ANNOUNCING THE LEADING ARTIST FOR THE 2027 THEMATIC ARTIST RESIDENCY

Medalta International Artist in Residence (MIAIR) is excited to announce the new leading artist & theme for the 2027 Thematic Residency here @ Medalta!

This two-week residency is all about bringing artists together to explore and create beyond the means of a conceptual idea, question, or area of exploration. Each residency focuses on a theme picked by a Leading Artist, giving other artists the opportunity to experiment, research, and immerse themselves within the ceramics community.

The first Thematic Residency will run June 2 – 15, 2027.

After looking closely at each proposal and with careful consideration, the Leading Artist for the 2027 Thematic Residency is Carole Epp!

THE THEME

Carole’s theme for the residency is called, “Shards at the End of the World”. This theme invites artists to engage with one of the most urgent and relevant questions of our time: what stories do we tell, and what objects do we make, when the future is uncertain?

This residency begins from that premise: that clay is fundamentally a narrative material, and that the act of making ceramic objects is also the act of deciding what deserves to be remembered.

WHAT TO EXPECT

The residency will support artists working through vessel and function, through figurative or narrative surface, through installation, or through conceptual and process-based approaches.

Participants will be selected based on their engagement with narrative strategies, including illustration, symbolism, text, and sequential or image-based storytelling. The residency encourages a range of approaches—from intimate, personal accounts to broader socio-political commentary—while maintaining a shared focus on ceramics as a narrative medium.

This two-week themed residency will combine:

• Critical Dialogue
• Studio Production (develop new work, expand existing projects, respond to residency theme)
• Collaborative Discussion (cultural memory, narrative ceramics, lived experience & imagined futures)

Application Deadline: September 15, 2026

If you want to learn more details about the 2027 Thematic Residency, or are ready to apply to become a participating artist: click here.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Carole Epp is a Saskatchewan-based ceramic artist and educator whose work has been exhibited internationally across North America, Europe, and Australia. She holds a Master of Arts in Visual Arts from the Australian National University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Regina.

Epp has participated in prestigious residencies including the Archie Bray Foundation and the Skopelos Foundation for the Arts. She is co-founder of Make and Do Ceramics, a national Canadian organization, and was named Ceramic Artist of the Year by Ceramics Monthly in 2017. She currently serves as Adjunct Professor at the University of Regina.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I am an artist and storyteller working primarily in clay, drawing on other disciplines. My work engages the enduring influence of decorative ceramics, using the material’s permanence to explore narrative, symbolism, and contemporary experience. I address political conflict, environmental instability, and human rights from my perspective as a settler Canadian.

Using humor, whimsy, and storybook aesthetics, I create accessible entry points into difficult subjects. My practice spans installation, sculpture, and illustrated functional ceramics, where everyday objects invite reflection while resisting disposability. I integrate personal visual language with sculptural form, merging historical traditions and contemporary aesthetics to challenge expectations of ceramics.

Medalta International Artist in Residency appreciates every artist that has applied and submitted their proposals to be the 2027 Leading Artist for the Thematic Residency. We thank you for considering what MIAIR has to offer and hope to see you apply in the future!