Clara Garesio, Ceramic Art and Design in the Neapolitan Context

The field of ceramic is always throbbing with experimentations of design planning, artistic expressions and handcrafts. Clara Garesio has been capable of express- ing herself in all these variations as well as being active in the area of education throughout her career. Born in Turin in 1938, she studied at the “G. Ballardini” State School of Ceramic Art of Faenza, which was a cultural melting pot in the 50s and the 60s. She moved to Naples in 1962 and became part of a cycle of teachers in charge of initiating the G. Caselli State Vocational School for the industry and crafts- manship of ceramic, an institution that advocated the revival of traditional high-level craftsmanship. Naples offered her the opportunity to deal with the old tradition of porcelain crafts from Capodimonte, thus leading to creations that revived and inno- vated the traditional iconographic heritage. Her production ranged from artistically expressive objects, intended for architecture and public areas, whilst being also committed in designing tile modules, ornamental elements, and crockery shapes. A revisitation of the artist's life will enable us to contextualize her work in the Nea- politan setting and compare it with other design experiences intertwined with the fields of ceramic and craftsmanship.