During the summer of 2018, Paducah ceramist and arts educator Mitch Kimball embarked on a month-long residency in Jingdezhen, China, a longtime dream come true made possible through the UNESCO Creative Cities Network!
To Learn, Create & Grow
The Pottery Workshop is surrounded by hundreds of small, independent craftsmen and artists including clay producers, throwers, sculptors, mold makers, blue & white decorators, glaze shops, public kilns and brush makers. The program boasts modern facilities, a bilingual staff and prime location in the "Porcelain Capital" offering a unique experience found nowhere else in the world.
"I cant wait to showcase the work I made there with Paducah. I was able to focus on functional wares, such as cups, mugs, and jugs. Tea is a very important part of the culture. Its a time to relax and focus on upcoming tasks. So this naturally was something that caught my attention and I decided to make a few tea sets too."
To make connections & share creative vision
Resident artists focus on learning about the history and culture of porcelain in a town made famous over 2000 years ago for its mastery of of the white clay, but Kimball also played an important role of sharing the vision of Paducah with Jingdezhen. He gave presentations about his work, inspirations and Paducah. The UNESCO Creative Cities Network featured this collaboration of Creative Cities here.
"This is why I wanted to go to Jingdezhen - to make connections. I was able to learn how local potters fire their soda kilns. I set the ground work for a returning trip next summer to have teachers and students go to a small province in China to work with other teachers and rural mountain children. We would be able to visit a few major towns such as [UNESCO Creative Cities of Design] Shanghai and Beijing as well as Jingdezhen."
