African Ceramics

Ceramics – Indego Africa

Indego Africa's ceramic products are handmade by a group of artisans at Gatagara Pottery in Rwanda. Formed in 1977 by a Belgian priest in Rwanda’s southern province, Gatagara is located in a small but picturesque workshop in the district of Nyanza. Often considered the cradle of Rwanda’s heritage, Nyanza is nestled east of a large lake that provides artisans with the natural materials they need to practice traditional craft techniques. After preparing a mixture of sand, gravel, limestone, and water in a large basin and shaping the product by hand, the artisans let the clay dry for 2-3 weeks before applying glaze made from natural dyes and baking them in a hot kiln. From design to finished product, the ceramic-making process takes about one month to complete. The distinctive handmade quality makes each piece of pottery unique and timeless.

Learn more: indegoafrica.org

Highlight on handmade african ceramics

Steps Involved in making a handmade african ceramics item.

Products are made out of clay from swamps and wetlands with Africa -Uganda.

The pieces are made by hand forming and machine (wheel)

We use WHITE clay for painting white and AUNT-Hill soil for obtaining red colour to decorate the pieces.

After painting we polish the pieces using small ocean stones to make them smooth.

The pieces are left for 5 days to dry and then they are loaded into the oven (kiln) for firing.

The (art pieces) are fired until 940 degrees for 12 hours.
After firing, they are offload when the oven (kiln) cools.

We mix liquid clay, fired clay and sand to cover our decorations on the pieces and then we make the open firing using wood shavings that let the smoke on the pieces to make them black. This process is called smoking. After then, they are washed and the covered parts and the uncovered parts get black smoke.

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UNCOVERING THE SECRET TO POTTERY MAKING IN AFRICA | THINGS TO DO IN TOGO

In Today’s episode, We are going to learn how pot or earthenware bowl is done in Togo. As each and every country have a unique or simple style in making their pottery . Join me on this journey as I share my experience.

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My name is Lorie Lawson and I’m a Ghanaian based Youtuber/vlogger. I make travel and lifestyle Ghanaian vlogs showing you every part of Ghana and what it is like to live in Ghana. So you will be seeing a lot of Ghanaian vlogs from me for a while.
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African Pottery Forming and Firing

This video demonstrates the five major techniques used by potters in Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Nigeria. The techniques include concave mold, convex mold, coiling, direct pull, and hammer and anvil. You can see Bwa, Jelly, and Mossi potters in Burkina Faso, the Ashanti potters in Kumasi Ghana, and Igbo and Yoruba potters in Nigeria. In addition there are two detailed videos of pottery firing.

Ardmore brings ceramic art to life from their midlands workshop

Ardmore Ceramic Art produces a wide range of captivating South African art to life in the picturesque Caversham Valley in South Africa’s Natal Midlands.

South Africa’s most recognisable and collected ceramic art brand, Ardmore Ceramic Art was established by Fée Halsted on Ardmore Farm in the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains of KwaZulu-Natal. Today you’ll find the bustling studio and gallery in the picturesque Caversham Valley in South Africa’s Natal Midlands.

“It all started in 1985”, says Fée. “It began with a young lady called Bonnie Ntshalintshali… and we started by making moulded ducks which we hand-painted, and from there we moved into stories about Zulu culture and history. Storytelling is a big part of Zulu culture, as well as working with clay.”

Working in the Caversham studio, with the beautiful Natal Midlands for inspiration, Ardmore is a skills development hub for local communities and provides a workplace for the creative minds of the area. Over and above the undoubted aesthetic value of the pieces, each product conveys an interpretation of the Zulu oral tradition in the area and, as such, becomes a piece of history. The artists also use the medium as a means of expressing their sentiments on a host of social issues.

“From 1998, into the 2000s, we started losing a lot of artists to HIV/AIDs – in fact, sadly, Bonnie was one”, says Fée. “And the artists took this up on their own and started making incredible works – the works on HIV/AIDs have travelled the world. It’s an incredible collection of work of which I’m incredibly proud”.

Designed in the Ardmore Ceramic Art Studio, each handmade and one-of-a-kind ceramic has been created by the marrying of two skilled artists – a sculptor and a painter, both of whom sign the piece. Working in the true African spirit of Ubuntu, exquisitely handcrafted and highly detailed figurative works and functional ware are created by more than fifty artists who draw on Zulu traditions and folklore, history, the natural world and their own lives for inspiration.

Catherine Berning, Head Designer at Ardmore, leads translating designs to a blank canvas for a range of products from scarves to tablecloths. Ardmore’s broad range of products are up for sale in the company’s official gallery, where items are arranged by theme.

Speaking of the impact of the lockdown, Fée adds that “COVID has created a situation where the artists weren’t allowed on site. They had to go and lockdown in Lidgetton, and we had to adapt and use this subject matter.”

In 2020, Ardmore presents its one-of-a-kind scented candle to commemorate a year when the world came together, while the people stayed apart. To create the candle, Ardmore artists selected African animals and designs to symbolise characteristics needed in times of adversity – intended to fill homes with the scents of wild Africa: Cape May, Buchu and Geranium.

Ardmore participates in an ongoing calendar of exhibitions and continues to produce products ranging from ceramics, prints, designs, and fabrics as well as bespoke furniture, soft furnishings and tableware that sell from New York to London, and everywhere in-between.

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Discovering the Earth: African Pottery From The Speed’s Collection

"Discovering the Earth: African Pottery from the Speed’s Collection" features 17 different pieces of pottery authentic to parts of Africa, spanning the continent from Nigeria to South Africa. The objects were donated to the Speed Art Museum by the Chicago based Douglas Dawson Gallery, which specializes in ancient and historic art from Africa, Asia and the Americas. The characteristic attribute all of the pieces share is that they are traditional hand-built earthenware.

"Discovering the Earth" explores the techniques used to create the timeless forms of pottery, and delves into how these ceramics were used and what significance these pieces had in society. This exhibition marks the first time that many of these objects, all from the Speed's collection, will be on view to the public.

"Discovering the Earth" will be on display at Local Speed from August 1 to October 25.

Video by Ashly Cecil