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IX Edition Matres International Women's Ceramics Festival “CIBUM” - NOURISHING ART, NOURISHING THE EARTH 25 - 30 August - Cava de’ Tirreni /Vietri sul Mare
An international event exploring women's creative craftsmanship.
International Exhibition-Competition
“Shared Lands - The Forms of Nourishment.”
Exhibition with awards presented within the framework of the Matres Festival.
THIS CALL IS EXCLUSIVELY ADDRESSED TO WOMEN CERAMIC ARTISTS
Application deadline: 5 July 2026
An exhibition-competition dedicated to women ceramic artists, aimed at promoting and enhancing both traditional and contemporary artistic production.
The Matres International Women’s Ceramics Festival was conceived as a space for dialogue, vision and exchange, dedicated to the generative strength of women’s creativity in contemporary ceramics.
In this 9th edition, the Festival invites artists to reflect on one of humanity’s oldest and most universal gestures: to nourish.
With the theme CIBUM - Nourishing Art, Nourishing the Earth, the exhibition-competition “Shared Lands - Forms of Nourishment” is conceived as a symbolic meeting place , where ceramics becomes a sensitive language capable of narrating care, memory, sustainability, conviviality and peace.
Nourishment is understood not only as an act related to food, but as a relational and cultural gesture: to nourish means to welcome, to share, to transmit knowledge and traditions, and to protect. Ceramics, a primordial material born from the earth and transformed through fire, has always accompanied the rituals of nourishment and communal living.
This call invites artists to give form to a thought, an experience, and a personal or collective vision of nourishment through works that speak of land, table, community, identity and future.
“Shared Lands - The Forms of Nourishment.”
The theme of the competition is open and inclusive, designed to encourage free artistic interpretation while maintaining strong conceptual coherence .
“Shared Lands” invokes the idea of peoples, cultures and territories meeting around the table, without differences, sharing food, stories, gestures and knowledge.
The table becomes a symbolic space of dialogue and peace; ceramics, as its natural medium, preserves its meaning and value.
The works may explore, by way of example but not limited to:
Works can be functional, symbolic or conceptual, as long as they clearly convey their relationship to the proposed theme.
The Matres International Women’s Ceramics Festival is an event recognised at national and international level that promotes women’s creativity in contemporary ceramics.
The 2026 edition is dedicated to the theme CIBUM – Nourishing Art, Nourishing the Earth, a journey exploring the relationship between food, memory, care, community, identity and sustainability.
The exhibition-competition “Shared Lands – The Forms of Nourishment” aims to:
The exhibition will be hosted in the official venues of the Matres Festival, and the selected artists will take part in the official award ceremony.
The works will be evaluated during the course of the event and the prizes will be awarded during the closing ceremony on 30 August 2026.
Jury selection prize € 2,000.
Second prize € 1,000.
Third prize €500.
Honourable Mention (The prize will be awarded in ceramic materials with a value equivalent to €300).
The jury of the competition will be composed of experts and professionals in the field of art and ceramic practice with proven experience. They will carry out the selection according to criteria established collectively, focusing on the aesthetic quality and originality of the work. The Jury will determine the winners, who will be announced on Sunday morning. The decision of the Jury is final and binding.
The jury will evaluate the works based on:
Applications must be submitted exclusively by completing the online form and attaching the required documentation on the online platform of the Pandora Association website www.pandoraceramiste.it
THIS CALL IS EXCLUSIVELY OPEN TO WOMEN CERAMIC ARTISTS who have at least seven years of experience in ceramic art (excluding students currently enrolled in Art Institutes and Academies of Fine Arts*).
NOTICE FOR FREE PARTICIPATION CATEGORIES – STUDENTS Before completing the application form, please contact the Association at: [email protected] in order to receive the appropriate instructions.
The results of the selection will be communicated by 30/07/2026 via email to the participants.
Works by artists who will not be present at the Matres Festival must arrive by Saturday 22 August. Artists who will attend the Festival in person will receive an email with instructions for delivering their work by 26 July 2026.
The organization assumes no responsibility for any damage, theft or breakage of the works.
Transport and insurance costs are entirely the responsibility of the participating artist, who must arrange shipment through a courier of their choice. The return of the artwork must also be organised and prepaid by the artist in advance ( the courier who will arrange for the packing and pickup of the work at the exhibition venue).
