MenLo is a studio and gallery focused on growing the international artist community in Jingdezhen, providing access to the city for aspiring ceramic artists, and amplifying young and emerging Chinese contemporary artists in any medium. As a studio we are committed to working in an integrated way with the city, its artisans, and its industry. As a gallery we do not have representational relationships with artists, we facilitate making, and try to find the work done in our studio homes in various galleries, museums, and other venues around China.
2025 Jingdezhen Summer Sessions
Each year we host intensive summer sessions with the dual goals of growing participants’ ceramic skills and knowledge and leading an in-depth exploration of Jingdezhen and its unique ceramic possibilities and histories. As a group we tour the city making stops at museums, factories, artisan workshops, artist studios, markets, exhibitions, and amazing scenic spots all around the city and the surrounding countryside, all while making work for a session-end exhibition under the guidance and with the inspiration of a professional workshop leader (or two) from the field of international ceramics. We also do our best to help our participants to mix with the culture of Jingdezhen, and show off the fact that Jingdezhen is both a sneaky-good food city, and possibly the youngest and hippest art capital to be found. Housing, studio materials, studio space, entrance fees, assistance, technical lessons, and transportation within Jingdezhen are all included in our session fee of 14,000 RMB.
Collected Methodologies with Future Retrieval July 23 – August 12
Join Future Retrieval (artists Guy Michael Davis and Katie Parker) in a three-week intensive ceramics session exploring Jingdezhen and all its ceramic history, technology, and craft together. This residency will focus on ceramic surface, pattern, and the empirical study of archives and collections around the region through excursions to museums, scenic areas, and cultural sites. We will discuss contemporary methodologies and approaches to designing objects with the surface in mind, building layers of information as we integrate a variety of new and traditional processes picked up both in studio and through visits to factories, workshops, and the studios of other artists. The Session will begin before arriving in Jingdezhen with the designing of imagery to be realized using glazes, transfers, overglazes, decals, painting and carving. The production of forms for these images to layer upon will be the focus of the early session. We will build with access to the wide variety of ceramic processes available in JDZ while working with potters, mold makers, slab builders, bisque producers, and new technology to design and produce objects in clay. In-studio lessons will move between process-based workshops to individual critiques and discussions around contemporary art, craft, and design and will be led by Future Retrieval, local masters of traditional skills, and the MenLo staff. Future Retrieval’s work speaks to the wonders of the past while simultaneously addressing imbalances of art history that too-often neglect so-called decorative or minor arts. Unlike any place in the world, Jingdezhen offers the unique ability to experiment, iterate, and produce objects supported by generations of makers, inspired by over 1700 years of porcelain production and history.
About Future Retrieval
Since 2008, Guy Michael Davis and Katie Parker have been collaborating under the name Future Retrieval, mining archives and museums to digitally collect and make objects that re-examine the history of decorative arts. Davis and Parker currently reside in Scottsdale, Arizona where Parker is an Associate Professor in the School of Art at Arizona State University. Their most recent solo exhibitions include Crystal-Walled Seas at Denny Gallery in 2022 and Close Parallel at the Cincinnati Art Museum in 2021. Future Retrieval’s work is held in numerous collections such as the Arizona State University Ceramics Research Center (AZ), Cincinnati Art Museum (OH), 21C Museum/Hotel (NC), Society of Dresden Porcelain Art (Germany), and Jingdezhen International Studio (China). They have exhibited both nationally and internationally and received prestigious awards and residencies such as the Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship, IASPIS, and Bemis Center Arts Residency. Their work has been reviewed and featured in Artforum, Vogue, Sculpture Magazine, AEQAI, Los Angeles Times, and Hyperallergic. Davis and Parker both received their MFA from The Ohio State University and BFA from the Art Institute of Kansas City.
Making and Breaking the Mold with Helen Johannesen June 18 – July 8
Push the boundaries and see what can occur in the heart of Jingdezhen along with professional model and mold maker Helen Johannessen. Refine your skills or try something new in the perfect place to explore clay, surrounded by expertise, tradition, and experienced makers. Helen’s artwork twists foundational industrial ceramic techniques to create subtle and perplexing formal contemporary works. She’s not afraid of things going wrong, in fact, she believes it’s taught her all she knows! In this three-week ceramic and modeling intensive you’ll have the opportunity to push your practice to new heights and take risks with the goal of creating beautiful works in clay and expanding your skillset. Whether you want to learn to produce your own designs from start to finish or work with the artisans and craftsmen of Jingdezhen to produce something beyond the scope of your studio practice this is the opportunity for you. An in-studio focus on form and process will complement out-of-studio visits to factories, workshops, historical locales, and scenic wonders of the porcelain capital of the world. Demonstrations in formal modeling and mold making from Helen will be paired with lessons in traditional skills from Jingdezhen Artisans and technical demos from the MenLo staff. Will you make the mold or will you break it?
