Board Director announcement

by Debbie Pryor

The Australian Ceramics Association is thrilled to announce the appointment of Janice Keen and Robyn Phelan to the Board of Directors.

 

 
Above: Janice Keen


Above: Robyn Phelan

 

Janice and Robyn join Directors Kate Jones (President), Diamando Koutsellis, Jackie Gasson, Hannah Kothe, Alfred Lowe and Debbie Pryor (Secretary and CEO).

The appointment of Janice and Robyn draws on their experiences within the arts, education and commercial business; in addition to extensive experience in their individual ceramics careers.  Their professional experiences reflect the transitional needs of the association as we build a business model and expand the member reach of this national association.  

The Australian Ceramics Association Board and staff are based across South Australia (Ngankiparinga and Kaurna) New South Wales (Gundungurra - Wodi Wodi, Gadigal and Carigal  lands), Queensland (Kabi Kabi and Jinibara land) and Northern Territory (Mparntwe) and Victoria (Naarm).

 

 

Janice Keen, Australian Ceramics Board Director says:
I’m delighted to join the TACA board. I look forward to utilizing my business experience and my knowledge of our clay community to support my fellow board members and the members of TACA.

 

 

Robyn Phelan, Australian Ceramics Board Director says:
I am delighted to join the TACA board after years of being an enthusiastic observer, commentator, and member of this energetic and well-loved association. This is an incredibly exciting time to be an advocate for and representative of my national ceramic community. 

 

 

BIOGRAPHIES

JANICE KEEN Naarm / VIC
From my early years as a graduate Chemical Engineer, through a lengthy career in the corporate sector and finally owning a manufacturing business with my partner since 2008, clay was always a wonderful creative outlet.   In 2015 I established my home studio and from there my commitment to being a ‘studio potter’ has grown and become my focus. My studio practice is largely functional wheel thrown work and a growing interest in glaze and surface is taking me down a more sculptural path.  I look forward to seeing what comes next.

ROBYN PHELAN Naarm / VIC
I work with the malleable qualities of clay and rich cultural history of ceramics to connect to and interpret my place of making. My practice questions the intersections between site, material and the body and the resulting artwork is imbued with the touch and process of making. 

I expect to complete my post doctorate studies in the School of Art, RMIT University in early 2024 where I teach in history and cultures and studio ceramics. My professional background is in ceramics, visual arts education, museum management and curation. I am passionate about contemporary craft and have been writing about material, object and creative practices for more than two decades.

I am a mother who respectfully lives, works and plays on the unceded Sovereign lands of the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation in Naarm (Melbourne). 

The Australian Ceramics Association
SQ1 Studios, 32 Bowden St, Alexandria NSW 2015
PO Box 677 Alexandria NSW 1435
T: +61 (0)2 9698 0230 (outside Australia)
Contact 1300 720 124
[email protected]
australianceramics.com
australianceramicscommunity.com
australianceramicstriennale.com.au

The Australian Ceramics Association acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and First Nations peoples connections to land, sea and community.

We recognise that sovereignty was never ceded and that we are on stolen land. We pay our respects to Elders, past, present and emerging, and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who engage with the Association, our events and programs.