All works must be carefully and properly packaged. The organisers will take the utmost care in handling the artworks but cannot be held responsible for any accidental damage.
Furthermore, no liability will be accepted for theft, damage or loss arising from any cause.
Shipping address: (to be communicated at a later stage)
For works arriving from countries outside the European Union, the artist must cover all costs related to customs duties, according to national regulations concerning the temporary import and re-export of artworks.
Artists may participate in the exhibition-competition “Shared Lands – The Forms of Nourishment” with one artwork or installation only with a maximum depth of 50 cm.
Participation is open to individual artists or groups of artists.
The works must be primarily made of ceramic.
Are permitted all ceramic techniques.
Other materials may be included, provided that they do not exceed one third of the total work ..
The artwork must comply with the maximum dimensions indicated in this call.
It is essential that the relationship between the artwork and the theme is clearly identifiable and explained in the accompanying description.
The work must be the property of the participating artist or collective.
Participation implies membership in the Pandora Association, except for students.
The exhibition is free of charge for students enrolled in Art Institutes* and Academies of Fine Arts**.
For members whose membership is valid by March 2026, the participation contribution
is: €50 (payment reference: participation contribution). Members who participate collectively in the Association with shared works or installations must hold individual membership if they wish to submit an individual artwork.
For artists joining the Association for the first time, the membership fee of €100 (2026 membership) also includes participation in the exhibition. These contributions support the creation of a dedicated section on the website, communication activities and the exhibition catalogue.
Payments must be made to the following bank account: APS PANDORA ARTISTE CERAMISTE
Bank: UNICREDIT – Branch Via C. Tafuri Cava de’ Tirreni (SA)
IBAN IT 93 A 02008 76171 000102973367 BIC SWIFT Code: UNCRITM1637
The exhibition is open to women ceramic artists of all nationalities, as well as students from Art Institutes and Academies of Fine Arts.
Each participant may submit one artwork only.
The work or installation may have a maximum size of 50×50 cm.
Participants must declare that the submitted works are their property.
The works that receive the awards will remain the property of APS Pandora Artiste Ceramiste.
The artworks must not have previously exhibited or awarded in other competitions. If they have been presented in other exhibitions or competitions, this must be declared by the participant, otherwise the work may be excluded from the exhibition.
Participation in the competition implies full and unconditional acceptance of the terms of this call. A panel of experts will select the works and the Jury’s decision is final.
APS PANDORA ARTISTE CERAMISTE bank account.
BANK: UNICREDIT Agency / Branch: CAVA DE’ TIRRENI
IBAN IT 93 A 02008 76171 000102973367
For information please contact the organizing secretariat: [email protected]
INFORMATION REQUIRED FOR APPLICATION
Exhibition “Shared Lands – The Forms of Nourishment”
Matres International Women's Ceramics Festival
26-30 August, 2026
APPLICATION DEADLINE - 05/07/2026
PERSONAL INFORMATION:
Name
Surname
Company name (if applicable)
Address
City
Postal Code
Province / State
Country
Date of birth: ___/____/______ Place of birth.
E mail
Telephone number
Title of the Work
Dimensions Height
Width ____________________________
Depth ____________________________
Brief artist presentation (maximum 7 lines)
Brief description of the work (maximum 7 lines)
Technical details
PHOTO N.1 OF THE WORK on a white background - JPG format with 72 dpi resolution, 2000 X 1333 pixels (max 3 MEGA)
PHOTO N.2 OF THE WORK on a white background - JPG format with 72 dpi resolution, 2200 X 1333 pixels (max 3 MEGA)
Artist portrait photo n.1 - JPG format, 2500 x2500 pixel resolution - black and white
Please comply with the specified image requirements.
Payment receipts in PDF or JPG format for: • 2026 membership fee (€100) • exhibition participation contribution (€50 for existing members)
Social media links (Facebook and/or Instagram)
Website (if available)
□ I declare that I accept the terms of this Call and guarantee the authenticity of the information provided.
□ I authorise the processing of my personal data in accordance with Italian Legislative Decree n.196 of 30 June 2003.
□ I declare that I hold the rights to the submitted material and authorise APS Pandora Artiste Ceramiste to use it in promotional documentation, on its website and social media channels, and for communication purposes related to the event.
Completion of the application form constitutes full knowledge and acceptance of the Call CIBUM – “shared Lands – The Forms of Nourishment” – Matres 2026, and the signing of the above declarations.
