Surprising works of art by recent ceramics graduates will be on display starting June 13, 2026, in the exhibition “Fresh-Off-the-Press Ceramics” at Museum Gouda. Museum curator Jorien Soepboer and instructors from the Dutch Ceramics Program (NKO) selected works by 20 students who completed a three-year, craft-based program in Gouda. “The style and technique of the graduation pieces vary enormously. This year, too, we’re giving a platform to beautiful and original contemporary ceramics,” says Soepboer.
The only constant in the exhibition is the material: clay. It offers endless possibilities. Each of the up-and-coming ceramic artists has their own distinctive style and uses a variety of techniques. From imaginative vases to sleek geometric objects, and from delicate tea sets to hand-formed porcelain artichokes.
Eefje Bovenlander, from Oosterbeek, is one of the ceramic artists and won the program’s Promising Artist Award with her final project. It all started for her with a pottery-throwing workshop she took with friends. Bovenlander was immediately hooked, and not long after, she enrolled in the NKO. “I enjoy working with great detail, and it can be almost meditative for me. Shaping the ‘skin’ of an object until it has the look I envision gives me a great sense of fulfillment,” says Bovenlander. “For my final project, I chose to create a tulip vase with the look of denim. I found it interesting to combine the sturdy, artisanal character of ceramics with something soft like fabric.”
Craft Training Program The Dutch Ceramics Training Program is the only professional training program for ceramists in the Netherlands. Students from all over the country—and sometimes even from abroad—enroll in this three-year program, where they learn to throw, hand-build, and glaze. Each year, a selection of the final exam pieces is exhibited at Museum Gouda.
Vase by Eefje Bovenlander, on view in “Brand-New Ceramics” at Museum Gouda. Photo by Maaike Hoonhout.
The exhibition “Brand-New Ceramics” runs from June 13 through October 25, 2026.
