In conversation with Clare Wood, Artistic Director & Chief Executive of the British Ceramics Biennial
Clare Wood
I am very excited to present Clare Wood answering my who, why, when, where, what questions. This is a British Ceramics Biennial Special Feature as we approach the event: 6 September – 19 October 2025. Six whole weeks of free exhibitions, screenings, talks and events! I am hoping to take a trip to Stoke-on-Trent to visit, I particularly want to see Fresh - the exhibition showing a new wave of artists working in clay. You can read the full programme here.
Over to Clare…
Who - are you?
I’m Clare. I am the Artistic Director & Chief Executive of the British Ceramics Biennial – or BCB as it’s more commonly known.
BCB is an arts organisation bringing together contemporary art and clay. From our base in Stoke-on-Trent, we deliver year-round programmes responding to the city’s health, education and creative needs, and we feed these into the Biennial - the UK’s largest contemporary ceramics event. The ninth edition of British Ceramics Biennial takes place in Stoke-on-Trent this autumn from 6 September to 19 October.
I’ve had the pleasure of leading BCB since summer 2021. Prior to that, I worked in contemporary art and heritage regeneration organisations in the UK and Sweden. My career has always been about creating opportunities for artists and finding interesting ways to collaborate.
Why - do you also have a thing with ceramics?
Clay and ceramics have been a companion for years. I studied photography at university but quickly realised that combining photography and sculpture was more my thing. I used to sneak into the ceramics and sculpture studios and try things out. Since then, I’ve done various short courses in studio ceramics but really my fascination is about what others do and creating opportunities for artists working with clay to expand their practice.
2023’s British Ceramics Biennial and the fabulous work of Mella Shaw (photo credit Jenny Harper)
When - did ceramics come into your life?
Mine is a classic story, one that began when I first encountered clay in my grandmother’s garden. She lived in Kent with a garden that had some rich seams of red clay. I recall sitting on the edge of her rose bed making pinch pots of clay scraped straight out of the ground. The finished pots sat on a shelf in the potting shed for a good few years before eventually crumbling away.
Where - can we find you on a typical day?
Most work days start in the BCB office in Stoke-on-Trent but they don’t always end there. My role has two aspects as I’m both Artistic Director & Chief Executive. That means there’s a lot of emailing and staying on top of the finances, team dynamics and funder relationships alongside the artistic programming side of things. To mix the office-based work up, I regularly do artist studio and exhibition visits. I also meet with artists and other organisations that BCB is undertaking or planning partnerships with, so there’s plenty of variety in my typical day. There is probably less contact with clay than people might expect though.
2023’s British Ceramics Biennial and an amazing piece by Tracey O’Shea (photo credit Jenny Harper)
What - are your plans for the future?
With the 2025 Biennial shortly opening, that is taking up most of my time. 2025 is the ninth edition of the Biennial, which means that number ten is on the horizon in 2027. As with birthdays, there is a natural point of reflection when it comes to a number with the zero on the end. Therefore, I’m taking time to think carefully about the right way to mark the tenth edition of British Ceramics Biennial and to think about how we understand the impact the Biennials have had since that first one in 2009.
The awesome work of Tim Fluck at 2023’s BCB (photo credit Jenny Harper)
I hope you enjoyed Clare’s answers and getting to know a bit more about her. The part that resonated most with me was ‘my fascination is about what others do and creating opportunities for artists working with clay to expand their practice.’ It will be fantastic to see how the BCB does just that again this year.
