Moyra Elliott is based in New Zealand and works currently as an independent writer and curator with a specialty in ceramics. She writes for journals and contributes to books and catalogues. She is a curator of exhibitions for regional, national and international applications. She is active as an advisor for governmental institutions, exhibitions and competitions and speaks on aspects of ceramics in teaching institutions, art galleries and at conferences. She frequently serves as a juror for competitions. On the working party for some years, she was appointed to the inaugural Board of Objectspace in 2004 (national centre for object-making/design for NZ) and now contributes as Special Advisor for Programming. She is a member of the International Academy of Ceramics and foundation member of Craftworkers – a regional think-tank for writers, theorists and curators involved with the media of crafts.

She brings to these capacities a background that includes many years of her own studio for ceramics exhibiting in New Zealand and internationally and the study of art history and theory, English and writing. She was Director of the Fletcher Challenge Ceramics Award 1990-96 – the years of international expansion and Curator for the Dowse Art Museum when it functioned as national centre for the craft media in New Zealand. She has taught ceramics studio and history for tertiary institutions and received a Fulbright Foundation award for the study of tertiary education in ceramics in the USA.

She is co-author of a substantial book on the history of New Zealand studio ceramics between 1940-1980, Cone Ten Down, which was published in 2009 and was nominated finalist in the 2010 NZ Post Book Awards. She is author of an earlier book on the history of a public art gallery in Auckland, New Zealand. Research for her second book on New Zealand studio ceramics 1980-2010 has commenced.

Some projects and awards have included

The 4th Creative New Zealand Biannual Craft/Object Art Fellowship. Winner of the inaugural Taiwan Ceramics Biennial, Curatorial Award – a two-year project concluding with the international exhibition, Korero: Ceramics in Conversation, featuring some 43 artists from 27 countries for the Yingge Ceramics Museum, Taiwan.

Fulbright Foundation Cultural Award for study of tertiary education in ceramics in the USA.

The 6th Goodman-Suter art project award /curatorial project in object art. Asia/NZ Foundation award toward leading a party of six ceramicists to China, 2006, to Fuping, China on a residency programme to make and place work into the new Australasian Museum of Ceramics.

Presenter at Critical Santa Fe, Australian Ceramics Triennale, Sydney (09), Verge Ceramics Conference, Brisbane, Australia (06), International Symposium for the Triennial of Ceramics, Icheon, Korea (05) and The South Conference, Melbourne, Australia, (04). Keynote speaker at inaugural Sidney Meyer International Ceramics Awards symposium, Shepparton, Australia.

Major curatorial projects

Korero – Ceramics in International Conversation (Taiwan), KAN: the Green Gallery Collection, at Auckland Museum (06), Warren Tippett retrospective, Objectspace, Auckland (05/6), Lucie Rie in New Zealand, Hawke’s Bay Museum and Art Gallery (04).

Consultant to Te Papa: National Museum of New Zealand, Wellington, towards histories within, and rationalization of, national ceramics collection.

Creative New Zealand awards towards, research, writing and curatorial projects, conference attendances and presentations and artist’s residency projects between 1983-2010.

SOME RECENT PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

2011
Keynote speaker, NZSP conference, Auckland, New Zealand.
Consultant to Creative NZ (national Arts body) for grants processes (Fellowships/Arts Grants in Craft/Object Art.

2010
Commenced research for second book on history of ceramics in New Zealand 1980 to present day.
Korero/ international ceramics curatorial project for Yingge ceramics Museum, Taiwan.
Panelist for the Critical Santa Fe symposium, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.
Attended Think-Tank annual meeting and European Ceramic Symposium as observer/interlocutor, Germany and Austria.
Gave public talks on lives and work of senior NZ ceramicists, Len Castle and Mirek Smisek at Rotorua, Nelson and Tauranga public art galleries.

2009
Awarded 4th CNZ Craft/Object Art Fellowship 2009/10 towards writing second book on ceramic history in New Zealand.
Publication of book, co-written with Damian Skinner, Cone Ten Down: a history of studio ceramics in New Zealand 1945-1980. Nominated Finalist in the 2010 NZ Post Book Awards.
Awarded inaugural curatorial project for the Yingge Ceramics Museum, Taiwan.
Attended Australian National Ceramics Triennale, Sydney. Gave a paper on the increase of ceramics within NZ art auctions, some history and current commentary.
Awarded 6th Goodman/Suter Art Project towards an exhibition of Craft/Object art 2011 at Suter Gallery, Nelson.
Consultant to Creative New Zealand (Arts Council of NZ) for the new International Strategy for Craft/Object area.
Attended NCECA (National Council for Education in the Ceramic Arts) conference, Phoenix, Arizona, USA. And afterwards toured ceramic and art collections in the area of the South-west.

2008
Essay The Mutable Handmade, for Objectspace/Unitec publication, Clay Economies. Ed. Richard Fahey.
Inaugural member of Craftworkers – a Southern hemisphere think-tank for writers, curators and theorists in crafts.
Panelist/speaker for Waiclay – ceramics symposium, Hamilton.