We are very pleased to announce our esteemed judges for the 61st Nation Exhibition – Moyra Elliot, Peata Larkin and Grace Lai.

Moyra Elliot

Following study in London, UK and some years as a studio potter in NZ exhibiting in NZ and internationally, Elliott taught ceramics studio and history at NZ tertiary institutions and received a Fulbright Award to study tertiary education in ceramics in the USA. She was Director of the Fletcher Challenge Ceramics Award competition 1990-96 followed by working as Curator at the Dowse Art Museum. She is co-author of ‘Cone Ten Down: a history of studio ceramics in NZ 1945-1980’ which was a finalist in the 2010 National Book Awards.

Elliott was an invited member of the International Academy of Ceramics based in Geneva and served on the working party, then the inaugural Board of Objectspace Gallery in Auckland. She has written more than 40 contributions for catalogues, book chapters and ceramics journals/magazines. She has been a speaker, panellist or moderator at conferences nationally and internationally  in Australia, Korea, USA, Taiwan and Germany and led parties of artists for residency projects in China, Australia and Denmark.  Elliott was Curator for the First Yingge International Biennale with 43 artists from 27 countries – a three year project and curated ’Kan – the Green Gallery Collection” international ceramics gifted to Auckland Museum and a retrospective of the work of Warren Tippett for Objectspace, ‘Lucie Rie in NZ’ for Hawkes Bay Museum and ‘Leading Ladies – Early Women in Ceramics’ for TeUru Gallery. Her most recent major project was jury member for the China International Ceramics Competition in Jingdezhen, China in 2023.

Grace Lai

Guided by curiosity, art historian and curator Grace Lai gravitate toward objects overlooked or dismissed by history to unravel how value, meaning and representation take shape. She publishes widely on historic and contemporary craft, focusing on ceramics, glass, jewellery, and surface design, with recent writing foregrounding Asian Aotearoa art histories. Her considered judgement has supported the NZSAG Awards, FUZE Glass Prize and Art Jewelry Forum’s Solo Exhibition Award.  

Grace is currently the Curator of Applied Arts and Design at Auckland Museum, stewarding the development, research and exhibition of a nationally significant archive of craft. She has drawn the collection into fresh conversations through exhibitions including Carried Away: Bags Unpacked, and reimagined permanent galleries Mackelvie Gallery: The Art of Living and Arts of Asia: Beauty in the Everyday. 

Peata Larkin

Peata Larkin is of Tūhourangi, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Tūwharetoa descent. A graduate of the Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland in 2005, she completed her Master’s degree at RMIT University, Melbourne in 2007. In 2018 Larkin was awarded the prestigious Kaipara Wallace Arts Trust Award,whichprovideda three-monthresidencyattheAltesSpitalinSolothurn,Switzerland. Herwork is part of important collections internationally, including the Memphis Museum of Fine Arts in USA and throughout New Zealand. Larkin created the mahi (artwork) for the New Zealand Convention Centre terracotta wall which is made up of over 14,000 ceramic tiles and spans over 120mtrs by 38mtrs. She travelled to Spain in 2017 to create the bespoke glaze colours for this project.