Ceramists from twelve countries, including scholars, teachers and researchers came together in Karachi. Hailing from Bangladesh, Canada, Finland, India, Indonesia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Spain, The Netherlands, Turkey, UK, and also from Pakistan, they were here to participate in the Third ASNA Clay Triennial 2006 held in Karachi from November 11 to 24.

Objectives of the Clay Triennial included the following:

- To explore the history and development of ceramics and its relevance to the arts.

- To analytically critique it from the viewpoint of western and eastern art history, Islamic traditions, archaeology, ceramics technology, studio pottery, social history, anthropology, ethnography and the study of material cultures.

The Triennial opened at the Arts Council, with an exciting International Exhibition of Contemporary Ceramics, displaying the works of over 50 artists, followed by a two-day International Art Seminar at the new auditorium built inside Burnes Gardens, next to the National Museum. The Seminar was arranged in collaboration with NuktaArt magazine. Internationally acclaimed Pakistani ceramist, Sheherezade Alam, delivered the keynote address.

Ceramists from Spain, Finland, Northern Ireland and Pakistan conducted workshops on Ceramic Techniques. Later, on November 16 to 18, a Kumhar Mela was held in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, displaying clay crafts by rural potters from some far-flung areas of the country, providing an opportunity for them to be introduced to craft-shops, and to interact with studio ceramists for the improvement of their craft.

Two successful events have been organised by ASNA in the past - Maati ki Sargoshi (Whispers of Clay) in March 1999, showing clay crafts from the four provinces of the country, followed by Journeys with Clay, three years later, which provided an opportunity to exponents of studio pottery to come together. Once again, exhibitions, seminars and workshops were significant components of these events.

Among the ceramists from India was Sonia Dhingra, who remained a textile designer for a decade, then taught creative arts in a Delhi school for another ten years before submitting to an inner calling to experiment with studio pottery. She first exhibited her work at the India Habitat Centre in Delhi in 2002.

Reyaz Badruddin first discovered his affinity towards clay at the Faculty of Visual Arts, Benaras Hindu University, in 1993. He joined the Sanskriti Kendra after coming to Delhi in 1999. Attending workshops enabled him to develop a strong element of spontaneity and freedom in his work, leading him to experiment with slab and sculptural forms. The focus of his work has been mostly on the emerging character of clay, on form rather than on functionality.

Kristine Michael trained in industrial ceramic design at the famous National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad. She has worked in ceramics in New Delhi and Pondicherry and exhibited in over seventeen solo shows in India and numerous group-shows, some held internationally. Her works are in the collection of the Cartwright Hall, Bradford, UK, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, USA and private collections in India. She has worked as a researcher at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, under the auspices of the Nehru Trust. She lectures and writes regularly about ceramics.

Manisha Bhattacharya, known for her quest for perfection in technique and her ability to play with the bulbous forms "that speak from within and without" finishes her pots without a layer of glaze. She sometimes sandblasts her work to create an interesting play of smooth and granulated surface textures.

Participant Iraida Cano from Spain, although born in Madrid, is a Guatemalan by affiliation. Qualifying at the Facultad de San Fernando in Madrid and St. Martin´s School of Art in London, Cano works as a painter and sculptor, principally in land-art installations. Since 1995, she has been working at the prestigious ceramic factory "Artesania Talaverana" in Talavera de la Reina, Toledo, Spain.

Catharina Kajander was born in Helsinki, and worked at the Industrial Art Institute in that city from 1962 to 1966. She became a member of the Finnish Association of Industrial Art and Design, ORNAMO, in 1966. She also worked at a drainpipe factory in Finland for some years before holding her first individual exhibition in Helsinki in 1969 and winning a State Art and Design prize for a big terracotta sculpture.

Elona Lubyte came from Vilnius, Lithuania. Since 1999, she has been teaching at the Vilnius Art Academy and VGTU. Since 1987, she has been the curator of Lithuanian contemporary sculpture at the Lithuanian Art Museum. She helps arrange exhibitions, writes about Lithuanian contemporary art and art management, and participates in republican and international conferences.

Sevim Cizer, from Turkey, graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts, Department of Ceramics, Istanbul, and worked as a designer, art director and consultant in the ceramics industry. In 1984, she became a Lecturer at Dokuz Eylül University, Faculty of Fine Arts, and later earned her doctorate from the same university. After establishing the Ceramics Department there, she has been Professor and Head of Ceramics Department since 2001.

Dr. Ponimin M. Hum who came from Indonesia, is a staff instructor at the Artistic Majors and Desain Faculty Art of the University of Malang.

Other participants and speakers included Sonia Jamal, Ona Grigaite, Ziaul Karim, Samia Bukhari, Shazia Wasim, Kaif Ghaznavi, Michael Rice, Ghania Asad, Salman Ikram, Nabahat Lotia, Fauzia Minallah, Raania Durrani, Sadia Salim, Shazieh Gorji, Selwa Habib and others.

In order to provide an all-rounded and wholesome education in ceramics, the aim of any programme in a professional institution should be to foster an exploratory and analytical approach to ceramic practice, and to provide its students with the skills and theoretical understanding that will allow them to continue to develop their work. Experimental and sculptural ceramics, tableware, architectural work, pots, pans, bowls and platters as well as mixed media and ephemeral works should all be supported within the studio. Craft theory, material culture, and other relevant theoretical areas should be part of the studio discourse, side by side with instruction in techniques of hand-building, wheel-throwing, various casting and moulding methods. The courses must not lose sight of the historical and spiritual context of the pottery of our region, so that emerging ceramists take the field further in every way yet stay rooted in their respective traditions. Clay technology, information on paper clays, porcelains and slips, glazes, kiln building and firing could also be a popular area of research for interested students. Additionally, studio management and professional practice should also be an integral part of studio instruction.

Although some may disagree, craft is not dead. ASNA, the brain-child of eminent printmaker and painter Mehr Afroz, designer Shanaz Siddiq and art critic, author and curator Niilofur Farrukh, has certainly opened up prospects for traditional crafts and the contemporary arts to come together. The Clay Triennial 2006 provided an attractive opportunity to both traditional potters and local urban ceramists. The Pakistani ceramists were able to exhibit, collaborate with and learn from the international ceramists as well as the local potters, whereas the traditional potters benefited immensely from the interaction. The Triennial thus proved to be a successful event which brought together artists and craftsmen from several countries, inspiring all. u. u