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Portrait of Marco Minetti.
Portrait of Marco Minetti. · Source: The Potters Cast. · Headshot source page for Marco Minetti · Headshot image for Marco Minetti
Classification
ceramics

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Marco Minetti

Having travelled through Asia searching in the hopes of finding a more ancient way of learning, living, and thinking, Marco Minetti quickly became inspired by the austerity and timeless warmth of Korean art, and found a corner of the world where ceramic tradition dates back 5000+ years yet is still alive and well in terms of technique. Marco moved to Korea in 2015 where he lived and studied in Seoul, travelling to the countryside every weekend to begin studying clay. After six months Marco moved permanently to live and work with master Kwak Kyungtae, who had been introduced to him by famed master potter Lee Kang Hyo, in his country studio, where after two years of practice he began to learn the Onggi method that had been his focus and goal to learn. During his apprenticeship Marco also went to work and live for a period in Jingdezhen, the ancient porcelain capital of China, as well as travel regularly to Japan. In 2018 Marco co-created Ceramic Masterclass: workshops in Korea tailored to foreign artists and students of clay. Then in early 2020 moved to California, where he is now building a studio, harvesting wild clay and using natural materials in his own evolving body of work. Influences include antique Chinese/Korean/Japanese works from the 14th Century to present day. [1]

Profile

Background

Dissatisfied with the ceramic education available to him, Marco Minetti traveled through East Asia looking for a more immersive master-apprentice way of learning. In 2015 he moved to Korea with one bag, studied Korean in Seoul and traveled to the countryside on weekends while trying to find an onggi teacher. Lee Kang-hyo eventually recognized the seriousness of the search and introduced him to Kwak Kyung-Tae.

After roughly six months of language study Minetti moved into Kwak's rural studio and remained in the Korean production environment through 2020. The apprenticeship involved hundreds of repeated wheel-thrown pieces, loading and firing a large climbing wood kiln once or twice a week, glaze work, quality control and the ordinary labor of a working pottery. Only after about two years of wheel production did he begin intensive onggi coiling/paddling. During the same years he spent periods in Jingdezhen—once hand-wedging on the order of two tons of clay for large work—and in Japanese studios, while buncheong became a second central vocabulary.

He co-founded Ceramic Masterclass in 2018 as a way to transmit parts of that immersive Korean system to foreign students without requiring years of language study. In 2020 he left Korea for Northern California, where he developed a more personal practice using native clays, ashes and foraged minerals.

Practice

A ceramic practice developed through a five-year Korean apprenticeship in production throwing and onggi, then extended through California wild clays, native materials, and foraged ashes. [2, 3, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44]

Work over time

  1. Apprenticeship Lived and worked in master potter Kwak Kyungtae's countryside studio in Icheon, learning onggi and production throwing. · Teacher: Kwak Kyungtae. Period: 2015–2020. · Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea [2]
  2. Apprenticeship Lived and worked in Kwak Kyungtae's countryside studio: about two years of wheel-thrown production before onggi coiling and paddling, then nearly four years under his mentorship, including kiln loading and firing, climbing wood-kiln construction and firing, and glaze work. During these years he also made an extensive study of buncheong slipware. · Period: 2015–2020. · Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea [2, 3]
  3. Introduction to a teacher Visited the studio of potter Lee Kang Hyo, who introduced him to his former student, onggi master Kwak Kyungtae in Icheon; while living in Seoul he travelled to the countryside studio on weekends to begin studying clay. · introducing potter: Lee Kang Hyo · Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea [2]
  4. Education Studied Korean for six months before moving permanently to live and work at Kwak Kyungtae's countryside studio. · Unspecified language-study program · Korean-language study in Seoul for six months · Seoul, Seoul, South Korea [2]
  5. Relocation Moved to South Korea to seek an apprenticeship; studied Korean in Seoul before moving to Kwak Kyungtae's countryside studio in Icheon. · South Korea, South Korea · Seoul, Seoul, South Korea [2]
  6. Collaboration Co-founded Ceramic Masterclass, intensive workshops in rural Korea for foreign artists and students of clay, taught in Kwak Kyungtae's studio; the program later also hosted masterclasses abroad. · co-founder: Ceramic Masterclass [2, 3]
  7. Co-founded Ceramic Masterclass Co-founded Ceramic Masterclass, intensive workshops in rural Korea for foreign students of clay. [2]
  8. Teaching Ceramic Masterclass workshops in Korea began; he says in August 2019 that they 'started last year in September'. [38]
  9. Studio development and material practice Began building a studio in Northern California and harvesting wild clay; the official biography says he now divides his time between Asia and this studio, using native clays, ashes, and foraged materials. · Northern California, California, United States [2]
  10. Relocation Left Korea for California, where he is building a studio and harvesting wild clay. [2]
  11. Relocation Left Korea and moved to California to build a studio and work with wild clay and natural materials. · Northern California, California, United States [2]
  12. Teaching Taught onggi and Korean wheel-throwing courses across New Zealand in the Ceramics New Zealand Touring Potter programme alongside Kwak Kyungtae. · New Zealand, New Zealand [24]
  13. Teaching Hikidashi Guro Teabowl and Matcha Retreat in Japan, Workshop I, taught with Douglas Black near Mashiko. · Motegi, Tochigi, Japan [35, 36]
  14. Teaching Hikidashi Guro Teabowl and Matcha Retreat in Japan, Workshop II (adds a guided excursion day), taught with Douglas Black. · Motegi, Tochigi, Japan [36]
  15. Residency Lived and worked with Kwak Kyungtae in Jingdezhen for more than a month, making large-scale work for Kwak's exhibition. · Jingdezhen, Jiangxi, China [2]
  16. Relocation Left Korea and moved to California; the source does not identify a more precise destination. · California, California, United States [2]

