Canberra Potters is delighted to welcome five new artists to our studio community. AC Parnell, Isabel Chen, Sarah Brown, Lia Tajcnar and Leah Jackson join Everything Flows Studio as current studio artists, bringing fresh perspectives, diverse practices and creative energy to our ceramics hub. Discover more about the artists and their work here.
Canberra Potters’ four purpose-built studios provide affordable, professional space for emerging and established ceramic artists to develop their practice. Studios are open by prior arrangement with each artist and during dedicated open studio events.
Subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on social media (details in the page footer) to stay informed about upcoming open studio opportunities.
Canberra Potters Society is pleased to announce that we’re hiring a new role – Marketing and Communications Manager. We’re looking for a passionate and experienced professional to join our team at the Watson Arts Centre.
This pivotal position will play a key role in promoting our dynamic programs, exhibitions, classes and community initiatives, helping to tell our story and share what we offer to both local and national audiences. Working closely with our CEO / Artistic Director and team, the successful candidate will lead the development and delivery of a strategic marketing and communications plan aligned with our 2026–2030 vision.
This flexible, part-time role is ideal for a creative communicator looking to make a meaningful impact in a thriving arts organisation and contribute to the growth of Canberra’s premier ceramics centre.
Applications are now open – be part of shaping the future of Canberra Potters.
Australia’s premier satirical art prize, the Bald Archy Prize, returns to Canberra Potters for the third consecutive year from 13 February to 15 March.
Known as Australia’s cheekiest portrait prize, the Bald Archy celebrates wit, satire and sharp social commentary through comic and satirical portraits of well-known Australians that will make you think, make you talk and most of all make you laugh.
Gallery hours 10am – 4pm Tuesday to Friday 10am – 2pm Saturday and Sunday
1 Aspinall Street Watson ACT
Entry to the exhibition is $10 general, $7 concession/seniors, and under 16 free. Please note that Canberra Potters accepts card payments only.
Find out more about the Bald Archy exhibition at Canberra Potters here
Canberra Potters will close at 4pm Thursday 18 December 2025 and reopen at 10am Tuesday 27 January 2026 for an exciting new year.
Thursday 18 December – Final day –shop trading, weigh and pay and member access sessions will close for 2025, from 4pm. Tuesday 27 January – Open for 2026 – shop and member services open from 10am.
Limited member access sessions and kiln hire will be available in January 2026 – please keep an eye on the website for more information.
Masterclasses and summer intensive programs for children and adults will be running through January.
Our team will be taking a well-deserved break over the Christmas close-down period and we hope you all have some time to put up your feet, reflect on 2025 and look forward to an amazing 2026!
Thankyou for your continued support of Canberra Potters. Wishing you a restful and safe holiday season.
Canberra Potters is now accepting proposals for our 2026 Exhibition Program. We’re looking for contemporary, collaborative, and engaging ceramic exhibitions that inspire audiences.
We are especially interested in:
Exhibitions with a contemporary focus.
Themes that are thought-provoking or emotionally engaging.
Collaborative projects between ceramic artists and artists who work in other mediums.
Proposals that foster audience engagementand promote understanding of the breadth of contemporary ceramic practice are strongly encouraged.
Applications close at 11.59pm on Sunday, 14 December 2025
Join us for our 2025 festive event, a curated Christmas Fair featuring 18 of the region’s local ceramic artists.
The event will be held in the gallery space at Canberra Potters with extended opening hours 10am to 4pm from Friday 5 – Sunday 14 December.
Escape the Christmas rush and support handmade with a beautiful array of ceramic products available for your gifting needs including tableware, jewellery, sculpture and Christmas decorations. From beautiful gifts for your loved ones, to Kris Kringle, end of year teacher gifts, to large statement pieces for your festive table-scape, the perfect piece of ceramics awaits you.
The Canberra Potters shop will also be open for the full duration of this period for your gifting needs.
Featured Artists
Bandiwallabat Pottery, Bear Inu Ceramics, Bendy Pots, ByKate Ceramics, Canberra Red, Clay by Ayumi, Colette Steindl Ceramics, Curious Squirrel Designs, Jacqui Keogh Ceramics, Linburn Handmade, Little Tree Studio, Midfire Crisis, Nanu Ceramics, Nichola Leeming Ceramics, Paul Dumetz, Sandie Johnston Ceramics, Spinning Gum Pottery and Win’s Creek Pottery.
Christmas Fair Preview
6PM – 8PM THURSDAY 4 DECEMBER
Be the first to buy from our 18 feature artists at out the Christmas Fair preview event. Back by popular demand this special event provides first access to available pieces and offers a wonderful opportunity to meet the makers and find out more about their practice.
The Canberra Potters annual Members’ Exhibition is a highlight of our exhibition program and features some of the best work created by our members during the last twelve months.
The exhibition is Canberra’s major ceramic exhibition of the year and in 2025 features over 140 works by 65 artists.
The exhibition presents a selection of works created by some of our 700+ members over the past 12 months, demonstrating trends in contemporary ceramics and the inexhaustible breadth of ceramic arts practice. The works featured use different clays, and a wide variety of making, decorating and firing techniques to create works that are unique in form, texture and colour.
