Bolesławiec stands out among many other cities in Poland thanks to its centuries-old tradition of clay products. This is where the best-known stamped-pattern pottery is made, recognized throughout the world. The annual Bolesławiec Ceramic Festival, held in the second half of August, is a tribute to the town’s ceramic traditions. It is the region’s largest event, promoting Bolesławiec and ceramics not only throughout Poland, but also in Europe and around the world.
During this year’s 20th edition, one of Europe’s largest ceramic fairs will be held in the Market Square from 20 to 24 August. Visitors will be able to purchase functional and decorative ceramics as well as jewelry. Whether you want to buy a necklace, a cup or a flowerpot, each product will be highly original—the wide selection is guaranteed by nearly one hundred exhibitors, including more than twenty Bolesławiec ceramic manufacturers, as well as producers arriving in Bolesławiec from across Poland and abroad, including the Czech Republic, Hungary and Lithuania.
Once again, in the beautiful setting of the historic Market Square, visitors will be able to observe the construction, lighting, firing and extinguishing of a spectacular outdoor kiln, this time titled Wall of Fire, created by ceramic artist Mateusz Grobelny.
A range of clay-related activities and a rich, attractive artistic programme will take place over the weekend from 22 to 24 August. A Ceramic Animation Town will be created, where everyone will have the opportunity to try their hand at making clay products and painting ceramic forms. The workshops run by the Konopczyński family and the Olympiad of the Polish Association of Natural Building promise plenty of fun, with events including a clay relay race and mixing clay plaster against the clock.
The pottery demonstrations by the Arkuszyński Workshop and the Historical Pottery workshop Loricamos are also worth seeing. Here, potters dressed in medieval costumes will create ceramic vessels using tools from different eras, while visitors can hear stories about old techniques for making, glazing and firing vessels. Masters of the potter’s wheel from Bassano del Grappa, Italy, will also demonstrate their craftsmanship. Visitors will be able to see presentations by painted figures known as “Zdobinki” and have themselves painted by artists from ceramic factories in beautiful Bolesławiec patterns.
The Pottery Wheel-Throwing Championships will be held, with professionals—ceramic artists and potters—taking part. In September, the winner will participate in the World Championships held in Faenza, Italy.
The Bolesławiec Ceramic Festival also includes exhibitions. At the Gallery under the Dome in the Market Square, visitors will see a post-symposium exhibition from the 50th International Ceramic and Sculpture Symposium in Bolesławiec. The jubilee symposium took place in June and involved fifteen ceramic sculptors from Ukraine, Italy, Spain, India, Lithuania and Poland. The artists worked at three Bolesławiec ceramic plants: the “Bolesławiec” Ceramic Plants, the “Artistic Ceramics” Artistic Handicraft Cooperative and the “Manufaktura” Stoneware Factory, Smoleński & Zwierz General Partnership. To mark the anniversary, works created during the Bolesławiec symposiums will also be displayed at the Museum of Ceramics in the exhibition “50 Years of Ceramic and Sculpture Symposia in Bolesławiec” and in an exhibition at the Town Hall. Contemporary functional ceramics can be admired at the BOK-MCC Gallery, where Bolesławiec manufacturers will present vessels in the exhibition “New Design in Bolesławiec Ceramics”.
On Friday evening, a colorful parade titled Ceramic Wave will proceed through the city streets, preceded by the ceremonial opening of the Ceramic Festival by Mayor Piotr Roman. At that time, the “keys to the city” will be handed over to the Ceramic Brotherhood. The highly popular competition for the most interesting parade presentation will be decided. At noon on Sunday, the festival’s Miss will be chosen for the first time.
Alongside the clay- and ceramics-related activities, outdoor performances will be held. Dariusz Miliński’s Pławna 9 Group will present the play “Three Lives of Salvador Dali”; we will also see the Living Theatre’s production of “Cabaret”, as well as a performance by a theatre from Spain titled “Girafes”. On Sunday, the youngest visitors will see the show “A Trip to the Mysterious Land”. That day, TIK-TAK and Fasolki will perform for them on the small stage.
Music fans will enjoy a rich artistic programme on two stages. Music and dance workshops from the Bolesławiec Cultural Centre–International Ceramics Centre and groups from the Youth Cultural Centre will perform. Rock concerts will be given by Freak Out and Powerebel. Tres i Przyjaciele will present jazz, blues and funk, joined by GaDMu Trio, whose vocalist is Michał Grasza, a “Szansa na sukces” laureate and soloist with Piotr Rubik’s ensemble, as well as Bolesławiec native Agnieszka Musiał, who performs pop with elements of jazz and ethnic music. Late on Saturday evening, visitors are invited to the tent in Popiełuszki Square for the unique Silent Disco, where each participant will receive a pair of wireless headphones and be able to listen to one of three channels. This means everyone can choose the music they want to hear, with three DJs playing three different musical genres.
In the evenings, stars of the Polish music scene will perform on the main stage. On Friday, the popular rock band Bracia, whose music draws on classic rock. On Saturday, Marika, who performs music combining reggae, dancehall, soul and funk and is also known as the host of “The Voice of Poland”. She will be followed by Loka, a rock’n’roll band combining dance rhythms with catchy melodies and creators of the hit “You Are Real Air to Me”. On Sunday, the Ceramic Festival will conclude with a concert by a star of the Polish and Czech music scenes, the recipient of countless awards and admired for her great talent and personality—Ewa Farna.
During the final two days of the festival, 23 and 24 August, visitors to the T-Mobile Truck mobile showroom, located in the parking lot behind BOK-MCC on Łukasiewicza Street, will be able to explore the capabilities of the T-Mobile network using state-of-the-art smartphones. The programme includes games, activities and competitions, with modern mobile devices to be won.
This year’s Ceramic Festival is being held as part of the Arginet project, co-financed by the European Union under the Culture programme. Five European cities known for their ceramics industries are participating: Argentona, Spain; Gmunden, Austria; Aubagne, France; Faenza, Italy; and Bolesławiec. The project’s main aim is cooperation among the partners, the exchange of experience and participation in partners’ annual events and ceramic fairs, with the goal of transforming them from locally focused events into European events.
More information at: www.swietoceramiki.pl.
(information: BOK-MCC)