About Helen Johannesen
Helen Johannesen has been working in the ceramic industry since graduating in 1995 from Middlesex University, London, training in a production studio as a professional model and mould maker. She worked in the film industry in the late 90’s as a model maker at Shepperton Studios, building scale models of Trafalgar Square and props for Lost In Space among other productions. In 2017 she graduated from a Masters degree at the RCA London. As an artist she has exhibited widely and has garnered honors; gaining a post graduate scholarship at Konstfack, Sweden 2018, winner of the Franz Rising Star in 2018, Zsu Zsi Roboz scholar 2019 and the HRH Presidential Award for Endangered Crafts 2020 from the Heritage Craft Association. She was shortlisted in the Blanc de Chine International Ceramics competition 2023, Hari Art Prize, UK 2022 and more recently won the People’s Choice Be Still Media, USA 2024. Helen has taught and lectured in universities, colleges and studios including Central St Martins, Middlesex University, Morley College, and The Kiln Rooms. She has worked on creative projects with the Crafts Council, British Council and given workshops across the world
To Apply
Email us at MenLoJDZ@Gmail.com with your session of interest, your background in clay, and what your goals and hopes for your potential session would be. Our application process is purely conversational with the exclusive goal of ensuring positive outcomes for all involved as best we can.
Studio
The MenLo Studio is a 200 square meter equipped space in the residential neighborhood of Chang Hong. Our neighborhood is located between the "Sculpture Factory" and "Old Factory" neighborhoods which are two hubs of ceramics in Jingdezhen. Each participant has 24-hour access and their own table and dedicated storage space and use of all studio tools and materials. Our Attached gallery space will be the site for the session end exhibition and can be used for staging and photography as well.
Housing
Standard housing is included in the session fee in the form of a studio apartment in the same neighborhood as the studio. Each apartment is equipped with a washing machine, air condition, refrigerator, and private bathroom. Cooking equipment can be arranged for those who may require it. There are many restaurants and other food options in the neighborhood which can meet all kinds of dietary needs. Participants are responsible for the cost of their electricity and water usage in their apartment. There are other housing options available including larger single apartments and shared apartments if a different accommodation is desirable. Shared apartments for three participants are available at a lower cost if there are participants interested in living together.
Visa
Most participants will apply for a tourist visa, this process takes less than 3 weeks normally with 5 days processing time being standard for the consulate and can be rushed if necessary, but it's best to apply early. You'll need flights in and out of the country to apply, along with other documents that vary depending on your home country. We will supply you with an official invitation letter and a housing confirmation form for your time in Jingdezhen for your visa application once you've paid your initial deposit. We recommend using a visa service if you are not in a city with a Chinese consulate as you'll have to travel to and from the consulate at least twice and potentially more times throughout the process.
Travel
Jingdezhen is reachable directly by flight and by high-speed train. In addition to the Jingdezhen airport (JDZ) it is also possible to arrive in Nanchang (KHN) which is the capital of this province. From the Nanchang airport a shuttle bus is available which will drive you 2 hours directly to Jingdezhen. The train is convenient from Shanghai and Hangzhou with relatively short ride times from each hub (3 - 5 hours). The train is also a possibility from Beijing, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong, although the ride time is longer (6 – 8 hours). Hong Kong requires a relatively easy transfer in Shenzhen. Trip.com is the standard for booking domestic transportation in English. Trains are not bookable more than a month in advance but the routes are standardized so you can look earlier than your travel date (on the same day of the week) to plan and book your tickets when they become available. The trip.com app will show you slow trains as well so be sure to pay attention to the ride times. We will pick you up and take you to your hotel from wherever you arrive in Jingdezhen.
Payment
There is a 50% deposit that will be required to register. We will not ask for this deposit until the course has met minimum registration. The deposit is largely refundable for any reason less any non-refundable costs (transfer fees booking cancellation fees) and the deposit is fully transferable to a future program in case of a change of plans. The remainder is expected within the first week of the course.