Social Ceramics

28 May 2022 – 19 February 2023

The ‘Good China’ dinnerware is tenderly laid out for guests as we gather to share a meal. A liquor on a table marks a moment of celebration between friends. A brimming teapot accompanied by freshly baked goods elevates an everyday ritual into a special occasion.

Drawn from the SAM Collection, Social Ceramics celebrates objects as conduits for communal experiences, and features more than 100 works by over 60 ceramicists.

Social Ceramics offers a playful exploration of functional ceramics. The exhibition brings together a lavish array of vessels including Japanese style teapots by Australian Studio Potters Gwyn Hanssen Pigott and Col Levy; cups and coffee pots from Arthur Merric Boyd Pottery; and characteristic Toby Jugs from Bendigo Pottery. Social Ceramics pays tribute to the ways these objects bring us together to create emotional connections over shared conversations around a table.

Photo of deep berry-red coloured ceramic cups and pitcher with aqua-blue interior glaze arranged against a grey backdrop.

Allan Lowe, Sherry Set, undated, glazed earthenware, Shepparton Art Museum Collection, purchased 1980 © Marian Lowe. Photo: Shepparton Art Museum 

Curator: Jessica O’Farrell

Location: SAM Café Showcase, Level 1

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SAM operates on the traditional lands of the Yorta Yorta people. The SAM Building, and art museum within it, is located on river country close to the Goulburn River, known as Kaiela to the Yorta Yorta.

SAM recognises the Yorta Yorta as the traditional owners and ongoing custodians of the lands and water of the Country upon which SAM is built, and that sovereignty of this land has never been ceded.