This residency is the result of a creative exchange that began in July 2022 when Paducah potter/educator Mitch Kimball attended the centuries-old Ceramics Festival in Manises, Spain, a mutual UNESCO Creative City of Crafts & Folk Art, to work with local artists on a ceramic wall installation project.
Jaime Romero, ceramic instructor and amateur chef/food enthusiast from Manises will be in Paducah March 29 through April 16. PAA and the Paducah Convention & Visitors Bureau (PCVB) have collaborated for this timely commemoration of Paducah’s 10-year Anniversary as a UNESCO Creative City of Crafts & Folk Art.
“The stay in Paducah will be a totally enriching experience both on a human and professional level, as well as a great opportunity to share, meet potters with common interests, and expand our own vision and perspective on ceramic art,” said Romero.
Romero began his training in a ceramist’s workshop in Valencia, Spain, in 1989. He studied wood-fired ceramic kilns, building several draft models, such as inverted draft, upper draft, and cross draft kilns. He obtained the titles of Higher Ceramic Technician and Higher Technician in Flooring and Ceramic Coating at the Higher School of Ceramics in Manises. Romero’s works have been in several collective exhibitions with the National Association of Ceramic Professionals.
Artists participating in PAA’s residency program are required to engage in a project with the community. An amateur chef, Romero will be preparing paella (a classic Spanish dish featuring saffron rice and meat/fish) with West Kentucky Community & Technical College (WKCTC) culinary faculty and students, who will be studying international cuisine, on Thursday, April 6 from 10-11 am. He will also prepare paella at a limited-seating tapas meal commemorating Paducah’s 10th Anniversary as a UNESCO Creative City with celebrity Chef Sara Bradley at the Freight House on April 12. The meal includes a special edition ceramic plate created by Kimball for this occasion.
Romero’s residency is in partnership with A.I.R. Studio Paducah in Lowertown, a studio/living space designed by Maryland artist Alonzo Davis, who coordinates a year-round artist-in-residence program for creatives.