Ceramists Meeting
The 18th edition of the Ceramists Meeting took place in Paraty from April 2 to 5, 2026, with exhibitions, a ceramics market, workshops, demonstrations, and conversations about ancestral knowledge and contemporary work in clay.
- April · Apr 2–5
- 18th ed.
- Ended
The event and its purpose
The Paraty Ceramists Meeting brings artists, artisans, educators, and the public together around ceramic practice. Its program combines exhibitions and the sale of handmade pieces with activities that let visitors watch techniques in action, listen to people who work with clay, and understand ceramics as an art form, a craft, and knowledge passed down through generations.
In 2026, the 18th edition adopted the theme “Ancestral Hands, Living Forms.” The program connected contemporary practices with ancestral knowledge and Paraty’s territory through references to the land, the sea, and the forest. The theme shaped both the public activities and the group exhibition devoted to the city’s ceramic artists.
The 2026 edition
The main program occupied the tent at Santa Rita Square. Visitors found a ceramics market, open pottery wheels, workshops for different age groups, artist demonstrations, talks, and roundtable discussions. Announced topics included ceramics as heritage, the revival of ceramic practice in the Quilombo do Campinho community, and the paths followed by women and independent makers who work with clay.
The program extended to other venues. IHAP hosted the opening of the exhibition “Ceramics of Paraty: Languages of the Land, Sea, and Forest,” while Livraria das Marés held a book launch, a live sculpture session, and a conversation about ceramic networks. Highlights preserved by the event’s official channel document the opening, the market, and all four days of the gathering.
Ceramics, place, and participation
The meeting presents clay as more than a finished product. Demonstrations and workshops reveal stages of modeling and making, while exhibitions and conversations place the works within personal, collective, and territorial histories. This combination helps distinguish artist-made ceramics from mass-produced crafts and creates room for exchange between professionals and visitors.
The 2026 municipal call also provided for the participation of artisans, master artisans, craft workers, and local associations, with minimum allocations for people with disabilities, Indigenous participants, and Quilombola participants. These criteria show the public initiative’s intention to broaden representation, but they should not be read as a final count of attendees.
Dates and venues
- Main dates: April 2–5, 2026
- Edition: 18th
- Theme: Ancestral Hands, Living Forms
- Main venue: the tent at Santa Rita Square
- Other confirmed venues: IHAP and Livraria das Marés
- Status: ended
Sources and last review
- Paraty Official Gazette no. 1971, March 3, 2026 — dates, edition, and public call
- Paraty City Hall — page for the 18th edition and history of the meeting
- @encontroceramistasparaty — highlights from the opening, market, and all four days
- Paraty.com.br — theme, venues, and announced program
- Last editorial review: August 29, 2026
Monthly update
September 10, 2026.
Gallery