Cai Daying  President of China National Arts & Crafts Society (CNACS)

Respected President of IAC
Distinguished Artists from Home and Abroad
Good Afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is my honor to be invited to 2020 IAC New Members Exhibition and International Ceramic Art Seminar held at Guozhong Ceramics Gallery today. I think that the exhibition and seminar is undoubtedly a great opportunity for the Chinese and foreign ceramic artists to broaden their exchanges of ideas. 

For the practices of contemporary ceramics, the dialogue between the Eastern and Western artists has already become an important way for their mutual learning and integration, gradually developing into an inevitable trend in the exchanges among the cultural pluralism today. As early as in 1980s, a group of ambitious Chinese artists tried to introduce the Western ceramic art and their practices into China, opening a new door for the contemporary Chinese ceramicists and introducing new art conceptions to the great country which has a thousands of years of history of ceramics making. Since then, more and more exchanges and dialogues have taken place between the Chinese artists and their Western counterparts. Eventually, the Western ceramic artists have more opportunities to have a new understanding of the contemporary ceramics in China and, in turn, the Chinese ones have more new ideas and creative practices in learning from the West. 

As a national arts and crafts NGO, China National Arts and Crafts Society has a great number of members including experts and scholars, artists, crafts masters and high education institutions, and, without any doubt, a large number of ceramic artists, teachers and art organizations included in our members. Based upon the constitution of our Society and the relative requirements, our society has three central tasks, i.e, academic research, think tank and public education and all the work is closely related with the international exchanges. Same as the economic development in China, the mutual learning and exchanges at home and abroad will surely further the development and progress for the contemporary arts and crafts in China today, such as the ceramic art exchange projects in the higher education institutions, the Belt and Road exchange events attended by the international artists, the international arts and crafts exhibitions and academic seminars and so on. For years, China National Arts and Crafts Society has made all efforts to promote the Chinese traditional and contemporary crafts culture while enhancing the cooperation and exchanges among all the arts and crafts fellows from home and abroad. 

Over the past twenty years, a close and friendly relationship has been established between IAC and the Chinese ceramics, playing an important role in furthering the progress of our contemporary ceramics in China. In this regard, I would like to deliver our thanks to Mr. Zhou Guangzhen, Mr. Tony Franks, late Madam Janet Mansfield, former president Jacque Kaufmann and more famous foreign artists who have introduced IAC and a lot of foreign artists to China while gradually forming a constructive platform for cooperation. I believe that there will surely be more exchanges between our Society and IAC and international ceramics. I am now hoping that the President and your council will furthering our cooperation in the field of arts and crafts, especially of contemporary ceramics. In such a sense, I think that the exhibition and seminar today will be a new start for furthering our future relationship. 

Finally，I sincerely wish the 2020 IAC New Members Exhibition and International Ceramic Art Seminar a great success. Best wishes to all the friends. 

Thanks!