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Tuesday 10am - 5pm Wednesday 10am - 5pm Thursday 10am - 5pm Friday 10am - 5pm Saturday 10am - 5pm Sunday 10am - 5pm

Alfred Ceramic Art Museum

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Alfred Ceramic Art Museum

The primary mission of Alfred Ceramic Art Museum is to co

The Alfred Ceramic Art Museum at Alfred University houses nearly 8,000 ceramic objects ranging from small pottery shards recovered from ancient civilizations to modern and contemporary ceramic art. The Alfred Ceramic Art Museum at Alfred University houses nearly 8,000 ceramic and glass objects, ranging from small pottery shards recovered from ancient civilizations to contemporary sculpture and installation pieces.

09/04/2026

Alfred Ceramic Art Museum is pleased to announce an upcoming Gallery Talk featuring Paula Murray and Paolo Porelli, presented in conjunction with their solo exhibitions.

Please join us for this special opportunity to share the gallery space with the artists as they discuss their work, creative practices, and the ideas explored throughout their exhibitions.

Join us at the Alfred Ceramic Art Museum September 11 at 4:30pm. The event is free and open to all.

09/02/2026

Artist Spotlight: Paolo Porelli
Born in Rome, Italian sculptor Paolo Porelli studied painting at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma before beginning his exploration of ceramics. During this period of experimentation, Porelli became increasingly drawn to the anthropomorphic figure as a means of expression. Clay remains his principal medium, but Porelli refuses to be confined to one material or process, incorporating ready-mades, casts of found objects, 3D imaging, and 3D printing into his sculptures.

This ongoing exploration of the human figure can be seen in Figure Out: Catastrophe or Regeneration, where Porelli presents a wildly imaginative menagerie of bizarre, almost mythological beings. Positioned between constructive and destructive forces, the figures reflect the complex and precarious environmental predicament we face today.

Experience Paolo Porelli: Figure Out: Catastrophe or Regeneration at ACAM beginning September 10.

08/31/2026

Artist Spotlight: Paula Murray
For more than four decades, Canadian artist Paula Murray has lived and worked on the shores of Meech Lake, Québec. Her close relationship with water, the sea, and the elements has deepened her appreciation of the ephemeral nature of our presence and informed her ongoing search for meaning.

In her own words: "My practice is rooted in the relationship between process material and meaning. I am drawn to how ceramic materials and processes have affinities with the human condition; how we respond and engage with the injury of experience. By embracing wounds, deeper meaning can be brought to our lives, transforming suffering into something worthy, sensuous, and beautiful."

Experience Paula Murray: Resilience at ACAM beginning September 10.

08/29/2026

We’re delighted to announce the opening of Figure Out: Catastrophe or Regeneration at ACAM. Italian sculptor Paolo Porelli’s latest installation presents a wildly imaginative human menagerie of often bizarre, almost mythological figures. His slip-cast creations explore the complex and precarious environmental predicament we find ourselves in today while reimagining the Italian sculpture of antiquity through a postmodern lens.

We look forward to welcoming you to the museum on September 10th to experience this thought-provoking exhibition.

08/27/2026

We’re honored to announce the opening of "Resilience" at ACAM. This exhibition features a survey of Paula Murray’s unapologetically beautiful, decades-long practice, with an emphasis on the vessel as a metaphor for the human experience. Murray’s work explores breaking and healing, transformation, the search for truth, and finding pathways toward reconciliation.

We look forward to welcoming you to the museum on September 10th to experience this powerful show.

08/24/2026

Alfred’s ceramic legacy has been shaped by the study of art, craft, material, and technology together. A deep understanding of ceramic science and materials gives artists the freedom to create with greater intention, discover deeper meaning in their practice, and push the boundaries of what is possible.

Celebrating generations of Alfred ceramic artists who have taken varied approaches to their practice and left a lasting mark on the field, our exhibition "History: A Legacy in Motion" brought together the remarkable contributions of Alfred alumni from 1900 to 2025.

What began as an exhibition at ACAM has become a scholarly catalogue detailing 125 years of Alfred ceramic art, its history, expansion, and accomplishments.

The catalog is currently on its way to the printer and will arrive in early fall. Call the museum to preorder your copy of History: A Legacy in Motion today.

08/19/2026

As the work enters the gallery today, we’re sharing an early look at the incredible pieces that will come together to build Resilience by Paula Murray, and Figure Out: Catastrophe or Regeneration by Paolo Porelli.
We look forward to sharing more about these exhibitions soon.

Images courtesy of Paula Murray and Paolo Porelli.

1. Paula Murray, Abundance, 2024
2. Paula Murray, Ebb and Flow, 2024
3. Paolo Porelli, Red Flash
4. Paolo Porelli, Shaman

07/03/2026

Sharif Bey’s Autoethnography invites viewers into a world where ceramics are more than objects—they are vessels of ancestry, memory, and cultural power. From functional pottery to monumental figurative sculptures, Bey bridges personal experience and broader Afro-diasporic histories, asking not just 'Who am I?' but 'Who am I in relation to who we are?' On view through July 19th at the Alfred Ceramic Art Museum.

06/26/2026

Fihankra invites viewers to consider how memory, heritage, and contemporary life coexist in the African diaspora. Eugene Ofori Agyei’s inventive sculptures offer a space to reflect on identity, belonging, and the power of objects to carry stories across time and place. On view through July 19th.

06/19/2026

Autoethnography goes beyond autobiography, revealing the cultural forces that shape who we are. Through Sharif Bey’s diverse bodies of work, the exhibition illuminates questions of identity, ancestry, and the transformative power of objects. On view at the Alfred Ceramic Art Museum through July 19th.

Image: "Weird Harold," 2025

Address

2 Pine Street
Alfred, NY
14802

Opening Hours

Tuesday	10am - 5pm
Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 5pm
Saturday	10am - 5pm
Sunday	10am - 5pm

Telephone

(607) 871-2421

Website

https://ceramicsmuseum.alfred.edu/publications/

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