Your Gibraltar TV has added a new episode to its Getting Into Culture series that focuses on ceramic art and sculpture, drawing on the expertise of local practitioner Ermelinda Duarte to help viewers understand entry points into the medium. The segment highlights the combination of technical skill, imagination and experimentation that defines ceramics, whether through wheel-thrown pottery or hand-sculpted forms. Duarte, who owns a studio near the Dockyard, uses the platform to illustrate how participants can begin exploring the art without prior experience.
According to the Your Gibraltar TV programme, Duarte earned a degree in ceramics before returning to Gibraltar and establishing her workshop as a community resource two years prior to her initial open day. That event welcomed visitors including the Mayor and representatives from the Gibraltar Academy of Music and Performing Arts, allowing them to observe the gas kiln, throwing wheel and shelving systems essential to the practice. The studio opening formed part of ongoing local efforts to build awareness around a craft that lacks dedicated public facilities in the territory.
A Growth Market Reports assessment found the global ceramic art collectible market reached 9.7 billion dollars in 2024 and is projected to attain 16.9 billion dollars by 2033, expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 6.4 percent. The analysis attributes the rise to demand for sculptures, vases and figurines across residential, commercial and institutional collectors. In the Gibraltar context, the television feature positions ceramics as an accessible cultural activity that aligns with such worldwide interest.
The Your Gibraltar TV episode details basic methods such as pinch pots for novices, coil building for more complex shapes and slab techniques for frames or tiles, all drawn from Duarte’s teaching experience with children and adults. Participants in her past summer workshops produced items ranging from engraved geometric bowls to animal sculptures including pigs, elephants and frogs. These classes, which typically resume each September for ages six to 16, emphasise that formal qualifications provide only a starting point while talent and repetition build proficiency.
Gibraltar Cultural Services outlined its autumn programme in a September 2025 announcement that schedules the 52nd International Art Exhibition for November 5 to 14 alongside literary festivals and classical concerts. The Your Gibraltar TV ceramic segment arrives ahead of that visual arts showcase, where sculptural works frequently appear, and complements earlier cultural exchanges such as Duarte’s 2023 tile-making workshop in Tangier using garden materials for organic imprints. Such coordinated activities underscore the territory’s push to integrate craft education with broader programming.
Data from ARTDAI, an art analytics firm, shows secondary-market ceramic lots grew from 695 in 2016 with sales near 30 million dollars to more than 6,200 lots in 2025 generating 62.5 million dollars. The Your Gibraltar TV production notes that while auction prices for ceramic pieces by major artists remain below those for their paintings, the medium offers entry for new collectors and practitioners alike. Duarte’s contributions, including competition successes and installation projects, illustrate how local artists can sustain careers within this expanding field.
