Staffs graduate in running for £10,000 BCB Award
A Staffordshire University graduate is one of 10 ceramic artists shortlisted for the UK’s leading ceramics prize.
Jasmine Simpson, who graduated from Staffordshire University with a BA (Hons) 3D Design and Ceramics degree in 2014, has been selected from more than 180 entries to feature in the British Ceramics Biennial’s headline exhibition Award.
The 8th BCB Festival will take place in Stoke-on-Trent from 23 September to 5 November 2023. For Award, Jasmine will create an installation exploring the metaphor of the house to look at our connections with our surroundings, society and subconscious. A hand-sculpted ‘Hellmouth’ fireplace – the heart of the home - will be surrounded by ceramic devils and other grotesques.
Jasmine, who lives and works in Stoke-on-Trent said: “I am elated to be selected as one of ten artists for the BCB's Award exhibition. For me it's a real milestone in my creative career and it feels even more special to be an artist and graduate from the home of the British Ceramic Biennial, Stoke-on-Trent. Since attending Staffordshire University in 2010 I have always made it part of my research to visit the BCB and get inspired by some of the world's best contemporary ceramic artists and now I get to show my work in one of their most prestigious exhibitions!"
Jasmine’s work will feature alongside a vintage car that once belonged to DJ Fatboy Slim which will be covered in ceramic tiles to tell the story of Stoke-on-Trent’s rave culture. Artist Carrie Reichardt’s work focuses on Shelley’s nightclub in Longton which was at the heart of the rave scene in the early 90s.
Other ceramic artists selected for the £10,000 prize are Rebecca Appleby, Ranti Bam, Copper Sounds, Rebecca Griffiths, Dan Kelly, Elspeth Owen, Mella Shaw and Nicola Tassie.
From building immersive sound installations to crafting abstract forms, these artists explore the full creative potential of clay for experimentation, risk-taking, activism and play, each of them challenging the ceramics status quo. Their works will form the focal point of the BCB Festival, when one of them will be awarded 10,000 for excellence, innovation and creative ambition.
The BCB Award artists were selected by a panel of leading professionals who are advocates for contemporary art and making.
Chair of the panel, Alun Graves said: ”The selection for BCB Award 2023 reflects the extraordinary breadth and diversity of contemporary ceramic practice. Ambitious proposals have come from across generations presenting an array of different approaches and tacjkling a range of themes of relevance to today.”
- Initiated in 2009, the BCB Festival has grown to be the single largest contemporary ceramics event in the UK. The BCB Festival presents artworks from the UK’s leading ceramicists alongside work by international artists, in exhibitions and special events held across the city every two years. British Ceramics Biennial is proud to be an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation and is supported by the City of Stoke-on-Trent Council and Staffordshire University, alongside multiple project-based funders.
Amy Platts
Media Communications Officer
t: 01782 292702
m: 07799 341911
e: amy.platts@staffs.ac.uk
Staffordshire University’s ambition is to become the UK’s best modern university. An institution with a strong civic mission, it has committed to being a ‘catalyst for change’ for students and businesses, positively impacting wider society and the regional economy.
Staffordshire University was named a Top 5 university in the UK and ranked Top 10 for job prospects in the StudentCrowd University Awards 2022 – based entirely on student reviews. It also ranked Top 10 for Social Inclusion in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023.
The 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF) classed 68% of the University’s research as world leading or internationally excellent and 87% of its ‘research impact’ was judged to be outstanding or very outstanding.
Substantial investment in innovative technologies and teaching environments ensure next generation courses and education are delivered across all three campuses in Stoke-on-Trent, Stafford and London.
