Artisan Ceramics Workshop, Materia Ceramica – 30 years of History

Materia Ceramica is Maria Antonietta Taticchi’s artisan workshop for crafting and decorating ceramics.

The story of this artisan begins in 1975, when she was accepted as an apprentice in Guido Montanari’s workshop in Deruta. In 1986, she set up her first workshop. The pottery well: which, as the current workshop, was located in the historic center of Perugia offering a unique and privileged viewpoint of the wonders of the Umbrian town and landscape.

The skill acquired from the master craftsmen of Deruta is reflected in the approach to painting on ceramics that is completely original with respect to the longstanding Umbrian artistic tradition. At the heart of Maria Antonietta’s hand-painted items are the overall views of the Umbrian territories, landscapes and medieval towns – especially Perugia; the result of both a careful study of perspective and an extraordinary manual skill in freehand painting.

Artistic Ceramics: The Original Collections

Thus were born the Collections that are still listed in Materia Ceramica’s Ceramics Catalogue. Visions, Landscape, and Trees pay homage to the locations of choice in which they were conceived: the historic center of Perugia and the Umbrian countryside, Lake Trasimeno and the hills that surround it.

However, Materia Ceramica, the new artisan ceramics workshop which opened in 2015, also offers a new line of innovative and design ceramics. The styles of the items are the result of a sophisticated experimentation that is implemented dynamically, thus resulting in completely original creations. The newly designed Abstract Collection line is also contemporary and innovative, by means of which a less conventional idea of painting is applied; not merely performed with a brush but also by means of sponges and other tools.

Ceramic Accessories and Contemporary Ceramics

Alongside household and decorative items, Materia Ceramica – Artisan Ceramics Workshop also sells jewelry and accessories designed and created entirely in the workshop: not only necklaces, bracelets, key chains, but also ceramic bow tieshand-painted and fully customizable- and design items, such as the table lamp Pink-Lampmade from a 3D-printed prototype.

What one accomplishes by visiting Maria Antonietta Taticchi’s Artisan Ceramics Workshop is therefore a 360-degree journey into the world of ceramics which allows one to discover not only the stages of clay modeling, but also places of historical and scenic interest, as well as innovative and original methods of approaching the ancient trade of the artisan.

Maria Antonietta Taticchi was born in Perugia in 1960.
– 1975: Learns the secrets and techniques of ceramics in Guido Montanari’s workshop in Deruta.
– 1981: Taticchi sets up her first ceramics workshop and founds L’Alveare Cooperative alongside her mother and young creative friends.
– 1983: Graduates from the Pietro Vannucci Academy of Fine Arts in Perugia.
– 1986: Artisan-owner of L’Alveare company and opens her own workshop, Il pozzo delle ceramiche, in the historic center of Perugia.
– 1989: Starts the Ermes company alongside artisans and experts in order to integrate artisan businesses.
– 1985: Promotes and successfully participates in numerous artistic craftsmanship exhibitions at a regional, national and international level.
– 1999: Creates the website: www.ilpozzodelleceramiche.it.
– 2003: Creates a piece of work for the Municipality of Perugia which is installed in the paving of the square in Via dei Priori.
– 2009: Becomes president of the Associazione Botteghe Artigiane del Centro Storico (Association of Artisan Workshops of the Historic Center) and works to ensure that her city, once famous for Art and Crafts, becomes one again.
– 2013: Is also president of the Associazione Priori (Priori Association) for the redevelopment of Perugia’s Historic Center.
– 2015: In accordance with Executive Notice No.508 of 09.02.2015 of the Umbria Region, Taticchi is awarded the title of Master Craftsman and the recognition of the company as a Bottega Scuola (Laboratory School).
– 2015: Maria Antonietta Taticchi decides to renovate her workshop, change the name of the sign and the website. Thus, Materia Ceramica is born: a place where artisans, artists, creatives and designers meet and collaborate in order to create contemporary and innovative ceramics.
– 2015: Participates in the European edition of the international Maker Faire event with the Pink-Lamp project – designed and developed in collaboration with engineer Giacomo Benedetti.
– 2016: As president of the Articity Association and Master Craftsman, Taticchi contributes to
the creation of the Umbria/Kazakhstan business and cultural cooperation project – promoted to diffuse the culture of Umbrian artistic handicrafts in the Eurasian country and encourage business growth in Kazakhstan.
– 2016/2018: As president of the Articity Association and Master Craftsman, Taticchi contributes to the implementation of the Erasmus+ Project New Technologies for Handicraft for the KA2 Program – Cooperation for Innovation and the Exchange of Good Practices Strategic Partnerships for Vocational Education and Training. Goals: creation of a training platform for the figure of the “new artisan”.
– 2017: Participates in EXPO CASA UMBRIAFIERE BASTIA UMBRA MARCH 4-12, 2017.
– 2017: Invited to Tokyo to display her pieces and demonstrate her own work at an event dedicated to Italian craftsmanship.
– 2018: Recognized as a woman artist and entrepreneur from FIDAPA BPW Italy.
– 2018: Invited to Tokyo to display her pieces and demonstrate her own work at an event dedicated to Italian craftsmanship..
– 2019: As president of the Articity Association and as Master Craftsman, Taticchi contributes to the creation of Erasmus+ OHAS Opening Heritage and Archeological Sites for People with Special Needs for the program KA2 – Strategic Partnerships – PROJECT NUMBER – 2018-1-PL01-KA204-051178
– 2019: Assigned the role of tutor within the PON Project “Attenzione Scuola al Lavoro” Identifier Code:10.6.6°-FSEPON-UM-2017-4 i PCTO for the module called “L’incontro con Articity” (Encounter with Articity), intended for 20 students chosen by the Istituto Tecnico Economico Tecnologico Aldo Capitini of Perugia.
– 2019: Invited to Tokyo, at Nihombashi Mitzucoshi, to display her pieces and demonstrate her own work at an event dedicated to Italian craftsmanship.
– 2020: Creates a ceramic panel for the facade of the Church of Sant’Agata in Perugia.
– 2021: Participates in online seminars Crafting Business, a refresher course on artistic and traditional crafts as part of Crafting Europe, a program funded by Creative Europe and developed in partnership with 8 European countries.

A life spent inside her mother’s artisan ceramics workshop.
In 2014, she decides to start working in the workshop and to create her own line.
She then enrolls at the Academy of Fine Arts in Perugia in the Artistic Planning for Business – Design course. Thus, the artisan tradition becomes a contemporary jewel.