Ashley Howard joined UCA as the subject specialist for ceramics in 2006. Before this he lectured at the Universities of Brighton and Westminster. Graduating from UCA Rochester with an HND in Ceramics, Ashley later gained a Masters degree from the Royal College of Art in 2003.
Ashley is a leader in ceramic-based research, and his achievements have attracted attention both within UCA and on the national and international stages. Ashley produces porcelain and stoneware vessels informed by a dialogue between Far-Eastern and more homespun pottery traditions. Recent projects have seen Ashley explore this dialogue at deeper levels through the two key initiatives, Shima Kara Shima E (From Island to Island) and Material Symphysis.
He draws on his interest in ritual vessels, the spaces they occupy and the ceremonies that surround them. Notions of music, reverence and transience are also explored. Almost all work is thrown on the wheel, although at times it might be subject to varying degrees of manipulation and altering. A recent departure from earlier work has seen Ashley pull in his experiences in Japan to develop his use of on-glaze enamels.
Ashley was granted research supervision status in 2014.
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