Between 23 and 26 November, 20 ceramists from Caldas da Rainha visited Deruta, Italy, as part of the exchange programme ‘Ceramics and Women: How Women Became Protagonists’, an initiative promoted in the context of the twinning agreement between the two municipalities.

The delegation from Caldas, composed of potters, representatives of local associations in the fields of art, culture and education, and members of the local authority, had the opportunity to participate in various activities that put the world of pottery into perspective, with a focus on gender issues, and to get to know some of the local potters and their work up close.

Highlights of the exchange programme included a guided tour of the Deruta Regional Ceramics Museum, one of the most important ceramics museums in Italy; the workshop “Exploring and Comparing Economic Systems and Ceramics Networks: Men and Women as Key Figures in History, Culture and Social, Cultural and Economic Impact in Communities and Regions”, which featured presentations by Iolanda Cunto, director of the Deruta Ceramics Museum, and Franco Cocchi, ceramics expert, on topics such as the role of women in the history of ceramics and ceramics art and industry in the 20th century, as well as a workshop dedicated to the theme of gender equality in the context of the ceramics sector.

During the event, there was also an opportunity to share experiences with some Italian ceramists, where the Caldas ceramists were able to present some of their work and techniques.

To conclude the programme, in the presence of the artists, the Mayor of Deruta, Michele Toniaccini, the Councillor for Culture, Conceição Henriques, and the Head of the Culture Unit of the Municipality of Caldas, José Antunes, among other local authorities and personalities, the collective exhibition “Ceramics and Women: How Women Became Protagonists” was inaugurated at the l’Antica Fornace Grazia Gallery in the historic centre of Deruta.

The exhibition includes pieces created by Caldas ceramists Amanda Peña, Ana Cabral, Ana Novais, Bárbara Ramos, Catarina Gomes, Catarina Lente, Chloe Pires, Cíntia Martins, Cristina Capinha, Mafalda Balona, Margarida Martins, Monique Gaia, Nazaré Feliciano, Paula Roset, Paula Violante, Sara Cardina, Sílvia Jácome, Sreya, Umbelina Barros and Zaiga Malina, and works by 27 Italian ceramists.

For Councillor Conceição Henriques, the initiative is of double interest to the artists of Caldas, because ‘on the one hand, it provides cultural, artistic and technical enrichment through the exchange of experiences with their Italian counterparts and, on the other, it projects their names and their works in an international context, enhancing recognition and opening up future commercial prospects’.

The exhibition will be on display in Deruta until March 2026 and will then be transferred to the Caldas da Rainha Arts Centre, where it will be on display from 28 March to 3 May 2026.

Caldas da Rainha will be the host municipality for the second phase of this exchange programme, welcoming 27 Italian ceramists in March 2026 for a series of activities and cultural exchanges.