The 20-year-old Yingge Ceramics Museum is raising the profile of Taiwan pottery around the globe.
From the sleepy environs of a small artisan enclave in New Taipei City arose Yingge Ceramics Museum (YCM), Taiwan’s first institution exclusively showcasing the country’s exceptional pottery. As the museum celebrates its 20th year, it is also playing a crucial role in promoting Taiwan as an international ceramics hub. “While the medium already stands out among homegrown contemporary art, the museum makes our ceramics shine especially bright on the world stage,” said Liang Jia-haur (梁家豪), an academic in the Department of Crafts and Design at National Taiwan University of Arts (NTUA) in New Taipei and former resident artist in China, Finland and South Korea.
YCM’s global recognition is growing as the institution celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2020. (Photo by Chin Hung-hao)
Aptly located in Yingge District, where potters began congregating more than 200 years ago, YCM operates under the local government’s Cultural Affairs Department. Its exhibitions detailing the craft’s past, present and prospective future drew 720,000 visitors last year.
Back in the early years, museum officials dedicated themselves to organizing the Yingge Ceramics Festival, a move aimed at boosting the local industry. The area’s Old Street, which is lined with stores selling ceramic wares, was correspondingly undergoing top-to-bottom renovations to increase its appeal for visitors. With restoration complete, the festival launched, and the streets buzzed with artisans demonstrating pottery techniques and visitors trying their hands at the craft. It has since become a major event on Taiwan’s cultural calendar, with its success transforming Yingge into a bustling tourist hotspot year-round.
Schoolchildren try their hands at pottery and learn about ceramics through interactive displays at the museum. (Photos by Chin Hung-hao)
In 2008, YCM passed the responsibility of organizing the festival to other local government agencies and private groups in order to devote its energies to the new Yingge Wares Project, which gives select products the museum’s endorsement and privilege of being promoted by the institution at exhibitions. Judges invited by the museum choose from among ceramic items for daily use, such as tea kettles and mugs, made by artisans and businesses based in the area. More than 500 products have been honored with the Yingge Wares label to date.
Global Standing
YCM reached a major milestone in 2004 when it took over the task of organizing Taiwan Ceramics Biennale (TCB) from National Museum of History in Taipei City. “Originally for Taiwan artists exclusively, TCB has since begun accepting works from foreigners, greatly enhancing the museum’s international reach and status,” said Wu Hsiu-tzu (吳秀慈), director of the institution. For this year’s event, artists from 58 countries and territories submitted 732 works, more than any prior edition. Of that total, 118 pieces—including 22 by Taiwan ceramists—advanced to the next level and will be exhibited at the museum from November until May next year. The top winner will receive NT$1 million (US$34,483) in prize money.
Taiwan Ceramics Biennale is YCM’s signature event. (Photo courtesy of Yingge Ceramics Museum)
According to Wu, TCB is widely considered one of the four preeminent ceramics competitions in the world, along with International Ceramics Festival in Mino, Japan; Korean International Ceramic Biennale in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea; and International Competition of Contemporary Ceramic Art in Faenza, Italy. “The art form has a long history in Asia, and the concentration of leading festivals here enables the region to attract even greater attention from ceramists around the world,” Liang said.
In addition to TCB, the museum organizes the Taiwan Ceramics Awards, the most prestigious competition for local artists. The biennial event bestows four honors: Excellence Award, Creative Award, Functional Award and Emerging Award, respectively recognizing lifetime achievement, innovative artwork, everyday items and pieces by talents under 40.
Museum Director Wu Hsiu-tzu explains a sculpture to visitors during the show’s run. (Photo by Chin Hung-hao)
“The competitions and shows greatly increase exposure for participating artists and encourage young creators like me,” Huang Wei-chien (黃偉茜) said. “The institution is a mecca for aspiring ceramists. Although YCM is a municipal facility, it has a degree of influence one would expect from a national institution.” Huang began learning the pottery craft in 2006 in the southern city of Chiayi, traveling to Yingge several times a year for exhibitions before moving to New Taipei in 2016. “This museum keeps artists in the know regarding new techniques and concepts in Taiwan and around the world.”
Huang, who is maturing as an artist, said she has greatly benefited from the museum’s renowned residency program. “I’ve been thinking about shifting to abstract works. My time at Yingge gave me the opportunity to think deeply about this,” she said after finishing three months in the program last August.
South Korean artist Wookjae Maeng prepares an exquisitely detailed work for display at TCB’s 2018 edition. (Photo courtesy of YCM)
The initiative does more than bring participants experience and prestige—it also enriches the museum’s collection since pieces created by visiting artists join the institution’s roughly 3,000 ceramic works. Every year YCM invites ceramists from Taiwan and abroad for creative exchanges, with 101 artists taking part since the program was launched in 2009.
Looking Forward
After yearslong efforts by the museum and New Taipei City Government, YCM finally landed the opportunity to host the general assembly of the International Academy of Ceramics (IAC) in the fall of 2018. For the first time since its founding in 1952, the Switzerland-based organization saw the most important activity on its annual agenda take place in Taiwan, the fourth Asian country to win the honor. “The decision was huge for the museum because IAC is the largest global organization facilitating interactions between ceramists, curators and professionals in related fields. YCM’s international standing definitely received a boost from hosting the event,” Liang said.
Members of International Academy of Ceramics visiting Taiwan in 2018 view pieces by local artists. (Photo courtesy of YCM)
More than 300 individuals from 47 countries and territories attended the five-day assembly and accompanying exhibitions, including a special show spotlighting 206 works by prominent Taiwan ceramists at NTUA. Many visitors also extended their stays to tour pottery studios around the country and gain deeper insight into the local art scene.
Since the IAC general assembly, Yingge has continued to pursue stronger ties with the world. In 2019 it began a resident artist exchange with Clayarch Gimhae Museum in South Korea, and earlier this year it signed a pact agreeing to launch a residency exchange program with Netherlands-based European Ceramic Workcentre.
“As we celebrate YCM’s 20th anniversary and enjoy the reputation it has built up at home and abroad, we know more work needs to be done to keep Taiwan at the forefront of the global ceramics field,” Wu said. “By building on what it has already achieved, the museum will no doubt continue gaining prominence in the future.”
Write to Oscar Chung at mhchung@mofa.gov.tw
Ceramic items honored with YCG’s Yingge Wares designation are promoted by the museum at exhibitions of creative goods. Works must be crafted by local artisans to be eligible for the endorsement. (Photo by Chin Hung-hao)