Breaking the Ceramics Mold, LA Style.

LOS ANGELES -- The long history of ceramics gives insight into the cultures, traditions and art of the different groups of people who have created clay vessels and art objects over the past centuries. Several museums and galleries in Los Angeles include - and specialize in - ceramic art, from European and Asian antiquities to contemporary works. Among them:

Museums

American Museum of Ceramic Art, 340 South Garey Ave., Pomona. 909/865-3146, www.ceramicmuseum.org. This new museum, which opened in September 2004 with an exhibit by Paul Soldner, is dedicated to presenting, collecting and preserving significant ceramic achievements of the world's cultures, from ancient times to the present.

Craft and Folk Art Museum, 5814 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. 323/937-4230, www.cafam.org. Known for exhibitions celebrating the traditional arts of the diverse ethnic communities throughout Los Angeles, the CAFAM includes exhibits by artists who work with a variety of mediums, including ceramics.

The Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Dr., Los Angeles. 310/440-7300, www.getty.edu. Among the Getty's extensive art collections are ceramic antiquities such as intricately decorated bowls, vases, statues and apothecary jars, mainly from Europe and Asia.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. 323/857-6000, www.lacma.org. The museum's permanent collections include extensive ceramics exhibits of statues, jars, tiles, tea bowls, headrests and funerary items, from ancient to modern times, originating mainly from Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Latin America.

Museum of the American West, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles. 323/667-2000, www.museumoftheamericanwest.org. Among other artifacts, this museum, part of the Autry National Center, includes ceramic objects from the American West, mostly from Native American tribes. Many are from the 19th and 20th centuries, but some date back as far as the 10th century. Not all are on exhibit, but visitors interested in seeing the collection can schedule a private research session in which the curator will bring objects out of storage.

Pacific Asia Museum, 46 N. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena. 626/449-2742, www.pacificasiamuseum.org. Among the nearly 300 items in the Pacific Asia Museum's ceramics collection are bowls and statues made mainly of earthenware, porcelain and stoneware spanning several dynasties.

Southwest Museum of the American Indian, 234 Museum Dr., Los Angeles. 323/221-2164, www.southwestmuseum.org. Like its sister facility, the Museum of the American West, the Southwest Museum is part of the Autry National Center and features ceramic objects from Native American tribes spanning several centuries. Not all are on exhibit, but visitors interested in seeing the collection can schedule a private research session.

Galleries

Clay, 226 Main St., Venice. 310/399-1416, www.clayinla.com. Located in one of LA's famous coastal communities, Clay specializes in contemporary British ceramics.

Frank Lloyd Gallery, 2525 Michigan Ave., Ste. B5B, Santa Monica. 310/264-3866, www.franklloyd.com. The Frank Lloyd Gallery represents contemporary ceramic artists, with recent exhibits by artists such as Los Angeles-based Peter Shire, known for his fanciful industrial objects and whimsical teapots.

New Stone Age, 8407 West 3rd St., Los Angeles. 213/658-5969. Artist-made jewelry, ceramics and clothing are on exhibit at this midtown gallery.

Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery, 1030 Columbia Ave., Claremont. 909/607-3397, www.scrippscollege.edu/dept/gallery/index.html. Among the collections of the Williamson Gallery, located at Scripps College, is the Marer Collection, featuring more than 900 ceramic works by American, British, Chinese, Korean and Japanese artists. Its core exhibition focuses on West Coast ceramics, particularly works by the Otis Group.

Silk Roads Gallery, 8590 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles. 310/855-0585, www.silkroadsgallery.com. Among the art, antiques and antiquities here are decorative porcelain objects such as statues and head rests from Asia.