A number of prizes are awarded each year, made possible through the support of the Canberra Potters Society Board and the generosity of exhibition sponsors including Walker Ceramics, Keane Ceramics, Northcote Pottery Supplies, The Australian Ceramics Association, Craft & Design Canberra and The Curatoreum.
2025 Award Winners
THE DOUG ALEXANDER MEMORIAL AWARD Best overall exhibit
Winner: Malcolm Cooke, Jar, 2025 (#51)
WALKER CERAMICS BRIAN PRIVETT AWARD FOR SURFACE DECORATION
Winner: Cathy Franzi, After the Fires, 2025 (#17)
CESCO AWARD FOR WHEELTHROWING
Winner: Jacky Lo, Woodfired Tea cup with Haku-Oshi, 2025 (#86)
NORTHCOTE SCULPTURE AWARD
Winner: Robyn Campbell, First Light #2, 2025 (#93)
Thankyou to all of our members who submitted their work this year, the quality was outstanding!
2025 Award Winners present on opening night!Guest Judge Vicki Grima OAM with Doug Alexander Memorial Award winner Malcolm CookeAfter the Fires, 2025 by Cathy Franzi – winner of the Walker Ceramics Brian Privett Award for Surface Decoration
2025 GUEST JUDGE – VICKI GRIMA OAM
Vicki Grima OAM is an artist and highly respected ceramic arts professional. Through her artwork in media including clay, paint, collage, photography and textiles, she explores form, colour, pattern and texture. For many decades she was a teacher of adults and children sharing her love of making and living a creative life. From 2006-2023, Vicki was the Executive Officer of The Australian Ceramics Association and Editor of The Journal of Australian Ceramics, building and connecting the national ceramics community in Australia and beyond. She is now Director of Foster A Potter, a DGR charity organisation which supports and funds ceramics students to learn and work alongside experienced ceramicists and potters in a studio setting.
HISTORY OF THE DOUG ALEXANDER MEMORIAL AWARD
Each year since 1990, Canberra Potters have awarded the Doug Alexander Award to an exceptional potter in our annual Members’ Exhibition. The award is presented in celebration and honour of Doug Alexander who was the resident potter at Cuppacumbalong Arts and Craft Centre at Tharwa, from 1976 to 1981 – brought short by his untimely death.
Doug Alexander made a huge contribution to the development of functional ceramics in Australia and, when he moved to Canberra, Doug Alexander’s experience and knowledge gave a fillip to pottery in Canberra. The non-acquisitive $5000 cash prize is proudly sponsored by Canberra Potters.
Applications are now open for Canberra Potters studios, with three studios available for artists ready to take the next step in their ceramic practice.
Canberra Potters is the leading ceramic arts organisation in the ACT and one of Australia’s only fully integrated ceramics centres. Located at Watson Arts Centre just 5km from Canberra’s CBD, it offers learning programs for all levels, professional workshops, a gallery program with local, national and international exhibitions, an artist in residence program, kiln services, a retail outlet, and tranquil gardens and outdoor spaces.
The purpose built studios provide space, support and connection within a vibrant community of makers who share a passion for ceramics.
Studio applications have now closed. Please subscribe to our newsletter (via the footer) to be notified when new opportunities open.
Image: Everything Flows Studio at Canberra Potters, by Tim Ngo
Canberra Potters is delighted to congratulate Vice President of the Canberra Potters Society Board, Moraig McKenna, on her induction into the International Academy of Ceramics (IAC) in October 2025. This prestigious honour recognises her outstanding contribution to the ceramic arts and connects her with a global network of leading ceramic professionals.
Moraig joins fellow member Dr Cathy Franzi and a cohort of 246 IAC members from 59 countries who work together to foster international collaboration, promote ceramics worldwide, and uphold the highest standards of creative and technical excellence.
An internationally recognised ceramic artist, Moraig has worked as a studio potter for over 30 years and has exhibited widely across Australia and overseas. Her work is held in private collections in the US, Singapore, China, and Europe, as well as in the Canberra Museum and Gallery and Taoxichuan Ceramic Art Avenue Art Gallery in Jingdezhen, China.
Specialising in wood-fired and salt-glazed porcelain and stoneware, Moraig is based at Old Saint Luke’s Studio and Gallery in Gundaroo, NSW, just outside Canberra.
Join us on Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 November, 10am–4pm as we open our doors as part of the Australian Ceramics Open Studios and Craft + Design Canberra Open Studios and Organisations events. Explore ceramics, creativity, and community across our gallery, shop, studios, and gardens.
What’s On
Gallery exhibition
Visit the 2025 Canberra Potters Members Exhibition. The exhibition presents a selection of works created by some of our 700+ members over the past 12 months, demonstrating trends in contemporary ceramics and the inexhaustible breadth of ceramic arts practice. The works featured use different clays, and a wide variety of making, decorating and firing techniques to create works that are unique in form, texture and colour.
Makers’ shop
Browse a curated selection of functional and sculptural ceramics by Canberra artists, perfect for gifts or to add to your home.
