Categories of Membership with the Craft Potters Association
The CPA is the national body in the UK representing studio potters and ceramic artists. We publish Ceramic Review magazine and you can visit us at the Contemporary Ceramics Centre in central London. Membership of the CPA is available to individual makers and to anyone interested in studio ceramics.
There are four categories of membership: Associate, Selected, Fellow and Honorary membership.
Associate Membership
Anyone can join the CPA as an Associate member and benefit from the various opportunities, information and activities that the CPA promotes and organises. Our membership includes makers, collectors, potteries, galleries and ceramic enthusiasts.
Benefits of CPA Associate Membership include:
- 10% off all ceramics at the Contemporary Ceramics Centre
- £5 off a year’s subscription to Ceramic Review magazine
- Option to purchase Public and Product Liability Insurance for only £30 extra per year
- Discounts on materials with various suppliers
- Bi-weekly e-bulletins, detailing new opportunities, exhibitions, CPA activities, reminders, deadlines and more!
Selected Membership
You must be based in the UK to become a CPA Selected Member
The aim of the CPA is to promote and encourage the creation of high quality ceramics. Selected membership is a highly regarded title within the studio ceramics industry and is awarded to makers whose work demonstrates a very high technical and aesthetic level of sophistication.
Selected members also benefit from:
- The opportunity to show and sell work at the Contemporary Ceramics Centre in London
- Public Liability Insurance up to £5,000,000 included in annual membership fees
- Listings and short portfolio/bio on the CPA website
- Preference when showing at CPA events including Oxford and York Ceramics Fairs
- Voting rights and the opportunity to stand for election to the CPA Council
- All Associate membership benefits also apply to Selected members
Selection process:
The CPA’s selection procedures focus upon a requirement for excellence in the work of the applicant, based on the CPA Council‘s knowledge and specialist understanding of the achievements of the very best makers. For Selected Membership the Council is looking for the work submitted to be of a consistently high professional standard.
- The deadline for Stage 1 Selected Membership applications is 15th January and 15th July
- Applicants will be informed on the status of their application in early February and August respectively
- Successful Stage 1 applicants are invited to bring their work to London for assessment at Stage 2 by the CPA Council in May and November respectively
- Please be aware before applying that feedback on unsuccessful applications for both Stage 1 and 2 is at the discretion of the CPA Council
- Please also be aware that display space at the Contemporary Ceramics Centre is very competitive. New Selected members will be placed on automatic rotation at the gallery but permanent or long-term display is by no means guaranteed. Display at the gallery should therefore not be considered the sole reason for applying for CPA Selected Membership
For more information about applying for Selected CPA Membership please email the CPA Membership Manager Matt Wood at membership@craftpotters.com or call 020 3137 0750.
Fellow and Honorary Membership
Fellowship is offered by either peer nomination or by individual applications and is awarded to those Selected members whose work is of the highest standard in all respects – outstanding in its expression of the art of the potter, with a quality of craftsmanship appropriate to its concept and with a powerful and well established sense of individual identity. Applications and nomination must have the support of additional CPA Fellow members and should be submitted to council for consideration at a selection meeting, any time between January and March each year. Please send all Fellowship applications to membership@craftpotters.com
Honorary Fellowship is a ‘lifetime achievement’ award bestowed on those makers whose contribution to the CPA and/or influence on British studio ceramics has been truly outstanding over the course of a long and distinguished career.
For more information on the various membership types please follow the link below: