Posts

white hand thrown tea pot with black spotted spout, surrounded by hand modeled red dragon

It’s mostly adults who enjoy our Weekend Potter’s Wheel Courses here at Eastnor Pottery but every once in a while we’ll entertain a teenager or young person. We love the dynamism and creative flair the junior potters bring to the table.

GCSE art student Ellie was no exception.

Ellie was gifted one of our weekend courses as a Christmas present last year and attended a fully booked event in the Spring 2021. On day two, you can  assemble the pots from the previous day into a single work of ceramic art. Ellie was keen to make a Dragon Tea Pot and threw all the components (spout, lid etc) on Saturday. On Sunday all the bits and pieces were leather hard and perfect for scratch and slipping together. We think she made an amazing job of her mission – Well done Ellie!
white hand thrown tea pot with black spotted spout, surrounded by hand modeled red dragon

white hand thrown tea pot with black spotted spout, surrounded by hand modeled red dragon

white hand thrown tea pot with black spotted spout, surrounded by hand modeled red dragon

white hand thrown tea pot with black spotted spout, surrounded by hand modeled red dragon taken from a birds eye view

lady with a mask on sat at a potters wheel holding up wooden board containing 2 pots she has thrown

Lauren, a student at Hereford Art College (HCA) joined us for a week of work experience.

As well as joining one of our Introduction to the Potter’s Wheel classes, she assisted with glazing, packaging customers work and re-claiming clay.

Lauren is considering a career in ceramics and was considering applying to Cardiff Metropolitan University to study the craft. Here’s her art Instagram account.

lady with a mask on sat at a potters wheel holding up wooden board containing 2 pots she has thrown

a green jug, green and purple pot and an unpainted ceramic dish on a wooden board

If I was to name a community arts practitioner who I greatly admire for her work with young people, it has to be artist drama practitioner Toni Cook. Time and time again I’ve witnessed Toni work her magic with groups, using a mix of performance, wit and humility to build massive levels of confidence in the young people.

I’ve been fortunate to have collaborated with Toni on several projects so you can imagine my delight on being invited to work with her again on a project initiated by Hereford Library service and SHYYP – a charity working with young homeless people or those at risk of being made homeless.

Although I only worked two sessions with a small group of young people in Ross on Wye Library, I was so impressed by the group’s creativity and confidence, I found myself, a few weeks later, in the Courtyard Theatre watching a performance by the same young people called ‘If you walked a mile in my shoes’

The moving performance told the individual stories of 14 young people, who shared their own true-life experiences through prose, poetry, songs, rap and film, describing their emotions, questions of identity, making their voice heard and fight for survival.

It was brilliant! A testament, not only to the participant’s bravery but to the skillful facilitation of Toni and the other artists, organisations and youth workers involved. Well done everybody!

tile panel in the shape of a book made by young people from SHYYP at Ross on Wye Library

 

Hereford YR10 work experience placement at Eastnor PotteryWe are firmly committed to offering young people opportunities to develop their life skills and creativity.

Each year we welcome to the Pottery at least one or two YR10 students from local high schools, looking to experience what it’s like to be a creative practitioner. This year we were joined by Naima from Bishop of Hereford’s Bluecoat School.

Naima packed kilns, wrapped customers work and helped with the day to day running of the studio. She approached her tasks with maturity and willingness enabling us to offer her more and more responsibility as the week progressed. The placement culminated with Naima coaching teachers and educationalists on how to use the potter’s wheel at an Artists in Education event in Birmingham!

Well done Naima and we look forward to seeing how your career in the creative industries develops.

Eastnor Pottery offers YR10 work experience placements to local high schools

 

Ledbury young farmers spend a meeting at eastnor pottery making agricultural inspired clay modelsWe welcomed Ledbury Young Farmers to the Pottery the other evening and guess what they made out of clay? ;)

clay models made by ledbury young farmers at eastnor pottery clay models made by ledbury young farmers at eastnor pottery1 clay models made by ledbury young farmers at eastnor pottery2 clay models made by ledbury young farmers at eastnor pottery3 clay models made by ledbury young farmers at eastnor pottery4 clay models made by ledbury young farmers at eastnor pottery5