ABSTRACT
Curatorial approaches to a discipline have a significant impact on its perception by the public. The role of curatorial practice influences the perception of contemporary ceramics. Curatorial practice is often left undocumented, existing only in the product that is the exhibition. In the interview the reader is given access to the ideas and opinions of a curator who has brought ceramics firmly into the White Cube. James has been described by artist Clare Twomey as having 'absolute dedication for making a progressive language within craft'. This progressive language has been pushed forward and made tangible through exhibitions of works by leading clay artists such as Edmund de Waal, Clare Twomey, Neil Brownsword, Linda Sormin, Keith Harrison, and Anders Ruhwald. While emphasis on material and skills in ceramics appears to contrast with the fluidity of practice in sculpture, the historical and material-centred associations create a core conceptual language that is used by ceramicists in diverse ways.
