Formation, the theme of the 59th annual conference of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA), invites us to dig deep into the historical and cultural significance of ceramics worldwide. Philosopher and educator John Dewey wrote, “The self is not something ready-made, but something in continuous formation through choice of action.”

Formation is the rhythmic heartbeat that pulses within our construction of self, ever-present throughout nature and represents the beginning of all materials, things, and ideas. The Great Salt Lake region has undergone shifts in climate and geology that manifest formation in notable ways. Teaching, learning, and creation through clay involve continual engagement with formation as action, engagement, and analysis.

Formation orders and reconfigures our understanding of cultural identity, continuity, and change in times of environmental crisis and innovation. Formation is a moment of opportunity – a dynamic process of definition, vision, and determination within individuals, communities, the human-made, and the natural world. This event, centered on ceramic art, will explore formation through exhibitions and presentations by diverse creators and culture workers involved in pottery, sculpture, design and installation, and performance.