About Minna Graham - Minna Graham Ceramics

My work is an intuitive response to my natural surroundings embodied in functional forms and traditional practises. Working intuitively, my conscious mind is void, a trance like state takes hold. I'm not always aware of what I set out to create. I begin by marking the void, allowing the influence of my experience and environment to flow through me, drawing from landscapes and traditional cultures that I am compelled to explore. I hold this void open long enough to allow something to unfold within the space, to let this collision to take place and give rise to something that can be made sense of, that is the sum of my experiences, emotions and surroundings. In this way I make an exploration of how experience of a landscape or culture can be simply conveyed through ceramics.
Concerned greatly with the balance of contrasting textures and surfaces I employ various methods of surface treatment, tonal contrasts and texture to portray a collision of emotional responses to contrasting seasons, cultures and traditions. These methods invite the user to draw attention through the senses to the object held, in turn stilling the mind and bringing awareness to the present moment. My pieces are designed to bring joy and attentiveness, to draw one into the present and reflect, to be peaceful and make space for what is to come.

Born in NSW, Australia, Minna grew up roaming a large rural property in the Snowy Mountains, immersed in a rich world full of nature and creativity. As a child any artistic endeavour was greatly encouraged which in turn instilled a need to create. To create became a necessary part of daily life. Exploring Australia during early adulthood Minna observed life in the remote and harsh landscapes of the country. Settling in Daylesford, Victoria Minna enrolled in a Diploma of Ceramics at the University of Ballarat in 2009. Upon completion in 2012, Minna was awarded the Brian McLellan Award for Outstanding Achievement. Over the following years, Minna has worked as a studio potter, her work collected by numerous galleries and private collectors. She is a founding member and Director of Clayspace -Daylesford and Region Ceramics Collective since 2010, and continued to work in this role until 2018. Minna regularly conducts workshops and classes for all age levels in various institutions and privately. Minna continues to travel and seek out cultures with strong ceramic traditions. Having completed ceramic courses in Japan, Minna has also spent time learning traditional pottery and firing techniques in Myanmar, East Timor, Cambodia, across South East Asia and Europe. In 2014 Minna undertook a further year of study at Federation University applying herself to a Bachelor of Fine Arts majoring in Ceramics. During the course of the year Minna was awarded the Albert Coates Memorial Award for Excellence, two Scholarships, as well as being inducted into the Golden Key International Honour Society for high achievement in her field. Minna was awarded the INCA Award- Michael Hallam Award for Innovation in Ceramics in early 2018. Exhibiting regularly in both group and solo shows, Minnas work features in galleries and retail stores across Australia as well as international online stores, catalogues, publications and collections. Minna continues to work from her Daylesford studio where her work follows the seasons and nature is still her greatest influence. Minna's sensitivity to her surroundings is embodied in her work. Subtle changes in the seasons are perceived and responded to in every aspect of her arts practice.