About
Patricia Millar
Born in Belfast under the shadow of the Cavehill, Patricia's interest lies in the ancient past. A childhood playing around Bronze Age sites, digging clay and making bowls hardened in bonfires, have shaped her ceramic practice of today.
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Site specific locations such as bog land, ice age shoreline and basalt coast offer rich pickings in clays, organics and gravels.
Led by materiality, her work celebrates form, colour and texture of their geological and anthropological origins.
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Relocating from the Ards Peninsula, her new studio and home is be near the village of Lisnagunogue on the famous Causeway Coast route.
Earth Made exhibition with Ruth Osborne, Oriel Gallery
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EXHIBITIONS​
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EARTH MADE Arts Council NI supported collaborative exhibition with textile artist, Ruth Osbourne
Oriel Gallery 2024, invited to show Georgian Gallery 2024
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Causeway Craft Trail Artists, Flowerfield Arts Centre 2024
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Collect Open, Crafts Council Somerset House, London 2023
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Craft NI Craft NI Gallery Select Exhibition,
2023 Spring Collectors' Showcase, 2023, 22 August Craft Month, 2020 Ceramic Showcase
Ceramics Ireland Select Members’ Exhibitions, Dublin Castle, Cowshed Gallery, Pearce Museum
2023, 22, 21,19, 18, 17, 16, 15
North Down Craft Collective Exhibition North Down Museum, Ards Arts Centre, Griffin Gallery, The Loft Gallery
2023, 22, 20, 18
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Royal Ulster Academy, Ulster Museum 2020, 2015
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Thrown Contemporary Winter Show, London 2020
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Mother Earth, Strule Arts Centre 2023
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Creative Peninsula Principal Exhibition, Ards Arts Centre 2021,19, 18, 17, 16, 15
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Copeland Collective, 3rd, 4th and 5th Wave Exhibitions- Haptik Gallery, Carnegie Library, North Down touring exhibition 2019,17,16
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ForM Sculpture Exhibition, Walled Garden, Bangor 2018,17,16
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Puffin Gallery, Ballycastle 2017
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Five Create @ Studio Eight, Bangor 2017
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Solo Exhibition, Loft Gallery “Working with the elements” 2017
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Creative Momentum, representing Northern Ireland, The Art Hub, Urkult, Sweden 2016
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Castle Espie Select Exhibition, Nature through Art 2016
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Haptik Gallery, Small Works Show 2016
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Fireland The Loft Gallery 2015
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AWARDS​
Arts Council of Northern Ireland Individual Artist Award 2024
Crafts Potters Association Charitable Trust to attend Kiln building course at Wytham Woods, Oxford University
2023
Design Craft Council of Ireland, Design Ireland 2022
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Artists Resilience Funding, Arts Council of Northern Ireland 2021
The Potters’ Potter Award, Belfast Potters’ Market 2023,21
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Arts Council of Northern Ireland Individual Artist Award to build a wood fired kiln 2019
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Individual Artist’s Grant, Ards and North Down Borough Council Wood & soda firing course with Nic Collins & Sabine Nemet, Barn Pottery, Devon 2019
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Work selected for Poster Campaign, The Creative Peninsula, Ards Arts 2019
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Selected Maker for Scarva Pottery Supplies Calendar 2017
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Nominated as “One to Watch” Craft NI for BBC NI The Arts Show 2016
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Representing Northern Ireland, Creative Momentum, Arts Hub, Urkult, Sweden 2016
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Margaret Creevy Prize “Best Achievement in Applied Art” South Eastern Regional College 2014
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RESIDENCES
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Awarded Residency at Ballinglen Arts Foundation , Co. Mayo by Ards and North Down Borough Council 2021
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Copeland Island residency in association with Copeland Island Observatory & Ards Arts 2016
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COMMISSIONS
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Trophies for Signal Business Centre, Young Chef of the Year 2019
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Collaboration with the National Trust, Mount Stewart creating exclusive site specific work for shop
Current from 2018
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"Bogland" Lectern commissioned by Seamus Heaney, HomePlace, The Helicon Theatre
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COLLECTIONS
​Permanent collection of pit fired and Bogland work, The Portico, Portaferry
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PUBLICATIONS & MEDIA
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Speaker Earth Rising Irish Museum of Modern Art
"Exhibiting at Collect Open", Maker talk Guest speaker CraftNI
Artwalk guest speaker, EARTH MADE Exhibition
2024
Selected Collect Open maker to speak at Collect Art Fair, Somerset House, "Traditions lost, new creativity found"
2023
Featured ceramic artist in "Irish Ceramics, The very best of Irish contemporary ceramics book"
2021
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Guest speaker, West Forest Potters Guild
2021
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Featured artist in Ireland's Homes, Interiors & Lifestyle magazine
2021
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Featured artist, Ceramics Ireland “Celebrating 40 years of maker and community”
2019
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Invited demonstrator, BBC Radio 4 Gardeners’ Question Time
2019
Featured Artist, BBC Countryfile Autumn Special
2018
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Featured artist, Freckle Magazine
2018
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“One to watch” BBC NI The Arts Show
2016
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SELECTED DESIGNER-MAKER
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​Craftworks, Shoreditch
2024
Art in Clay, Farnham
2024,23
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Ceramic Wales
2024
Celebrating Ceramics, Waterperry Gardens
2024,23
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Potfest Pots by the Lake, Compton Verney 2024
Potfest Scotland 2023,22
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FE McWilliams Gallery
2023
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Belfast Potter's Market
2024,23,22,21
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Art on the rails, Project 24, Bangor
2021​
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NCC&G Artisan Craft market, Ballycastle
2021
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CLAY 20: Festival of Clay, Devon
2020
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The Guildhall, Derry Art fair
2019, 18, 17
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FE McWilliams Gallery
2023,19, 18, 17
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Creative Peninsula
2021, 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15
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Turf and Grain Magazine Select Artisan Fair
2019
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Armagh Arts Centre Craft Fair
2018,17
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Etsy Local
2018
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Art&, York
2016
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Creative Hub, Urkult, Sweden
2016
ND Craft Collective, Permanent maker
Present from 2016
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TEACHING, DEMONSTRATIONS, WORKSHOP FACILITATOR
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Current from 2015 Pit Firing, Barrel firing & Obvara workshops from own studio
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August Craft Month, demonstrator Bushmills
2024
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Celebrating Ceramics, Oxford, demonstrator
2024,23
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Art on the Rails, Project 24, Bangor
2021
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CLAY 20: Festival of Clay, Devon
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Maker Showcase, The Craftroom shop window, Comber
2020
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“Hands Festival” An Creagan Pit firing workshop
2019
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Experimental Archaeology, QUB, facilitator Building a Bronze Age Kiln
2018
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Speaker at Ceramics & it’s future Symposium, Millennium Gallery
2017
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Speaker Creative Trails App launch, Creative Momentum, FE McWilliam’s Gallery
2017
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Demonstrator, Celebrating Ceramics, Oxford
2023
Demonstrator, Seamus Heaney HomePlace Museum
2017
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Demonstrator, Open House Festival, Bangor
2018,17
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Heritage Craft, Pottery Thrower
2018,17
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Creative Peninsula Open Studio Tours
2018,17,16
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Demonstrator Antrim & Larne, Ards & North down Borough Councils
2019,18,17,16
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On-going from 2014 A’Level Art and Applied Art Portfolio work, selected artist and workshop facilitator
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Head of Key Stage 1 & Foundation, Art Co-Ordinator, Comber Primary School
1988-2014
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