ARGUMENTARY

«Contemporary and current ceramics»
A collection from Presses Universitaires du Septentrion and a thesis prize.

1. The «Céramiques contemporaines et actuelles» collection from Presses Universitaires du Septentrion

The latest major exhibition, at the Musée d'art moderne de la Ville de Paris in early 2022, implies that we are currently living in a golden «age» of ceramics («Les Flammes. L'âge de la céramique», Musée d'art moderne de la Ville de Paris, December 2021 / February 2022). However, it has to be said that, in France, there is no scientific literature that embraces this current state of affairs and the historical reasons for its manifestations, apart from the catalog texts of national and international exhibitions that attempt to place the practice of this material in a historical context.

Indeed, most of the existing literature is divided between technical manuals, monographs on the great names in ceramics (mostly published with the support of Ateliers d'art de France) and articles for the general public in the Revue de la céramique et du verre - the only French magazine in the field with a general focus on fine crafts. In France, there is little or no scientific writing on contemporary ceramics. Only Anglo-Saxon countries have academic journals that examine ceramics, such as The Journal of Modern Craft.

In the light of this overview, it's clear that the only French publishing landscape in the field is still subject to the distinctions between «fine arts» and «decorative arts», whereas the practice of ceramics in contemporary and current times is - as the title of the international exhibition «Céramix de Rodin à Schütte» (Maastricht, Paris-Sèvres, 2016) implies - mixed and deserves a cross-disciplinary approach capable of embracing its diversity.

The creation of a scientific collection dedicated to the study of contemporary and current ceramics fills a real gap for the growing number of researchers and students interested in this practice, this object and its production. In this respect, it seems absolutely essential to encourage the publication of scientific works by young researchers in the field, through a thesis prize supported by the «Céramiques contemporaines et actuelles» collection.

The aim of the collection is therefore to promote research into current and contemporary ceramics through the publication of monographic works by experienced and young researchers, and through the establishment of a dedicated Thesis Prize, presented below.

The directors of this collection hosted by the Arts, Culture and Heritage library of the PUS are :

Stéphanie Le Follic-Hadida is a graduate of the École du Louvre and holds a PhD in art history focusing on 19th-20th-century sculpture. Today, she specializes in contemporary ceramics, and is an author and exhibition curator. She is secretary of the C14 PARIS association.

Elisabeth Piot is a lecturer in visual arts at the UFR Arts, Université de Picardie-Jules Verne. Member of the CRAE UR 4291 Laboratory. Director of the Arts, Culture matérielle et Patrimoines library at Presses universitaires du Septentrion.

Ludovic Recchia is an art historian specializing in modern and contemporary ceramics. Curator of Decorative Arts at the Musée Royal de Mariemont (BE) from 2003 to 2022, he is currently Director and Curator of Keramis - Centre de la Céramique in La Louvière (BE), an institution he helped found in 2015. He is also President of the C14 PARIS association.

2. A thesis prize for contemporary and current ceramics

This thesis prize aims to encourage the emergence of scientific work on contemporary and current ceramics, whatever the native academic discipline. Every 2 years, it will reward a doctoral research project that contributes to its further development, by supporting the publication of the defended thesis in the «Céramiques contemporaines et actuelles» collections of the Presses Universitaires du Septentrion (see Conditions in the Thesis Prize Rules).

Study topics will focus on ceramics from the second half of the 19th, 20th and/or 21st centuries, in all regions. However, depending on the perspective of the study and its contribution to knowledge of contemporary and current periods, research on earlier periods may be considered. Theses that have not recently been defended, and which may not have found the circumstances necessary for publication, may also be considered.

This thesis prize will be awarded by Presses Universitaires du Septentrion in partnership with C14 PARIS - Salon de céramiques contemporaines (https://c14paris.com/) and Keramis - Centre de la céramique - La Louvière in Belgium (https://www.keramis.be/).

It will be presented at the Salon C14-Paris during the Salon's opening evening at the Annexe de la Mairie 14e, 12 rue Pierre Castagnou, 75014 Paris. The winner's research will benefit from the Salon C14's communication, and he/she will be able to promote his/her research work during the C14 conference program and throughout the year through participation in the Musée Keramis conference cycle and invitations from partner universities and schools.

The jury is made up of 4 ex-officio members, directors of PUS's «Céramiques contemporaines et actuelles» collection: Stéphanie Le Follic-Hadida, Elisabeth Piot and Ludovic Recchia, Arnaud Timbert, and members of the advisory jury, comprising teacher-researchers, lecturers, university professors and curators.

The list of jury members is available on the C14 and PUS websites.

3. Partner presentation

Presses Universitaires du Septentrion

Presses universitaires du Septentrion is a French university publishing house specializing in the humanities and social sciences. Since 1971, Presses universitaires du Septentrion has catalogued nearly 2,300 works (books and journals), and publishes some 60 works a year. They promote the results of research by distributing them in the form of books and publications in specialized journals. Books are published in both print and digital formats.

Presses universitaires du Septentrion comprises five universities in the Hauts-de-France region: Université de Lille, Université du Littoral-Côte-d'Opale, Université polytechnique Hauts-de-France, Université Catholique de Lille, Université de Picardie Jules-Verne.

Since 2013, they have been using the XML-TEI Métopes publishing chain (Méthodes et outils pour l'édition structurée, developed by the MRSH de Caen) to offer their books simultaneously in print and digital versions (PDF, ePub...). Since 2016, they have been participating in OpenEdition Books, offering open access, freemium and exclusive access books (they are now the leading publisher on OpenEdition Books with 800 volumes by 2023). The 2,300 titles in their catalog are distributed by SODIS and GEODIF.

SITE : http://www.septentrion.com/

Association C14 PARIS

C for contemporary ceramics. 14 for 14th arrondissement of Paris. C14 PARIS is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting contemporary sculptural ceramics (from volume to mix-media installation) in France and Europe. Its organizers aim to unearth new talent and offer them the best possible conditions for visibility and professional implementation, while at the same time helping to showcase already solid, recognized careers that collectors and institutions will be delighted to rediscover.

C14 PARIS is run by ceramic artists and curators specializing in contemporary ceramics.

SITE : https://c14paris.com/

Keramis - Centre de la Céramique - Belgium

Keramis, a museum, art and creative space dedicated to ceramics, is built on the site of the former Boch earthenware factory in La Louvière. Its bold, contemporary architecture encompasses a listed old building containing three giant bottle kilns, the last remaining examples of their kind in Belgium.

The Keramis collections include those of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, the S.R.I.W. and the Province of Hainaut. These are supplemented by donations and long-term deposits from private collections such as the Fondation Boch Keramis. The collections also include archive documents and testimonials, as part of the project to safeguard the artistic and archival heritage of the former Boch Frères Keramis factory in La Louvière.

The Keramis ceramics center has forged scientific partnerships with French-speaking Belgian universities: ULiège, UCLouvain, ULBrussels and UMons. Agreements have also been signed with the art schools of La Cambre (Brussels) and Art2 (Mons).

SITE : https://www.keramis.be/