The Korea Ceramic Foundation said it will run the participatory programs of the 2026 Gyeonggi Ceramic Biennale International Ceramic Workshop from October 2 to 18 at the Gyeonggi Ceramic Museum and its creative studios. In the programs, artists from the Netherlands, Australia, Korea and elsewhere work with visitors to make pieces from clay and various other materials on the themes of cities and the environment, nature and materials, and tradition and community. All programs are free, and the eligible participants, capacity and application method differ from program to program. Some programs take advance reservations on the biennale website (gcbiennale.org), and visitors can also join on site if places remain.
'Smogware Korea: From Urban Dust to the Table,' part of 'Lab AIR' with Dutch artist Iris de Kievith, uses dust collected in central Icheon as a glaze material applied to ceramics, and participants share food served in these vessels while talking about air and the urban environment. It will be held on October 3, 9 and 10 and is open to those aged 13 and over. Artist Sim Da-eun's 'A Long and Noisy Coincidence' is a program in which participants gather clay and ceramic shards around the museum, break them and shape them again; it is divided into 'Land and Walking' and 'Fragments and Records' and runs from October 2 to 11 at the creative studios and around Seolbongsan Mountain. The Australian Aboriginal potters' group Hermannsburg Potters will introduce stories of the nature and communities of central Australia through clay and painting at the creative studios from October 8 to 11, open to everyone, and potter Kim Chang-ho will run 'Breathing Vessels, Onggi' on October 9 and 10 for elementary school students and older, in which participants look at the process of making traditional onggi (Korean earthenware) and make a small onggi themselves.
On October 9, Hangeul Day, a 'Korea-Australia Cultural Exchange Day' marking the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Australia will be held in connection with the workshop. It is organised in cooperation with the Australian Embassy in Korea and sponsored by the Australian Government's International Cultural Diplomacy Arts Fund (ICDAF) and Creative Australia, with Korean potters and master craftsmen also taking part. From 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., ceramic activities with Hermannsburg Potters and Kim Chang-ho and a performance by Australian musician Bumpy will take place on the outdoor lawn of the Gyeonggi Ceramic Museum, and participants will receive souvenirs. From 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., the shared space on the 2nd floor of the museum will host a special conversation, 'Building Landscapes, Shaping Landscapes,' between architect Jang Yeong-cheol and potter Choe Seong-jae, followed by a talk with curator Natalie King and Hermannsburg Potters and a talk by Australian craft expert Kevin Murray.
The 'Studio Opening (Open Studio),' which shows the artists' work in progress, runs from October 2 to 11, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., in the studios of the Gyeonggi Ceramic Museum and the creative studios, and can be viewed without a reservation. Artists in the 2nd cohort include Lab AIR, Kim Chang-ho, Sim Da-eun and Hermannsburg Potters. Participatory workshops by Maja Quille, David Rauer, Sakamoto Kai and Scenocosme, who took part in the 1st cohort in September, will also continue until October 18, led by separate educators. Ryu In-gwon, president of the Korea Ceramic Foundation, said, "The International Ceramic Workshop is a place where artists and visitors touch clay and materials together and experience the process of a work being made."
The foundation will also run '2026 Gyeonggi Craft Crew,' a linked program for visitors to the biennale and the Yeoju Ogok Naru Festival, at the Gyeonggi Craft Creation Support Center in Yeoju until October 31. 'Studio Crew,' in which participants make items such as silver clay necklace pendants and glass bead key rings in metal, glass and woodworking studios every Saturday (except October 24), consists of 5 programs over 15 sessions with about 15 people per session, and participants must pay part of the material costs depending on the program. The free 'Making Crew' runs 9 programs in woodworking, textiles, glass, ceramics, beads and resin over 27 sessions with about 20 people per session, accepting both advance reservations and on-site registration. 'Crew Quest,' in which visitors who collect stamps around the center receive a pack of '12 Zodiac Character Clickers' made with a 3D printer, is free for about 1,000 people and may end early if supplies run out, and the 'Craftsman's House' sells about 100 kinds of items, including works by 8 resident start-up teams and products developed by the center.
The 2026 Gyeonggi Ceramic Biennale, themed 'Earth Makes,' opened on September 18 and runs until November 1 at Icheon Cerapia, Gwangju Gonjiam Ceramic Park and Yeoju Dojasesang. Combined tickets cost 11,000 won for adults (7,000 won in advance) and 7,000 won discounted (4,000 won in advance), and individual venue tickets for adults cost 6,000 won for Icheon and 4,000 won for Gwangju and Yeoju. Preschool children aged 6 and under, people aged 65 and over, and families with multiple children, among others, are admitted free. Inquiries: 031-631-6501.
The full schedule is available on the festival details page.