The BAC plays a unique national role in collecting contemporary Canadian ceramics. The development of a critical mass of 1,000 artworks is a principle 'driver' for our curatorial work. Exhibitions of contemporary ceramics are curated from our own collection and from practicing Canadian artists. International and historic artworks are utilized to provide context and background for Canadian developments.

Fire + Earth: Contemporary Canadian Ceramic Art (August 24 to September28, 1997) will be the culmination of curatorial concepts that have been developed in several exhibitions at the BAC over the past three years. This exhibition will develop a critical view of contemporary ceramic art in Canada including works by artists from the west coast, the prairies, Ontario, Quebec and the east coast. The curator, Jonathan Smith, will select 80 artworks including functional pieces (plates, bowls, etc.) as well as sculptural and installation work. The following artists are representative of approximately 40 whose work will be included: Marilyn Levine, Victor Cicansky, Roseline Delisle, Steve Heinemann, Alain Bernard, Mickey Handy, Jack Sures, Robert Archambeau, Anne Marie Schmid Esler, Bonita Bocanegra Collins, Ruth Gowdy McKinley, Agnes Olive, Paul Mathieu, Ingrid Nicolai, Joe Fafard, Doucet-Saito, Bruce Taylor, David Gilhooly, Jeanette Edwardes, Wayne Ngan, Bailey Leslie, Jim Thomson and Alexandra McCurdy. The exhibition will approach ceramics from art historical, aesthetic and functional viewpoints. It will expand the accessibility and understanding of ceramic art from sociological and anthropological frameworks. The curatorial objective of this exhibition is to 'relate' ceramics to contemporary art practice and to 'locate' it within its national and international context.

Fire + Earth will open in Burlington and will travel to the Itabashi Art Museum in Itabashi-ku, a city north of Tokyo, Japan. We are planning a tour of the exhibition to three other art museums in Japan and will also travel across Canada. For many of the artists, this exhibition will be an opportunity for their work to be seen outside of their own region for the first time.