About Functional Pottery

Even if there are workshops on figurative sculpture, most of our workshops do focus on making techniques related to functional pottery. Pots that can be used, becoming an important object in daily life, an object capable to express beauty, sensuality, practicality, usefulness. There is much value in a good pot, and besides the fun in making there is a challenge in giving accurate expression to an idea.
Limits are essential to the creative process because they trigger reaction and focus energy. The greater the limitations the more vigorous the challenge. It takes a sensitivity, inventiveness and patience to turn constraints in poetry.
Harmonising the dual forces of imagination and logic lies at the centre of all artistic labour. The utilitarian pot is one of humanity’s most enduring examples of how this duality is reconciled to achieve objects of intelligence and beauty.
Through excellent teachers it is our goal to provide students not only with good making techniques, but also to reflect upon the opportunity to train for creative solutions, to give expression to a personal view of beauty and to create an awareness for quality and aesthetics.

The History of Ceramics in the Area of Giannitsa

Clay maybe consists the most humble and at the same time for the same reason the most important art material that is connected with the historic route and the evolution of the district of Giannitsa.

The first human activity in the area is localized at the beginning of the 7th milenium B.C and in the former neolithic period.The excavation research brought into light written ceramic scripts of exquisite quality from local clay. The collection of the 700 idols of “Ampelies” an extraordinary and rare collection from local clay as well, belongs to the period of the latter neolithic era. The ceramic constructions and the small vaulted furnaces, of the early Copper Age at the “Archontinko” of Giannitsa but also the numerous clay vessels that were found in the houses, confirm the connection of the area to the clay. In the iron age a great amount of written ceramics, local and a bit imported, was found at the same ancient place and inside the houses. This indicates the peak of the housing estates during the 7th century.

The most important historical phase of the area is that of the 4th and 3rd century B.C centered at the capital of the Macedonian state, Pella. The ceramics discovered mainly at the district of the Agora of Pella (marvelous Hellenistic ceramics that were sold at the shops of the Agora) rises to prominent the wider area of Giannitsa as a place that time and history has connected with clay as material but also with the arts that give shape to clay. But most of all they bequeath at the contemporary ages the tradition, the aesthetics, the love of the earthly and the flexible and all the perception that follows these.

In modern times several productive ceramic workshops exist that are owned by craftsmen that settled in the town coming from Minor Asia. In our days two workshops, exist the one belongs to Mr Simeonithis Ioannis and the other to Ms Papadopoulou Aggeliki.