2026 Jingdezhen Summer Sessions
Since 2017 MenLo has hosted intensive summer sessions providing in-depth access to the unique ceramic possibilities of Jingdezhen along with side-by-side access to world class professionals from the international ceramics field invited as leaders for each group. Together 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 with guidance and inspiration from the session leaders and the MenLo staff. Our emphasis is on helping participants to mix with the culture and typical working ways of Jingdezhen and to 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 starting at 14,000 RMB.
Superimposing Form and Surface, with Julie Moon 5.27 – 6.16
Julie Moon is a Toronto-based ceramic artist. Their practice is deeply connected to the intuitive process of making, allowing subconscious thoughts and geometries to manifest. Ceramics, with its unique ability to capture intricate details and textures, gives voice to her interests in merging elements of shape and surface. Julie thinks of the forms they build as canvases for surface design where decorative arts, the language of pattern and the tension between the organic and architectural, are explored, resulting in works that hover between metaphysical realms and our corporeal world. Julie received an MFA from the NYSCC at Alfred University and a BFA from the Ontario College of Art and Design. While exhibiting extensively Julie has been a resident at the Archie Bray Foundation, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, The Philadelphia Clay Studio, and the Center for Ceramics in Berlin among others.
A Touch of Tech, a Heap of Handmade, with Eun-Ha Paek 7.1 – 7.21
The same way a boulder on a hill stores potential energy, a banana peel on the floor can be the setup to a joke, storing potential “ha-has”. The setup might cause a smirk, without any real action taking place. The work of Eun-Ha Paek uses this potential to construct narratives on the precipice of the familiar and strange; to explore grief and hope with humor. Eun-Ha Paek was born in Seoul, Korea. She received a BFA in Film/Animation/Video from the Rhode Island School of Design. Her animated films have screened in the Guggenheim Museum, Sundance Film Festival, and venues internationally. Grants and awards include the Center for Craft Teaching Artist Cohort Grant, Windgate Scholarship and Rudy Autio Grant from the Archie Bray Foundation, and a Travel and Study Grant from The Jerome Foundation. Her work has received mentions in The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, Vogue Living and G4 Tech TV. She has been a resident artist at the European Ceramic Work Center, John Michael Kohler Center for Arts/Industry, Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, the Center for Contemporary Ceramics, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts and the Archie Bray Foundation. She teaches at Parsons School of Design and Greenwich House Pottery.
Photo Credits include Jessie Stone and Joe Kramm Courtesy of Hostler Burrows and HB381
Uninteresting and Miraculous Things, with Kristen Morgin 8.5 – 8.25
Kristen Morgin is an American artist. Morgin’s practice incorporates ceramics, sculpture, painting, drawing, and collage. Her unfired clay sculptures are well known for their unique blend of precision and technique. Morgin received a BA in art at California State University, Hayward and an MFA in Ceramics from the NYSCC at Alfred University. Her work has been shown widely in the United States and abroad. Her work is in the permanent collections of The Hammer Museum, San Francisco Museum of Contemporary Art, The Smithsonian American Museum of Art, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and The Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Photo Credits Include Julie Shustack and Robert Wedemeyer courtesy of Smithsonian Magazine, Hammer Museum, and Mark Selwyn Fine Art and Sokyo Gallery
Application and Reservation steps for MenLo Summer Ceramic Intensive Sessions
Our application process is conversational, with a goal of ensuring a good mutual fit between the sessions and the applicants. We want as much to make sure that the program is right for you as we do the opposite. Applications are first come first served, with your first “significant” show of intent serving as your date of application. To begin this conversation please answer the following questions if you haven’t already.
1. What is your experience with clay?
We generally require a solid foundational knowledge of ceramics for those joining the sessions. It is possible to make incredible ceramic works in Jingdezhen with no ceramic ability whatsoever through collaboration with artisans and industrial processes, but because the summer sessions are structured as fast-moving deep dives into ceramics in Jingdezhen they are much more accessible for those with a foundation to work from. We have waived this requirement selectively in the past for artists with backgrounds in other mediums if their goals and expectations fit what we think is possible for them.
2. What are your goals and expectations for the session?
The sessions are somewhat unique. They are not exactly residencies, and not exactly workshops. They involve a lot of scheduled trips to important Jingdezhen locations, but also plenty of dedicated studio time and in person skill lessons. We bring in the session leaders to provide mentorship and insight, but also to focus on making their own work side by side with the group. The sessions can be different things for different people, but they aren’t built for pre-planned heavy production.
3. Do you have any lifestyle concerns or questions about Jingdezhen in the summer?
The session is active, the summer is hot, we eat out for most every meal. The food is great, the studio is air conditioned, and we have refined the schedule over the years to make it action packed but do-able. Standard housing is a single studio-style apartment with a private bathroom and washing machine, upgrades are available as well as group housing options.
If we come to the conclusion together that you are a fit for the session and vice versa we require a 50% deposit to officially register. That deposit is refundable less any transfer fees for any reason up to 90 days in advance of the session.
MenLo Jingdezhen Summer Ceramics Intensive Fees
All fees include housing, studio space, excursion costs, materials, and airport/train station pickup in Jingdezhen.
1. Student. 14000 RMB Open to anyone enrolled currently or at any point in either the 2025 or 2026 calendar year in a ceramics program at the university level.
2. Standard. 16000 RMB Includes a private studio-style single apartment with private bathroom.
3. Comfort. 20000 RMB Includes a private 1 or 2 bedroom apartment with amenities to suit your needs.