In addition to her residency, a piece from Megan’s final degree show, The After Party, has earned her a placed as a finalist in the sculpture category of the Signature Art Prize. The results are to be announced in London on 5 June.
Working in a place with such rich ceramic heritage and international reputation, Megan has gained a lot from her experience in Jingdezhen:
“It’s been an honour to work alongside such a range of incredible artists within my residency. The city allows me to fully expand my ideas and research techniques and has exposed me to equipment that I had not used before.
“The city is drenched in history but is bursting with new and contemporary ideas. Toaxichuan Art Center has an ambitious mission through its residency programme and is exploding at the seams with international artists and Chinese artists – allowing the traditional and contemporary to weave together.”
Megan is exploring marine life as part of her residency. She has focused on animals such as lobsters, prawns, oysters and crabs crawling and taking over man-made structures. In the city, she is enjoying exploring glazes, clays and testing new techniques which has allowed her to discover some new and exciting combinations.
Megan added:
“One of my pieces is currently being displayed at a group exhibition called ‘Borders in flux’. This explores the hidden message of potential through international collaborations. My piece ‘The world’s your oyster’ plays on this, as just like an oyster I believe we all have the potential for something incredibly precious within us. I am working towards an exhibition at the end of my residency with all the pieces that I create here.
“This is my second time here, as last year I had a residency at the Jingdezhen Ceramic University International Studio. My work from then featured in an exhibition ‘Women in Ceramics’ which has recently finished.”
Megan’s work gained attention from Chinese press and the public. She commented:
“I had the honour to be included in two different newspapers last month which talked about the international residency that I’m taking part in. Right now, I am in a place called Tao Yang Alley which is the part of the old centre of Jingdezhen with the Imperial kilns and their ruins. The city has restored some of the oldest buildings and even has two functioning dragon wood kilns.
“My studio is nestled into the foundations of this historical site which allows me to take influence from my surroundings. This incredible art form that in some people’s eyes is just clay, has such a deep history and such an importance in Chinese culture.
“Demonstrations and exhibitions are always on display within the museum and park which allows me to also take in these influences. It was an incredible surprise to be included in the newspaper stories as whilst I knew there were photographers coming around, I thought it was just going to be an online article, but it ended up being printed in two different newspapers. I think this is a reflection of how much pride the city and Taoxichuan takes in the programme and their strong desire to foster international collaboration.”
Megan credits Loughborough for shaping her artistic career, highlighting the support from the ceramics department and Year in Enterprise programme. The hands-on guidance and entrepreneurial training helped her build both creative and business skills.
Check out Megan’s Instagram page to see more of her work.