Utopic Impulses: Contemporary Ceramics Practice.

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

This is a package of exciting concepts, explored in 10 essays and illustrated with the work of 20 practitioners. The work is concerned with clay—earthenware, stoneware, porcelain, bone china—whether that takes the form of functional pots, sculptural pieces, or even bricks.

The ceramic work featured is predominantly, but not exclusively, Canadian. Cultures as diverse as Pakistan, Ireland, and Australia are included. Many of the clay works are traditional objects—bowls, vases, teapots. Their presentation, however, may not be traditional. Instead, there are pots deliberately broken and repaired to make a statement, or joined together as sculptures. Less expected are chairs made by using clay as if it were wood, or dainty blue-and-white ceramic patches for broken concrete curbs.

The essayists delve into questions such as the role of pottery in social activism, the different priorities men and women bring to pottery, and the connections between landscape and ceramic style. There’s discussion of pots as archives, craft practices in a digital world, and the link between craft and social justice systems. Another essay looks at the sources of inspiration in Pablo Picasso’s ceramics. By examining the role and importance of handmade objects within culture, the work enables us to consider them as receptacles for the “imagination and memory of humankind.”

With very few exceptions, the overly pedantic, dry academic style of the essays creates a barrier to the effective communication of these interesting ideas.