Moraig McKenna, Material Memory, Artists Statement
October 2025
The exhibition Material Memory evokes the nostalgia of old house interiors—faded fabrics, layered and peeling wallpaper—once bright and heavily patterned, now reduced to barely visible traces.
Like human skin or a landscape, the clay surface can capture experience and the passage of time, mapping a unique narrative. Each mark and scar tell the story of an object’s journey and display the memory of its history: the making, the firing, and the touch of the hand, evident in the multi-layered surfaces.
The work is slab built from stoneware clay, wood fired salt glazed. Surfaces are textured and layered with slip, glaze, salt, and ash. The making and firing process alternately reveals and obscures these layers, creating a dynamic interplay of presence and absence. These surfaces reflect my personal experience with clay, my response to the material, and the rich ceramic traditions that inspire and inform my practice.
The imprint of my hand is a defining feature of my work. For me, these marks establish a connection between myself as the maker and the imagined hand of the user. I invite viewers to explore how materiality and meaning intertwine in these works.
Biography
Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1972, Moraig McKenna is an accomplished ceramic artist currently based in Gundaroo, New South Wales, Australia.
Moraig has been working with clay since 1991, specializing in wood-fired and salt-glazed porcelain and stoneware. She holds a Bachelor of Education from Melbourne University and earned a Master of Arts by Research from Southern Cross University in 2002.
Her contributions to the field have been acknowledged by her peers through her Accredited Professional Membership with Craft + Design Canberra (formerly Craft ACT). Moraig’s work has earned several prestigious awards, including the 2024 Doug Alexander Award and the 2019 Art Unlimited Ceramics Award. She exhibits her work regularly, both in Australia and internationally. Her pieces are featured in public collection of the Canberra Museum and Gallery and Toaxichuan Ceramic Art Avenue and private collections in the United States, Singapore, and Australia.
Moraig C.V.
Old St Luke’s Studio, Gundaroo, NSW, 2620
www.oldsaintlukesstudio.com.au
Instagram: /moraigmckenna
Email: moraigmckenna@netscape.net
Phone: +61 421 520 278
Born: 12/05/1972, Edinburgh, Scotland
Education
2002 Master of Arts (by research), Southern Cross University, NSW, Australia
1999 Bachelor of Arts with Honours (Visual Arts), Southern Cross University, NSW, Australia
1995 Bachelor of Education (Ceramics Major), University of Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Relevant Employment
2025 Vice President (Voluntary), Board of Management, Canberra Potters Society
2023 – 2024 Assistant Director, Craft + Design Canberra (Craft ACT)
2021 – 2023 Public Programs Manager, Craft + Design Canberra (Craft ACT)
2021 Acting Assistant Director, ACT Historic Places, Canberra, Australia
2019 – 2021 Museum Program Producer, ACT Historic Places, Canberra, Australia
2003 – 2005 Sessional Lecturer, Ceramics Workshop, ANU School of Art, Canberra, Australia
2004 Lecturer in Charge, Ceramics, Australian Catholic University, Sydney, Australia
2002 Lecturer, Ceramics, Southern Cross University, Lismore, Australia
Association Memberships
2018 – present Accredited Professional Member (peer reviewed), Craft + Design Canberra (Craft ACT)
2001 – present Canberra Potters Society
Member, Australian Ceramics Association
Solo Exhibitions
2024 Surfacing, Canberra Potters Gallery, ACT
2018 Fiber and Clay, Narek Galleries, Bermagui, NSW
2014 Moraig McKenna, Solo Show, Craft ACT, Civic, ACT
2012 Canberra Potters Society Exhibition Award, Crucible showcase, Craft ACT
2011 Fictile (with Ian Jones), Artisan Gallery, Tasmania
2006 Wood Fired Porcelain, Mura Clay Gallery, Sydney
2005 Resonance, Watson Arts Centre, ACT
2002 Embodied Surface, University Art Museum, Southern Cross University, NSW
Awards
2025 FINALIST, Klytie Pate Ceramics Award, Mansfield Regional Gallery, VIC
2025 FINALIST, Silicious Award for Ceramic Excellence, Ceramic Arts Queensland
2025 FINALIST, North Queensland Ceramics Award, Townsville, QLD
2025 FINALIST, Gynn Hansen Pigott Award for Wood Fired Ceramics
2024 WINNER, Doug Alexander Award, Canberra Potters Society
