Judge of the 2025 Portage Ceramic Awards

Te Uru is delighted to announce that Fiona Jack has been selected as the judge of the 2025 Portage Ceramic Awards. Jack will select the finalists ahead of their announcement in October and present the awards at the prestigious launch event on 20 November, hosted at Te Uru Contemporary Gallery.

Of her appointment, Jack says:

‘Clay is a compelling medium—ubiquitous across millennia, yet continually reshaped with new form and purpose through the hands of each generation. I am humbled and honoured to be the judge for the 2025 Portage Ceramic Awards, an annual event that holds a special place in Aotearoa’s cultural landscape. It is a privilege to contribute to a tradition that honours both the deep history of clay in West Auckland and the breadth of contemporary practice across the motu. I look forward to celebrating the vitality and innovation of ceramics today, and I thank Te Uru for entrusting me with this meaningful role.’

Fiona Jack is an artist and educator based in Tāmaki Makaurau. She is Head of School and Associate Professor at Elam School of Fine Arts, Waipapa Taumata Rau University of Auckland, where she has taught since 2007. Fiona’s artistic practice ranges from large-scale public commissions to collaborative projects grounded in social exchange. Significant solo exhibitions include Our Red Aunt, Glasgow Women’s Library, Glasgow (2018); Riverbed, Artspace Aotearoa, Tāmaki Makaurau (2018); The Will of the People is Law, Commonwealth & Council, Los Angeles (2016); and Living Halls, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, Ngāmotu New Plymouth (2010). Fiona has also curated exhibitions including Emory Douglas: Minister of Culture, Black Panther Party, Gus Fisher Gallery, Tāmaki Makaurau (2009). She holds an MFA from CalArts and is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Westminster.