About
The Contemporary Ceramics Centre of La Borne (CCCLB) is an important part of a pottery heritage that is unique in France. The CCCLB is a cultural and tourist amenity of the Communauté de Communes Terres du Haut Berry. It is an iconic, unmissable venue on the contemporary ceramics scene. The CCCLB’s activities focus on the production, dissemination and outreach for the culture of international ceramics.
The CCCLB’s entire artistic and cultural project has been built around a partnership with the ceramists of the Ceramics Association of La Borne. The CCCLB provides a permanent exhibition space for the members of the ACLB. In addition to this permanent artistic activity, temporary exhibitions are held with guest artists and ceramists.
The CCCLB is supported by the Ministry of Culture-Drac Centre-Val de Loire, the Centre-Val de Loire Region and the Cher Departmental Council, with the support of the municipality of Henrichemont. It is a member of “devenir.art”, an association of cultural stakeholders working in the visual arts in the Centre-Val de Loire region.
The CCCLB is a hub for production
As a production site, the CCCLB offers ideal conditions for ceramists and artists in the process of creation and research.
The aim of the “La Borne Residences” scheme is to encourage the sharing of knowledge, experience and techniques with a view to rethinking existing categories and traditional hierarchies, particularly between art, design and crafts. It allows artists from all walks of life to come and collaborate with ceramic artists from La Borne with the aim of developing projects for the co-production of works of art.
The “Springboard Residence Prize” in partnership with C14-PARIS, the CCCLB and the ACLB makes it possible for a young ceramic artist to be invited to discover and learn about a new skill: wood firing.
The CCCLB supports contemporary ceramic practice by means of a committed publishing output associated with the events and programming of the CCCLB (books, catalogues, films, etc.).
The CCCLB is a place of dissemination
The CCCLB supports the diversity of contemporary ceramics creation by offering more than ten exhibitions within and without its walls each year. Monographs, group, individual or themed exhibitions are all devised in dialogue with the ceramic output of the ACLB ceramists.
The CCCLB is a place of outreach
At the heart of the work of the Ceramics Centre is a commitment to mediating for contemporary ceramics for all audiences. Taking as its starting point its exhibitions and the artistic programme, La Borne Contemporary Ceramics Centre proposes experimentation and develops specific tools and formats to raise awareness of ceramic culture as a whole. Whether done individually, as a family or in a group, everyone can discover the materials, skills and practices of today’s ceramics. The CCCLB and the ceramists of the ACLB also offer training courses for a professionals, semi-professionals and/or amateurs. These courses are held at the CCCLB or in the ceramists’ studios and workshops.
Photograph: Pascal Vangysel