studio work, and concept-driven practice. Basically, “transformation” is the thesis, not just the title. (dcci.ie) ### Is this about tradition or new work? Both — and that mix is the interesting part. The exhibitio(govserv.org) That means the show is not doing the usual old-versus-new split. It is saying the contemporary scene grew out of inherited skills, regional identities, and long workshop lineages, then pushed past them. (dcci.ie) ### Why does the free entry matter? Because DCCI is clearly trying to widen the audience. Free admission lowers the barrier for p(dcci.ie)allery-goers. And since the gallery is DCCI’s flagship exhibition space, that choice turns the show into outreach as much as programming. (dcci.ie) ### Why should anyone outside ceramics care? Because this is really a story about status. When a national craft body gives this much room to one material and one discipline, it is saying ceramics de(dcci.ie)on is a way of making that argument in public — with names, objects, counties, and a long run on the calendar. (dcci.ie) ### Bottom line? Kilkenny is hosting more than a ceramics show. It is hosting a claim — that Irish clay has scale, range, and(dcci.ie)ain. (dcci.ie)