Evidence and sources

References

  1. MARCO MINETTI — Maud & Mabel Retrieved 2026-09-25
  2. Biography and My Story — Marco Minetti Retrieved 2026-09-25
  3. A Soft Spoken Potter Doing Amazing Things — Marco Minetti, Episode 551 Retrieved 2026-09-25
  4. Ancient Glaze Teapot — Asha Tea House
  5. Ancient Glaze Tea Pourer — Asha Tea House
  6. Marco Minetti — beassembly
  7. 4 Day Korean Throwing — studio course
  8. Headshot source page for Marco Minetti Retrieved 2026-10-01
  9. Headshot image for Marco Minetti Retrieved 2026-10-01
  10. Stockists / Galleries — Marco Minetti
  11. Material & Method — Maud & Mabel
  12. Collect 2024 — Maud & Mabel
  13. Maud & Mabel — Collect / Crafts Council
  14. Collect 2024 Artist Index
  15. Daguan Tea Set with Kintsugi Repair — Storied Objects
  16. Kaolin Large Serving Bowl — Storied Objects
  17. 5 Day Onggi Master Class with Kwak Kyung Tae & Marco Minetti
  18. Portugal Courses — Ceramic Masterclass
  19. Minetti Design Ceramics — Asha Tea House
  20. Marco Minetti — De Haan Gallery Studio
  21. Rejoining: Urushi, Kintsugi and Beyond — Hugomento / SF Station
  22. Marco Minetti — Artists, Galerie le sentiment des choses Retrieved 2026-10-02
  23. Marco Minetti "A journey between East and West" — Le sentiment des choses Retrieved 2026-10-02
  24. Kwak Kyungtae and Marco Minetti – Touring Potter 2024 (Ceramics New Zealand) Retrieved 2026-10-02
  25. Marco Minetti Buncheong Large Moon Jar Retrieved 2026-10-02
  26. Marco Minetti Almond Ash Bottle II Retrieved 2026-10-02
  27. Marco Minetti 'Crackle Slip Plate I' - Maud & Mabel Retrieved 2026-10-02
  28. Marco Minetti 'Matcha Bowl I' - Maud & Mabel Retrieved 2026-10-02
  29. Marco Minetti 'Matcha Bowl IV' - Maud & Mabel Retrieved 2026-10-02
  30. Buncheong Medium Moon Jar #111 (minettidesign.com) Retrieved 2026-10-03
  31. Tea Storage Jar, Da-Ho, Small (minettidesign.com) Retrieved 2026-10-03
  32. Tea Pourer, Sugu (minettidesign.com) Retrieved 2026-10-03
  33. Marco Minetti 'Pegmatite Bowl IX' (Maud & Mabel) Retrieved 2026-10-03
  34. Marco Minetti 'Matcha Bowl III' (Maud & Mabel) Retrieved 2026-10-03
  35. Workshop I: Hikidashi Guro Teabowl and Matcha Retreat in Japan (minettidesign.com) Retrieved 2026-10-03
  36. Workshops (minettidesign.com) Retrieved 2026-10-03
  37. Marco Minetti Celebrates Traditional Korean Ceramics With This Singular Vase Exclusively Made for VERANDA (Yahoo Life syndication of Veranda, 16 Dec 2021) Retrieved 2026-10-03
  38. A Soft Spoken Potter Doing Amazing Things | Marco Minetti | Episode 551 - The Potters Cast Retrieved 2026-10-03
  39. Available work (minettidesign.com, Internet Archive 6 May 2021) Retrieved 2026-10-03
  40. About (minettidesign.com, Internet Archive 6 May 2021) Retrieved 2026-10-03
  41. Hwabyeong flower vase - Minettidesign (Wayback copy, 21 Sep 2021) Retrieved 2026-10-03
  42. Oval vase in a foraged iron glaze I - Minettidesign (Wayback copy, 26 May 2022) Retrieved 2026-10-03
  43. Oval vase in warm earth tone I - Minettidesign (Wayback copy, 26 May 2022) Retrieved 2026-10-03
  44. Moon jar in straw ash glaze - Minettidesign (Wayback copy, 26 May 2022) Retrieved 2026-10-03