Made of Earth

About Made of Earth

Made of Earth explores the story of clay and ceramics; how they have impacted civilisation and how civilisation has developed through their use. The formation of civilisations, our need for tools and beauty, our identity is very entwined with the development of ceramics. This exhibition tells part of the story of why ceramics are important to us. 

The exhibition aims to tell this story by engaging the senses, as the visitor is invited to feel, mould and create with the clay, and to enjoy demonstrations by ceramic artists. There is an interactive element as the visitor discovers via an annotated map where and how pottery and ceramic making originated and developed.

Time periods from Prehistory c. 9000BC through Ancient Rome and the Renaissance right up to the Industrial Revolution and the advent of Mass Production will be examined. Several ceramic pieces from the Hunt’s permanent collection will be on display as we examine their origins in terms of style as well as the pictorial decorations that adorn them.

The exhibition is closely linked to the Irish Contemporary Ceramics Collection, a joint initiative with the Ceramics Department, Limerick School of Art & Design (TUS), intended to reflect the richness and creativity of contemporary ceramic practice in Ireland, while complementing the Museum’s diverse holding of historic ceramic artefacts. Visitors come away with an understanding of ceramics on a global scale.