Terrània brings the old church of Sant Francesc back to the heart of the festival and welcomes Poland as its guest territory for the 22nd edition

The programme for the 22nd edition of Terrània, the Montblanc International Ceramics Festival, is now available. The festival will take place on 25, 26 and 27 September and will mark the return of the old church of Sant Francesc as the main venue of an event with a long-standing tradition and a well-established international reputation.

The programme and all graphic materials have been designed by Enric Mercadé. Several months ago, it was announced that the visual identity of the festival would be based on Autoretrat, a work by Núria Soley, a ceramic artist specialising in contemporary jewellery and creative ceramics. Soley is also the focus of the festival’s main exhibition, Itineraris nòmades, which will be hosted at Sala Sant Miquel.

The exhibition will open on Friday 4 September, coinciding with the Festes de la Serra de Montblanc, and will remain open until the festival takes place.

The central nave of the former church of Sant Francesc will host twenty-eight ceramic artists from five different territories: Catalonia (11), France (7), Poland (5), Spain (3) and Belgium (2). This year, forty-seven applications were submitted. Poland was announced several months ago as the guest territory. Ceramic artist Kamila Dziedzic has coordinated the participation of five Polish ceramists, whose work will be exhibited in the apse of the old church of Sant Francesc.

The official opening will take place on the evening of Friday 25 September and will be led by M. Rosa Taulés, President of the Associació Ceramistes de Catalunya, as part of the organisation’s 40th anniversary celebrations. To mark this milestone, the exhibition 40 anys de l’ACC.. i continuem will be presented in the fully renovated former Chapel of the Santíssim of the church of Sant Francesc.

As is customary, the opening ceremony will be preceded by a guided tour of the various exhibitions featured in the festival programme. At the Cave Art Interpretation Centre, visitors will be able to see Ressò dels orígens, de la matèria primera a la mirada actual, by Aleix Revelles, exclusively during the festival weekend. The Provincial Museum of Conca de Barberà will inaugurate the exhibition Ceràmica, l’evidència material; it will remain open until 29 November. During the festival, El Be Negre gallery will host Vivències, an exhibition by Montse Aiguadé. Meanwhile, the Sala de les Corts Catalanes will present Procés de pintar una figura de pessebre, organised by the Nativity Scenes Museum of Catalonia, which will also offer a family-friendly workshop dedicated to painting caganers and caganeres.

Visitors will also find a range of hands-on activities in the cloister of Sant Francesc. Coordinated by Pardal Creatiu, two workshop formats will be available: pottery wheel throwing and the creation of decorative tiles using coloured clays. Ceramic artist Montse Llanas will once again lead the popular firing experience using the raku technique. New to this year’s programme is an introductory workshop on sculptural portraiture from life, led by ceramic artist Natàlia Ferré.

In addition, a series of live demonstrations by participating ceramic artists will take place throughout the weekend.

The festival also introduces new collaborative initiatives with partner institutions. Together with the Centre d'Art i Cultura de la Diputació de Tarragona, two activities have been organised. On Thursday 24 September, a masterclass by ceramic artist Alberto Bustos will take place at the centre’s headquarters in Valls; registration is already open. On the morning of Friday 25 September, the Provincial Museum of Conca de Barberà will host the roundtable discussion Influències culturals i trajectòries en la ceràmica contemporània.

Another collaboration involves the Xarxa de Museus d’Etnologia de Catalunya, of which the Provincial Museum of Conca de Barberà is a member. Within this framework, two activities have been scheduled: the presentation of the Artesania i Museus programme on Friday, and on Saturday morning the lecture Del fang al patrimoni. Una història cultural de la ceràmica, delivered by Dr Esther Travé.

As with the festival poster, the programme highlights the distinctions awarded to Terrània: the Premi d'Honor de l'Associació de Ceramistes de Catalunya in the Premi Artesania de Catalunya category, received in 2018, and the Premi Nacional d’Artesania in the Prestigia category, awarded in 2024.

All graphic materials can be consulted on the festival website, www.terrania.cat, and, as every year, will be distributed through the Montblanc Tourist Office. Tickets for the scheduled activities will go on sale after the Local Festivities.