Participation in the inter-school competition

Madam Director, Mr. Director, 
Ladies and gentlemen, teachers,

C14 PARIS is a springboard show dedicated to sculptural ceramics (object, installation, mixed media and performance under certain conditions).

By bringing together all the players in the contemporary ceramics and trade ecosystem (schools, galleries, collectors, art centers, museums, curators, agents), the show aims to help young ceramic artists become more professional.

The Salon is run by an association under the law of 1901, whose members are all volunteers. The board is made up of three specialists in contemporary French, European and international ceramics:

• Ludovic Recchia, Director and Curator of the Keramis Centre, La Louvière, Belgium, President of C14 PARIS
• Frédéric Bodet, former curator of modern and contemporary collections at Sèvres - Cité de la Céramique, independent curator, lecturer at HEAD Geneva and author, treasurer of C14 PARIS
• Stéphanie Le Follic-Hadida, PhD in art history (Paris I), graduate of the École du Louvre, independent curator, speaker, author, secretary of C14 PARIS.

In 2023, the association's leadership changed and its board of directors expanded to include more skills, including artists, teaching artists, school directors, collectors... The list is not exhaustive, and we'll always be happy to include other good wills.

The C14 PARIS show is supported by private and institutional partners: Fondation Bruckner (Switzerland), Centre Keramis (Belgium), Centre Céramique de La Borne (Cher), Académie internationale de la Céramique (AIC Genève), art galleries (PULS, La Peau de l'ours in Belgium, Galerie Polaris and Bernard Utudjian in Paris, etc.).

Up until now, we've been accustomed to inviting a school to present its best students in the ceramics speciality. Having listened carefully to the teaching staff and the school's principal friends, a decision was taken: to quickly place the pupils and students in the real conditions of a French and European-wide selection process, and to do so in the following way as part of a competition open to :

- students developing a sculptural approach to ceramics (free-standing sculptures, wall or floor installations, etc.).

Applicants must either be in their final year of school or have graduated the previous year.

This applies to students at art colleges, design and applied arts schools, and those in the "Créateurs" section of training centers (Guebwiller, Dieulefit, Ema-Cnifop).

The winner will be chosen by the college of active members of the association. He/she will be "PRIX INTER-ECOLES 2024...". He/she will benefit from the same advantages as other exhibitors (stand, double-page spread in the catalog, communication, access to the Jury / Gallery and Residence prizes).

Like the other exhibitors, the winner will have a standard stand measuring H. 250 x W.300 x D.100cm in 1.5cm-thick matt white plywood. Student candidates are responsible for their own stand design. It must be designed as a real scenographic challenge. The town hall provides the show with white-painted wooden cubes measuring H.50 x 50 x 50 cm. The student can use them just like the other exhibitors. Fabrics and curtains are to be avoided.

Stand lighting is provided. For fire safety reasons, no additional spotlights or electrical outlets are permitted. Any additional sockets (e.g. for video broadcasting) must be requested, and will be professionally installed by the town's technical teams.

The winning student undertakes to remain at his stand throughout the show, during the agreed opening hours.

The material issues of scenographic production, accommodation and transport of works and scenographic furniture are strictly internal discussions between the school and the student.

The school that accepts the prize-winner's application will be required to pay the registration fee of €350, which is charged to all applicants. This fee will be paid in a more flexible form: at the time the online application is submitted, the head of the school will make a written commitment to pay the €350 if a candidate from the aforementioned school is selected as a prize-winner. 

In view of the prestige that will inevitably result from this drastic selection (only 1 winner for all establishments), we are convinced that the school that forged this career path will be happy to communicate on this exemplarity. It should also be noted that, in exchange for its payment to the student, the School will be able to promote its establishment and its ceramics training free of charge during the 4 days of the show, from October 3 to 6, 2024, on the first floor, which will be transformed into an ephemeral café/lounge for the occasion. The school may or may not stay all four days. The choice is yours. The school will also benefit from a double-page spread in the year's catalog.

As part of this competition, the C14 PARIS association would welcome the opportunity to forge close links with teaching teams and school principals. Together, we can certainly imagine improvements and follow-ups to this initiative.

We'd like to thank you for encouraging your pupils and students to take part in this competition, for giving applicants the warmest of welcomes, and for accepting this role as a privileged partner. 

The C14 PARIS team would like to thank you most sincerely for your support.

Application deadline

Entries open on the C14 PARIS website between April 15 and May 31. Election of the winner by June 10.

The application file must be composed as follows:

• Letter of intent or motivation (15 lines max)
• Brief CV
• Project description (15 lines max)
• 10 compressed visuals of works (existing and work in progress, projected drawings) + 1 HD
• 1 compressed portrait visual
• Standard form signed and stamped by the principal of the school from which the student(s) is/are applying to pay the show registration fee (€350)

See procedure on the website : Inter-school competition

All entries are subject to acceptance of the rules by the candidate and the director of his/her establishment.

Paris, March 15, 2024
Ludovic RECCHIA, President of C14 PARIS

Version FR / EN