Sinjeung dongguk yeoji seungnam (新增東國輿地勝, The Revised and Enlarged Edition of a Survey of the Geography of the Eastern Country) Vol. 8: Icheon dohobu (town) in Gyeonggi-do Province
“White jade and potteries are considered regional specialties.”
Icheon has been the region of the ceramics for decades. A number of ancient sources, includ-ing Dongguk yeoji seungnam (東國輿地勝, Survey of the Geography of the Eastern Coun-try), mentions ceramic wares as the region’s special product, and the current name of ‘sagimakgol’, meaning ceramics district, in Saeum-dong stemmed from what had referred to as a white porcelain production place in Joseon period. Moreover, at the climbing kiln in Sugwang-ri, which is designated as a cultural property, there are the remaining traces of lacquerware artisans and potters who lead ceramics production in the region. Likewise quite a number of ceramics workshops are concentrated in the vicinity of Sugwang-ri, as an evidence to suggest the prosperous history of ceramics in Icheon.
Map of Ceramics Studio in Icheon is a project to highlight such regional characteristics of Icheon through two serial exhibitions, Masters and Masterpieces and Studio Culture. Masters and Masterpieces that is to be held this year will examine the continuing passage of the pre-ceding traditional ceramics through a presentation of the practices of today’s ceramics studi-os. This will be an occasion to ruminate the legacy of potters who have built a reputation of Icheon as the center of Korean ceramics.