Southeast Asian Ceramic Society

The Southeast Asian Ceramic Society (SEACS) was founded in 1969 in Singapore.
History.
"The importance of Southeast Asian ceramics in the history of world trade is now recognised, but it wasn't always so, and a fair share of the credit for that recognition is due to the Southeast Asian Ceramic Society," which was founded in 1969 and its members. "Relatively little had been published on Southeast Asian archaeology and art history relevant to trade ceramics until the late 1960s."
The society was the inspiration of William Willetts (art_historian) who gathered together a small group of established collectors and ceramic enthusiasts including George S. Cook, Frank Hickley, Pamela Hickley, Helen Ling, Norma Lu, Margaretha Ratnam, Trevor Rutter, Jo Rutter, C. K. Sng, Lu Sinclair, Don Sinclair, Y. H. (Mathew) Wong, and Adrian Zecha. Its first elected president, Helen Ling, "was widely recognised as one of the 'three doyennes of the Asian art world--Helen Ling in Singapore, Connie Mangskau in Bangkok and Charlotte Horstman in Hong Kong." She had many associates in the art world including Jim Thompson (designer); it was from the Lings' bungalow that Thompson disappeared in March 1967. The review by Henry D. Ginsburg singled out the uniqueness of their first publication and Willetts' appreciation of the aesthetic qualities of these previously unsung artefacts of the Asian ceramics world: "the world has been slow to recognize their quality."
Its members include the region's leading archaeologists. Wrecks such as the "Turiang" (a 14-16th century wreck) found by Sten Sjøstrand, whose ceramic cargo was meticulously studied by fellow member Roxanna Brown have contributed greatly to our knowledge of trade in Southeast Asia. Long-time member Professor John Miksic was awarded Singapore's inaugural History Prize in 2018.
The historian John Guy (historian) noted that this “presentation of the then little known ceramic tradition of Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam caused a stir amongst the oriental ceramic cognoscenti.” Furthermore, that "the Society inspired a generation of younger scholars and stimulated the interest of government archaeological departments throughout Southeast Asia.” As a consequence, ceramic societies were to emerge in ensuing years in West Malaysia, Jakarta, Manila and Hong Kong, following the lead of the Singapore chapter.
Other exhibitions followed: Chinese White Wares (1973), Chinese Blue & White Ceramics (1973), Chinese Celadons (1979), Khmer Ceramics 9th-14th Century (1981), Vietnamese Ceramics (1982), Song Ceramics (1983), Han Dynasty Ceramics (1991), Ceramics in Scholarly Taste (1992), each accompanied by a catalogue and most recently, a 50th anniversary commemorative exhibition (2019) held at the Singapore National Library when the society celebrated its 50th anniversary, the same year Singapore commemorated its bicentennial.
Activities and membership.
The society, which is based physically in Singapore, is open to all those interested in ceramics and particularly Southeast Asian ceramics and attracts scholars and collectors alike from around the world. It holds monthly meetings and lectures via ZOOM, participates in educational workshop s, and arranges both local and overseas study trips as well as handling sessions for its Singapore-based members. The categories of membership include local, overseas and students. Many of its members are known experts in their fields and their publications are listed on the society's website. It is a member of the London-based Oriental Ceramic Society.