Maria Cristina Carlini starts working ceramies towards the beginning of the 1970s in Palo Alto, California, where she follows a specialized course and trains for two years. From 1975 she practices and teaches the wheel work in Brussels, where meanwhile she has moved. Once she comes back to Italy in 1978, she opens her own studio in Milan.
She received several awards.
She is nominated as a Guest Professor at the Shandong University of Art and Design of Jinan.
Several publications have marked the artistic career of Maria Cristina Carlini over the years; it is worth mentioning those published by Mudima and Skira.
Many important critics wrote about her, such as: Luciano Caramel, Claudio Cerritelli, Martina Corgnati, Gillo Dorfles, Carlo Franza, Flaminio Gualdoni, Yakouba Konaté, Elena Pontiggia.