Mugs on Mugs — Em Frank

MUGS ON MUGS

2022

Australian Ceramics Triennale
BATHHOUSE STUDIOS
Alice Springs

Mugs On Mugs was a community ceramics project based in Mparntwe/Alice Springs as part of the 2022 Australian Ceramics Triennale. It was conceived of and facilitated by myself and Ness Sim, with the help of many members of the Mparntwe community.

The project emerged from our desire to use ceramics as a platform for solidarity and change. It culminated in an exhibition of portrait mugs at Bath House Studios, a local artist-run collective. All profits from the project were donated to the Strong Grandmothers of the Central Desert.

The project was about making ceramics accessible and bringing community together. We invited anyone to submit a mug, facilitated community mug-making workshops, and showcased work from a wide variety of contributors, from first time makers to highly renowned artists. Everyone’s mugs were exhibited together, no matter where they sat in the hierarchy of technical prowess or artistic reputation.

It was important to us to create a space that felt open, inviting, and engaging, and to use ceramics as a tool through which we could educate each other and redistribute resources.

We wanted people to take a moment, during the hustle of the Triennale, to think about the land on which they were congregated, and the important work of local First Nations people like the Strong Grandmothers. The Grandmothers are a group of women made up of artists, traditional owners, healers, academics and teachers. They tirelessly advocate for the rights and wellbeing of their communities, often without acknowledgement or visibility.

Throughout the project 240 mugs were donated from all corners of the country, with submissions from individuals, school groups, and community centres. Prominant ceramicists including Patsy Healy, Gerry Wedd, Mel Robson and Vipoo Srivilasa also got invovled. Nearly every mug had a red dot by the end of the two-hour exhibition, raising just shy of $10 000 in donations.

Photos by Sara Maiorino and myself

Mugs on Mugs

Living and labouring on Kaurna Yarta

@em___frank