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leaning tower of pisa pot painted

Meet Katie Glover new apprentice

We’re as pleased as punch to welcome Katie to the team. Hurrah!

Katie’s our new and talented Junior Content Producer Apprentice and is being trained in collaboration with Creative Alliance in Birmingham. One of her first tasks here at the Pottery was to write an introduction for our website:

“After completing my BA Hons in Textile Design in 2020 at Falmouth University, I wasn’t sure not what to do next. With months of uncertainty, I was offered an apprenticeship as a Junior Content Producer with Eastnor Pottery. I’d completed a week of work experience at the Pottery in the summer of 2019. I remembered my time being filled with potting skills, beautiful scenery, camaraderie and lots of laughter. How could I turn down a chance to work with Jon and Sarah again!?

Illustration is at the heart of my practice. During lockdown I have set up in business as a freelance designer. I have an Etsy shop selling a range of products including, amongst other things, cards, prints and stickers. My role as Junior Content Producer involves promoting fabulous courses and classes the Pottery offers. I’ll be getting to grips with their social media and promotional material, capturing the customers experience.

After the apprenticeship, I will have the confidence and skills to further pursue my career in the arts. Although illustration will always play apart, working as a junior content producer will provide me with a variety of new tools and skills. I am sure my time at the Pottery will be a fantastic learning experience and tremendous fun!

Below are some examples of my work including some pots I made during my work experience at the Pottery in 2019.”

Pot illustrated painted with seals and waterSelection of small animal and drinks themed cardsleaning tower of pisa pot paintedleaning tower of pisa pot written text wonky potselection of prints cats and dogs framed and unframed

clay handmade campervan painted green on grass with flowers in the background

sarah monk ceramics including egg cups lemon squeezers and soap dishes

sarah monk ceramics including egg cups lemon squeezers and soap dishes

Sarah is super thrilled to be taking part in the Digital Craft Festival 26th  – 28th March 2021.

The online international event aims to promote the very best contemporary makers through an exciting program of talks demos and films. Visitors will also have the opportunity to buy direct from 150 selected artists working in all kinds of materials.

This is the first time she’s taken part:

“I’ve enjoyed this event lots in the past….. it’s so lovely! A fun filled weekend of craft demonstrations, interviews and workshops on InstagramFacebook and zoom.  The Digital Craft Festival is an opportunity I would ordinarily have to pass on, what with the 3.5k class participants that pass through the doors each year at Eastnor Pottery. As the Studio is currently closed to visitors I have had more time to focus on my own work. I’m launching lots of new designs in my shop especially for the event!”

As well as selling from her online shop, Sarah will be running a ‘make along’ zoom class.

“I will show you step by step how to make your own clay bug house and you can make along with me! No previous pottery experience is required. The pottery techniques I will be sharing with you are slab building and sgraffito decoration. Once you have made your wonderful clay house, leave it to air-dry at home.”

If you’d like to take part in the class you’ll need to purchase a ticket from her website.

 

clay castle made from individual bricks made at the cheltenham science festival by lots of families and school children

families making clay bricks in the makershack at cheltenham science festival 2019

It was fab to be back at the Cheltenham Science Festival last month.

We’ve been involved in the Makershack since its inauguration in 2017. This year we encouraged visitors to make a press molded brick, using real brick clay from Coleford Brick and Tile Company based in the Forest of Dean.

The bricks were assembled into a giant castle and we worked with nearly 10,000 people over the x6 days of the festival! – that’s a shed load of bricks! The sheer volume of visitors meant we had to build a fresh structure each day, deconstructing the building at the close and re-claiming the material for the next morning.

Athough the Makershack was primarily aimed at Primary school aged students – (and man, there must have been very few Gloucestershire schools who didn’t visit the show), on Friday night grown-ups got to play with the technology in a special after-hours session between 8pm and 10pm.

Although it’s full-on, we love the #makershack and look forward to sharing the scientific benefits of engaging with clay, with festival visitors in 2020.clay castle made from individual bricks made at the cheltenham science festival by lots of families and school children

school children enjoying hands on making clay bricks at cheltenham science festival 2019