This past January, Leonora Teale, Executive Director of Warner Bros, visited the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Americas and expressed particular interest in the work of the Fine Arts Ceramic Center.

Teale traveled from London to Miami on a professional visit and sought to gain a deeper understanding of the Center’s methodology, operational structure, collections, and ongoing activities.

During her tour of the museum, she inquired about the exhibitions currently on view, the artists participating in the exhibition program, and the future plans of both MoCA Américas and the Fine Arts Ceramic Center.

She expressed particular appreciation for the museum’s role as a space for encounter, reflection, and projection of contemporary art from across the Americas.

The visitor was especially struck by the ceramic plate collection initiated by the Fine Arts Ceramic Center during the COVID period—today, if not the largest, certainly one of the most significant collections of its kind in the United States.

It was precisely this collection that gave rise to the ceramic center itself, which over the years has evolved to include a fully equipped workshop where every stage of the ceramic process is carried out, from initial conception to the realization of works of the highest artistic and material quality. This initiative stands as one of the museum’s most consequential institutional commitments, allowing it to expand its holdings through the sustained production and acquisition of a substantial body of ceramic works.

As previously noted, the Fine Arts Ceramic Center, directed by artist Ivonne Ferrer, was founded in 2020, at a moment of profound disruption for the artistic community, when many creators found themselves isolated and without access to studios, galleries, or systems of institutional support. The workshop emerged as a concrete response by the museum to accompany and sustain local artists during the pandemic, offering them a space for creation, exchange, and professional continuity.

Ceramic practice allowed artists to remain engaged in meaningful creative processes while also providing a viable economic alternative. As a medium, ceramics offered greater accessibility and stronger possibilities for circulation and sale, enabling many artists to sustain themselves during a period when numerous commercial venues and galleries remained closed.

Leonora Teale’s visit underscored the social, cultural, and human impact of this initiative, as well as MoCA Américas’ commitment to the sustainable development of its artistic community. It reaffirmed the growing international interest in institutional models that successfully integrate artistic production, structural support, and long-term cultural vision.