Now in its fourth edition, finally in attendance after the two-year pandemic, the Matres International Festival of Ceramics for Women was held last August 25-28 between the two cities of ancient ceramic tradition, Cava de' Tirreni and Vietri sul Mare. For four days the two cities talked and lived about ceramics in a journey combining culture, tradition and interaction with the territory. The theme of the festival was "Naturantis," and the works on display and the entire program revolved around the themes of the green-evolution, environment and sustainable economy. Very rich in events, the program of this edition focused on expressions of new "visions" in support of a global world without borders, where territories become the places of collective interaction and integration of knowledge and expertise. From here, women, through their ancient art, issued a call to all to re-weave the fabric of society with new visions of care for the global involvement of people participating for a consciousness-raising toward respect for the person and the planet. Many initiatives were organized for this edition of the Matres Festival: solo and group exhibitions, workshops on Raku techniques and experimental firing, workshops for children, adults, people with disabilities, markets, meetings, conferences, debates, book presentations, open workshops, music, dinners and social promotion events. Matres was sponsored by the Campania Region, in collaboration with the municipalities of Cava de' Tirreni and Vietri sul Mare, the Salerno CNA and the KWCA. 

    Thanks to the participation of more than three hundred women artists from all over the world, the Matres Festival has consolidated its international relevance, and this, with the intention of promoting and publicizing the experiences of the many women dedicated to working in the ceramic sector of handicraft and industrial design. In addition to the participation of numerous Italian women artists, artists from as many as 28 other different nations converged at the Festival: Belgium, France, Austria, Spain, Greece, Ireland, Sweden, Croatia, Lithuania, Germany, Malta, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Russia, Israel, Holland, Switzerland, Poland, Tunisia, Algeria, Iran, Iraq, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, South Korea, North America, Thailand, India, and South Africa. This was a prestigious event, an opportunity to revive the centrality of women and an important cultural space for the elaboration of a new model of relations that starts from the "practice of doing" Of women artisans and artists.

     In this edition accompanied by 32 exhibitions including group, solo and installation exhibitions, the priority of the theme "nature" and the material "earth" was highlighted. Today the most important challenge for the entire industry is called sustainability, and with that also the reduction of the environmental impact of the ceramic production cycle. For years, the Pandora Association has been engaged in promoting environmental protection initiatives in pursuit of a more sustainable world with actions to raise awareness of environmental respect and the recycling of ceramic products. It is necessary to produce a radical change in the evolution of human thought where respect for the person, the planet and the environment around us are the priority starting with self-respect. The ceramics sector must also fit into the logic of a circular economy for the respect of the environment, the planet and all of us.

The sustainability of the ceramics sector requires a deep and coordinated analysis of its life cycle, from extraction to raw material production to demolition and waste disposal.

     From these premises, designers and artists were invited in this edition of the Festival, to a reflection on new scenarios of use and production of ceramic material. Special attention was paid to the sustainability of the product, the use of raw materials and the 'sustainable use of natural resources, respecting the conservation of biodiversity and considering the relationship with the natural and man-made environment. All these elements and themes were present in the works on display. The underlying idea is that the beauty of Mother Earth and her eternal call directs our actions!

With this festival, a message was sent - leave a mark of the willingness to weave among the people who attended, sensitive plots of resistance aimed at the formation of a new collective thought, and also an invitation to dialogue on the most pressing issues of our time -. In the exhibits visible were the tales of the man's disasters toward nature and global warming, with the artists' desire to engage, to incite the viewer to protect and respect the planet. Exhibitions that enhance the message of women who protect and safeguard, on the thread of feminist and ecological militancy.

   Nature is the source of inspiration here, where the contemporary designer lives in pursuit of harmony with the environment: the works are composed of references to germination and the great resilience of the plant and animal world; of 'ceramic grafts between nature and its contamination; of juxtaposition of ceramics and time-worn wood, of recycled objects, of scorched earth and hints of water colors that gradually recede and that put attention to the new priorities of the millennium. 

    A path of sacredness and beauty of the mother nature which alternates with a representation of the profane with which nature itself is outraged and raped. Material exhibits, simple, versatile and functional footprints from the natural bichromes that enhance the beauty of the earth, between tradition and actuality. A nature that despite humans seek to destroy, is so powerful that it overcomes human devastation and is still capable of regenerating itself and rebuilding a new landscape. 

    In many of the works exhibited there is a reference to that evanescence of life as an expression of an endless search for that thin line between potentiality and vulnerability, origin and end, eternity, life and memory. Capturing and preserving the ephemeral beauty of nature a concept concentrated and stylized by the complex content of human nature and its 'thinking'. The 'earth' that molded shaped becomes an expression for poetic communication. The material itself in many works is accentuated by the same earthy colors with great expressive force and grace. The proposed creative stimulus, well received in the exhibited works, conveys an emotional experience, urging all present at the Festival to reflect on the importance of protecting our Mother Earth.