Michael Rice (b. 1972, Belfast) is an Irish artist, designer, maker, and educator specializing in ceramics, currently based in Dubai. He holds a BA in Fine Craft Design, a PGCE in Art and Design, and an MA in Multi-Disciplinary Design, all from the University of Ulster.
He has taught widely; in schools, colleges, universities, and art canters internationally, and undertaken artist residencies in the UK, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the UAE, and Indonesia. A member of the International Academy of Ceramics (Geneva), Michael has contributed to Ceramic Review (UK), Ceramics: Art and Perception (Australia), and Ceramics Ireland. He regularly presents his work at leading institutions, including the University of Ulster, Rhode Island School of Design, and NYU Abu Dhabi.
His work has received international recognition across major biennales and exhibitions. In 2016, Michael was a finalist in the Taiwan Ceramic Biennale at the Yingge Ceramics Museum, Taipei, and was runner-up in the Van Cleef & Arpels Middle East Emergent Designer Prize in the UAE. He was again a finalist in the Taiwan Ceramic Biennale in 2020, and in the Korean Ceramic Biennale in 2019.
In 2021, his work was featured in Ceramic Expressions during Singapore Art Week and he was shortlisted for the KOGEI Award in Toyama, Japan. That year, he was also selected for the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland’s Portfolio: Critical Selection and exhibited in both the MENASA Emirati Design Platform and the Irish Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.
In 2022, he participated in Conjuring Form at the National Design & Craft Gallery, Kilkenny, Ireland. In 2023, he was named a Master Artisan by the Michelangelo Foundation and was a finalist in the 30th edition of the MediterraneoInternational Ceramic Art Competition at the Museo della Ceramica in Grottaglie, Italy.
In 2024, Michael returned as a finalist for the 31st Mediterraneo edition, where he received an Honourable Mention. He was also shortlisted for the 15th Westerwald Prize at the Keramikmuseum Westerwald, Germany, and received the Judges’ Recommendation Award at the Taiwan Ceramic Biennale. That same year, his work was exhibited in Secret Ceramics during London Craft Week 2024 at SoShiro, London.
In 2025, he has continued to gain international recognition. He was selected as a finalist in the 17th International Biennale of Artistic Ceramics in Aveiro, Portugal; the Martinsons Award at the Latvian Ceramics Biennale held at the Rothko Museum, Daugavpils; and the Korean Craft Biennale as a finalist in the 2025 Cheongju International Craft Competition. His work was again selected for Secret Ceramics during London Craft Week 2025, this time exhibited and auctioned at the famed Christie’s Auction House in London.
Michael serves as Chair of the Visual Communication Department and Professor of Studio Art at the American University in Dubai.