During the past ten years, the United States and the international ceramics communities have undergone an extraordinary but, to some degree, under-recognized sea change. It is clear from the record of recent conferences, exhibitions, lectures, and MFA program rosters that young artists from Ghana have formed a heretofore unprecedented cohort and are, quite literally, transforming the field of international ceramics. This revolution includes visiting faculty from Ghanaian institutions as well as students who have come to the US for graduate study, many who have moved on to teaching positions, residencies, and more. All told, this has been such a positive evolution within the field that it is worth taking the time to appreciate and consider.
The Ghanaian ceramic practice up to and through the 1990s was deeply tied to the tourist market, as well as tourist-centered exhibitions and seasonal showcases, especially during the Christmas and Easter seasons. It was generally labeled "sales" or "ceramic fair," with prominent price tags on every piece. By the turn of the century, the default ethos of exhibition-making in Ghana was premised on the trade-fair-flavored salon style; that is, filling up commercial gallery interiors with souvenirs contrived to appeal to the tourists’ eye, pocket, and luggage bag.[1] In order to counter this, ceramics faculty at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) were eager to facilitate the introduction of art talks, critiques, further readings and especially to encourage exhibition practice. Art history classes were intensified with further readings, especially with a special emphasis on expansive texts that encouraged the development of a wider appreciation for the ceramics ecosphere outside of Ghana. Students were introduced to an inclusive materiality and encouraged to explore and reference additional materials within the overall practice of ceramics. Additionally, within academic culture, even in the context of studio art, emphasis was placed on publication over exhibition in terms of institutional value as applied to research and promotion. Faculty were not encouraged to produce and show their own work but rather to publish academic research papers.
