Jarosław Rutyna is the head of the Ceramic Brotherhood and the author of a controversial open letter about excluding social groups from the Bolesławiec Ceramic Festival.
In a YouTube interview dated 7 July 2025, Rutyna explains himself when asked whether ceramic artists from Bolesławiec decided to abolish the traditional ceramic parade, which for years had opened Poland’s largest pottery handicraft fair.
“It was an autonomous decision by the mayor,” said Jarosław Rutyna to K. Marczewski of Bolec. “It was not our decision, it was not the decision of the Ceramic Brotherhood, but the mayor’s. The Brotherhood naturally supports this decision,” he explained.
Later, Jarosław Rutyna raised another shocking issue: the lack of space in the market square for stalls belonging to new Brotherhood members during the five-day ceramics fair. According to Rutyna, this space is being taken up by restaurateurs who operate establishments in the market square.
“As far as I know, the market square is getting smaller,” Rutyna said. “That is because new food-service establishments are opening, and every such establishment would like to have its own outdoor seating area in the market square. As the Brotherhood, we understand all this, and this reduces the amount of space for exhibition booths. When we increase the number of Ceramic Brotherhood exhibitors, the available space also shrinks, because the market square is not made of rubber,” the head of the Brotherhood added in the YouTube interview.
Jarosław Rutyna also revealed that a ceramics exhibition will be held near Paris in September, with representatives of the Brotherhood expected to attend.
We will ask the City Office who is financing the trip, which ceramic artists will take part and whether further exclusions will occur, since this is what the Bolesławiec Ceramic Brotherhood has become known for so far in national newspapers.
More about the exclusion practices used by Rutyna, Filipowicz and Roman can be found in Gazeta Wyborcza’s report of 7 July 2025: Glinolud at the Ceramic Festival must be like a “true Pole”: proud, heterosexual and obedient.
Below is the controversial letter circulated by Jarosław Rutyna:
Bolesławiec, 24 June 2025
Dear Sir or Madam,
In connection with the approaching Ceramic Festival, the Bolesławiec Ceramic Brotherhood is concerned about incidents involving unknown social groups that appeared during the previous parade held to mark the official opening of the 2024 Bolesławiec Ceramic Festival. Everyone has the right to express their views, but we believe that the Ceramic Festival Parade is not the place for this. It is a cultural event of particular social importance to the residents of Bolesławiec, and attempts to use it to promote one’s own views are not only unethical and immoral, but also directly harm the businesses of local ceramic artists. We firmly oppose such actions and, as the host of this festival, do not wish to see any further incidents of this kind.
With the good name of the Bolesławiec Ceramic Brotherhood and the Bolesławiec Ceramic Festival associated with it in mind, we appeal to the local media to support our message of protecting the national heritage that Bolesławiec Ceramics undoubtedly represents.
Yours faithfully,
Bolesławiec Ceramic Brotherhood