2023 FINALIST, North Queensland Ceramics Award, Townsville, QLD
2019 WINNER, Art Unlimited Ceramic Art Award, NSW
2005 HONOURABLE MENTION, 3rd World Ceramic Biennale, Museum of Contemporary Ceramic Art, Icheon, Korea
Selected Group Exhibitions
2025 Still Life, Gallery LNL, Sydney
2024 Fire and Ash, Gallery LNL, Sydney
2024 Places We Inhabit – Vessels from the Villages, Canberra Potters Gallery, Canberra
2023 Florescence, Sturt Gallery, Mittagong, NSW
2021 Flame Path, Noosa Regional Gallery, QLD
2019 Craft ACT Members’ Exhibition
2019 Clunes Ceramics Award, VIC
2016 Biennial North QLD Ceramic Awards, QLD
2016 Of Flowers and Tea (with Ian Jones), Kerrie Lowe Gallery, Sydney
2015 Surrounds, curated by Patsy Hely and Sarah Rice, Canberra Potters Society, ACT
2015 Red Earth White Heat, Singaporean High Commission, ACT
2015 Out of the Dragon, Old Saint Luke’s Studio, Gundaroo
2014 Wood Fire Show, Kerrie Lowe Gallery, Sydney
2014 Homage, Narek Galleries, Tanja, NSW
2014 Porcelain, Kerrie Lowe Gallery, Sydney
2013 Off the Square, curated by Peter Haynes, Belconnen Arts Centre
2011 Inside Wood Fire: 50 Australian Stories, Gallery 9, Deloraine, TAS
2009 Woodfired Ceramics, Maestro Gallery, Sydney
2009 Opening Exhibition, curated by Janet Mansfield, Fusion Gallery, Brisbane
2008 Young Guns, Sturt Craft Centre, Mittagong, NSW
2005 Australian National Wood Fire Survey Exhibition, Watson Arts Centre, Canberra
2003 Wood Fire (with Ian Jones, Daniel Lafferty, Yuri Weidenhofer), Watson Arts Centre, ACT
2002 Domestic (with Ian Jones), Watson Arts Centre, Canberra
2001 New Faces to Mura, Mura Clay Gallery, Sydney
2000 Minimal, Fusions Gallery, Brisbane
International Exhibitions
2025 Borders in Flux, Qiumo Gallery, Taoxichuan Art Centre, Jingdezhen, China
2023 For Dream, Qiumo Gallery, Taoxichuan Art Centre, Jingdezhen, China
2021 Fourth Shanghai International Woodfired Ceramic Festival (Digital Exhibition, curated by Marc Leuthold, USA)
2019 Clay With You, Taoxichuan Ceramic Art Avenue, Jingdezhen, China
2018 Behind Image, Beyond Form, Taoxichuan Ceramic Art Avenue, Jingdezhen, China
2017 China Celadon Art Forum and Celadon Exhibition, Celadon Art and Culture Week, Ningbo, China
2015 Out of the Dragon, Art 2 Galleries, Singapore
2013 Australian High Commission Group Show, Atrium Gallery, Singapore
2005 3rd World Ceramic Biennale, Museum of Contemporary Ceramic Art, Icheon, Korea (Honourable Mention)
2004 The Naked Truth, International Wood-Fire Survey, Coe College Gallery, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA
Conferences and Lectures
2025 Borders in Flux, Taoxichuan International Ceramic Art Centre, Jingdezhen, China — Lecture: The Layered Surface; Exploring Wood Firing and Salt Glazing
2019 Clay With You, Taoxichuan International Ceramic Art Centre, Jingdezhen, China — Lecture: Developing a Taste for Salt
2017 International Celadon Conference, Ningbo, China — Invited Exhibitor
2016 Smoke on the Water, Australian Wood Fire Conference — Guest Artist
2013 Awaken the Dragon, Ceramics Festival, Singapore — Guest Artist / Workshop Presenter: Making for Wood Firing
2013 Ceramics as Art: Carving a Space, National Museum of Singapore — Forum Panellist
2011 Wood Fire Tasmania, Deloraine, TAS — Panellist: Aesthetics / Pre-conference workshop: Making Pots for Wood-firing (Deviot, TAS)
2005 Gundaroo Wood-Fire 05, Old Saint Luke’s Studio, Gundaroo, NSW — Co-organiser / Panellist: Wood Fired Sculpture and Installation
2004 The Naked Truth, International Wood-Fire Conference, Coe College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA — Panellist (Australian Panel) / Convener of Aesthetics Panel
2003 The Naked Truth, International Wood-Fire Conference, Coe College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA — Panellist (Australian Panel)
Permanent Collections
Canberra Museum and Gallery, Canberra, Australia
Taoxichuan Ceramic Art Avenue Art Gallery, Jingdezhen, China
Private Collections in Australia, Singapore, and the USA
Publications
2007 Jones, David. Firing: Philosophies within Contemporary Ceramic Practice, Crow Wood Press, Wiltshire, pp. 79–85
2005 McKenna, M. “Resonance,” Journal of Australian Ceramics, Vol. 44, no. 1, pp. 24–25
2002 McKenna, M. “Embodied Surface,” Pottery in Australia, Vol. 41, no. 2, pp. 44–45
2002 Jones, I. & McKenna, M. “Tanja Wood-Fire,” Ceramics Technical, no. 15, Nov 2002, p. 106
