Open to Art Ceramics Competition Applications Extended thru Jan 6

Until January 6, 2014 applications of the first edition of Open to Art, the International Competition for Art Ceramics and Design will be available to download online.

Promoted by Officine Saffi Group with the support of Comune di Milano, the competition has the objective of highlighting the use of ceramics in contemporary art, design and furnishing. It provides an opportunity to reflect on the current status of visual expression and technology.

Open to Art is a competition addressed to artists of any age; there are no limitations in terms of theme or topic, but one condition: ceramics must be the principal material used in the work. Artists can choose between two sections, Art Ceramics and Design Ceramics. The application form can be downloaded on the website www.laceramicainitalia.com.

The jury:

Fundamental criteria of selection of the works will be the following: quality, research, originality and contemporary relevance of the work.

From the very beginning, Open to Art was conceived to have a broad approach, with a Jur y including prominent personalities on both national and international level.

These are the members of the jury:

Cinzia Bitossi, Bitossi Ceramics

Mette Blum Marcher, Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Center

Laura Borghi, gallerist, Officine Saffi, Milan, creator and promoter of the prize

Claudia Casali, director, the International Museum of Ceramics in Faenza

Jeanne Gailhoustet, director, École National Supérieure d'Art de Limoges

Flaminio Gualdoni, critic and art historian, director of La Ceramica in Italia e nel Mondo Magazine

Jennifer Lee, artist

Daniela Lotta, ISIA, Faenza

Marco Romanelli architect and teacher at Politecnico di Milano

Jukka Savolainen, director, Design Museum of Helsinki

Martin Smith, Royal College of Art, London

Tomoko Tanioka, TOGAKUDO gallery

The prizes:

The total prize is 10,000 euros, which will be divided into two prizes to the value of 5,000 euros, one for each section.

In addition, there will be other two prizes: a honorable mention from the jury. The winner will have the chance to work alongside - as his/her assistant - one of the artists invited by the Carlo Zauli Museum for its residency programme, which promotes the use of ceramics in contemporary art. The Museum supports the work of the young generations who already use this material or would like to experiment it in their research.

There will be a special prize for young artists. The historic ceramics works factory Manifattura Bitossi will select an artist under the age of 30 who will be given the opportunity of an internship at the company.

The finalists' show:

The finalists' works will be exhibited at the Officine Saffi Ceramic Arts Gallery in a show that will open on April 2, 2014, on the occasion of MiArt and the International Furniture Show.

The winners of the competition will be announced during the show opening.

The Open to Art competition is organized as a fundamental part of the Officine Saffi Group's mission, which is the promotion of ceramics in all its forms. The Group comprises the Officine Saffi Ceramic Arts Gallery, the OS Lab workshop, and the magazine La Ceramica in Italia e nel Mondo.

Competition: Open to Art, International Competition for Art and Design Ceramics

Entries invited from: August 10, 2013

Deadline: January 6, 2014

Organizers' address: Via Aurelio Saffi 7, 20123 - Milan, Italy

Tel: +39 02 36 68 56 96

E-mail: concorso@laceramicainitalia.com

info: www.laceramicainitalia.com Press Office di Paola C. Manfredi