Krystyna Gay-Kutschenreiter has been working in unique ceramics and ceramic sculpture for years. From 1990 to 2005, she served as artistic commissioner of the Nationwide Ceramic and Sculpture Open-Air Workshops in Bolesławiec, and since 1996 she has also been responsible for the International Ceramic and Sculpture Open-Air Workshops.
The artist can boast many exhibitions—both solo and group shows, including international ones. Her works are held in the collections of, among others, the National Museum in Wrocław and Poznań, the Museum of Ceramics in Bolesławiec, the Naja Sculpture Gallery in Przesieka, and Kunstforum Piaristen in Vienna.
Krystyna Gay-Kutschenreiter was born in Łódź. She studied at the Faculty of Art of M. Kopernik University in Toruń and at the Faculty of Ceramics of the Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław, where in 1961 she obtained her diploma in the studio of Prof. Rudolf Krzywiec. She is a member of the Association of Polish Artists and Designers. She works in unique ceramics and ceramic sculpture. Her work has been presented at many solo and group exhibitions in Poland and abroad. She has also participated repeatedly in artistic open-air workshops, and her works are held in museum and private collections in Poland and abroad.
She has lived and worked in Bolesławiec for many years. For over 30 years, she was involved in training personnel for the ceramics industry. From 1990 to 2005, she served as artistic commissioner of the Nationwide Ceramic and Sculpture Open-Air Workshops and the International Ceramic and Sculpture Open-Air Workshops in Bolesławiec. She organized more than 50 post-workshop exhibitions. For many years, Krystyna Gay-Kutschenreiter was a member of the Museum Council at the Bolesławiec Museum of Ceramics, and she currently also serves as a juror in the qualification procedure for the International Ceramic and Sculpture Open-Air Workshop.
Awards and distinctions: Award of the Mayor of Bolesławiec (1983), Minister of Culture and Art’s badge “Meritorious Cultural Activist” (1994), Award of the Jelenia Góra Voivode (1998), Gold Badge of the Association of Polish Artists and Designers (1999), Award of the Mayor of Bolesławiec (2004, 2010), and the bronze Gloria Artis medal.
The artist’s works are held in the collections of the National Museum in Wrocław, the National Museum in Poznań, the Museum of Ceramics in Bolesławiec, the Bolesławiec Cultural Center–International Ceramics Center, the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom, BWA in Jelenia Góra, Kunstforum Piaristen in Vienna (Austria), and private collections.
Also among those honored was the “Freedom and Democracy” Foundation.
The “Freedom and Democracy” Foundation is a well-established non-governmental organization founded in 2006. Its mission is to support Poles in the East and promote democratic change in post-Soviet areas. Its activities focus on two key areas, reflecting a deep commitment to the affairs of the Polish community outside Poland and to the development of civil societies.
One of the pillars of the Foundation’s activity is assistance to Poles living in the territory of the former Soviet Union. As part of this work, the Foundation actively supports Polish media operating in Belarus and Ukraine, which is of key importance for maintaining national identity and Polish culture in these regions. In addition, the Foundation engages in extremely important historical and patriotic activities, such as searching for the burial sites of Polish Army soldiers who fell near Lviv in 1939. These efforts aim to restore the memory of the heroes and ensure that they are commemorated with due dignity.
Since 2025, the Foundation has expanded its activities to include highly sensitive and important search and exhumation work involving victims of the Volhynia massacres in the area of the former village of Puźniki in Ternopil Oblast. This commitment underscores the Foundation’s determination to pursue historical truth and provide the victims of the tragic events with a dignified burial.