Traditional wood firing explored through contemporary ceramic practice.
Holly Rose Morgan is a ceramic artist based in Te Matau a Māui, Hawke’s Bay. Her practice explores traditional wood firing through a contemporary ceramic lens, balancing functionality, localism, conceptual depth and global ceramic heritage.
An experienced wood firer, Holly has spent recent years immersed in the study of ancient pottery techniques and cultures, undertaking extensive research overseas with a particular focus on Japanese wood-firing practices and Korean onggi pottery. Through this research, she examines how traditional ceramic techniques can exist within contemporary practice, while questioning how we consume, use and understand vessels today.
Her work spans both functional and conceptual forms and has been selected for national ceramic award exhibitions throughout New Zealand. In 2025, Holly presented Burning Ground, a major solo exhibition at Hastings City Art Gallery, showcasing two years of research and making. In 2026, Holly completed a three-month residency in Faenza, Italy, in association with the International Museum of Ceramics.
process Holly Rose Morgan
Working with hand dug Coromandel clay, Holly shapes vessels that blend the lines between sculptural form, utility and design.
Many works are wood fired over several days, where ash, flame and heat create natural surface variation without applied glaze.
Drawing on global ceramic traditions, Holly explores how vessels can carry memory, place and contemporary use.