We are very pleased to invite you to visit Holly Stevenson’s solo show at Sid Motion Gallery. Holly spent a signifiant amount of time developing her ceramics practice in our studio with support of the coop team, and only recently moved on to run her own space. It is humbling for us to see how her practice thrives, and we are just delighted to have had this opportunity to work together.
Holly Stevenson (b. Norfolk, UK) makes fluid ceramic forms that explore Sigmund Freud’s favourite ashtray and last cigar as an analytical metaphor. Her sculptural ‘pots’ diligently embody the ashtray and cigar, as though they were two gendered male and female forms, as the artist reconfigures them into a clay language of her own. She graduated from Chelsea College of Art and Design Fine Art MA in 2011 with the generous help of the Stanley Picker Foundation. Her graduate degree show featured in The Creative Cities Collection, Beijing and The Catlin Guide. She was awarded the MFI Flat Time House Graduate Award, supported by the John Latham Foundation and has held a Guest Fellowship at UAL. Recently she was selected for the Mother Art Prize 2020, Cromwell Place, awarded a New Commission by Procreate Project funded by the Arts Council England and has shown work at Art Basel OVR | Portals. Holly Stevenson lives and works in London.
Ceramics Studio Co-op is pleased to share this wonderful project by Laura Ní Fhlaibhín. We are excited to be Laura’s ceramics workspace and technical support for this project.
Opening at 2pm Sunday 15th August
The Courthouse Arts Centre, Tinahely, Co Wicklow
Wexford-born artist Laura Ní Fhlaibhín presents a new body of work at Tinahely Courthouse Arts Centre. Drawing on research undertaken during two residencies at the community studio housed in Tinahely’s Market House, in the marl-walled court of the fairy queen exists both as a text and as suite of votive objects, from clay ‘spirit creatures’ to wall drawings, tiny bronzes, commemorative plate and an embroidered flag bearing the emblem of a hare.
Ní Fhlaibhín’s discovery of the use of marl clay as a primary material for building rudimentary houses prior to the Famine provides a starting point for her explorations into aspects of the colonial judiciary, the fate of Famine-era ‘criminals’, and the historic exploitation of the area’s natural assets. Archival research into court records points to the transportation of convicts to the New World during the nineteenth century, in addition to the harvesting and transportation of timber from Wicklow’s ancient oak forest to England’s shipyards, and, reputedly, to build the Old Palace of Westminster.
These histories form a reimagined narrative of a justice dispensed not by colonial powers, but by the herbal wisdom of barrister-witch Biddy Early, in a tribunal informed by poet Brian Merriman’s comic masterpiece, The Midnight Court.
Through transformative process including casting metal, firing and glazing, marl clay, bronze and steel become carriers of social history, architectural oddness and impenetrability. Invading small spaces, ledges, nooks and crannies around Tinahely’s Market Square and the Courthouse Arts Centre, Ní Fhlaibhín’s almost insignificant works subtly repopulate the town while the Gallery plays host to the eponymous text. The project will be accompanied by a short pamphlet available from the gallery.
Laura Ní Fhlaibhíncompleted her MFA at Goldsmiths in 2019 and her BA at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin in 2013. Recent exhibitions have included, ‘Society of Nature’,OnCurating, Zurich 2021, ‘Meet; Gorey School of Art 2021, ‘Gargle’, RAW labs, London, 2020, ’Róisín, silver, rockie’ solo show at Palfrey Space, London 2020, ‘Caol Áit1/2’, 126 Galway 2020, Burren College of Art, Ireland, 2019; Deptford X, London, 2018; Tulca, Galway, 2018; ‘Water jets were used on the four corners of the building’, Newington Art Space, London, 2018; ‘a speech that showed the chair in the middle’, Enclave, London, 2018; ‘Dodecagon’, Space Union, Seoul, 2017; ‘Lamellae’, The Lab, Dublin, 2016. She was the recipient of the Goldsmiths MFA Graduate Almacantar Studio Bursary Award 2019, and Next Generation Bursary, Irish Arts Council 2020. Laura was awarded Arts Council England award, Developing Your Creative Practice, 2021, Visual Arts Bursary Award Irish Arts Council 2021, and Agility Award 2021.
How to get to Tinahely:
By Car: M11 to Gorey, then R725 to R748 to R747
By Train / Bus: Train to Arklow, then 800 bus to Tinahely
We have carefully considered changes in law that lift almost all COVID-19 restrictions starting from 19 July 2021. To protect studio users and staff from illness and disruption, we have decided on the following changes to our policy.
During Summer term 2021 our classes will have reduced number of students to make sure distancing is easier. We will continue ventilating the space as much as possible.
Please wash your hands more often than usual, when you arrive, and before you leave the studio. Soap and paper towels will be provided for handwashing.
We ask everyone to continue wearing face coverings. Distancing is not always possible in the studio due to the nature of our interaction, and it is essential to protect those most vulnerable to infection. Face covering is something which safely covers a nose and a mouth.
If use of a face covering is problematic or not possible, we ask you not to attend these sessions, and let us know in advance, so we can arrange a refund.
We are unable to accommodate face covering exemptions. Distancing is not always possible due to the nature of our interaction, and we have a duty to protect people at high risk from coronavirus. If you have a class booked and are unable to wear a face covering, please contact us for a refund. We will be happy to see you next time, when it will be safe for us to change this decision.
Use of face covering is compulsory in the studio to all users and staff at the moment.
If you forgot your mask, disposable medical face masks are available in the studio.
Do not come in, if you have been asked to self-isolate, or have any COVID-19 symptoms on the day of your class:
· a high temperature
· a new, continuous cough
· a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
If you have these symptoms, stay at home (self-isolate) and get a test.
Thank you for your cooperation, and we look forward to seeing you.
Ceramics Studio Co-op to receive a grant from the Culture Recovery Fund
Ceramics Studio Co-op among more than 2,700 recipients to benefit from the latest round of awards from the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund
This award will help Ceramics Studio Co-op rebuild a healthy economy in the studio.
Ceramics Studio Co-op in New Cross, London has received a grant of £ 42 865 from the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help the organisation recover and reopen.
More than £300 million has been awarded to thousands of cultural organisations across the country including Ceramics Studio Co-op in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund, the Culture Secretary announced today.
Ceramics Studio Co-op is an artist- run worker’s cooperative founded in 2014 in South London in response to the lack of quality ceramics workshops accessible to new makers, and to create an ethical employment for artists.
This award will help rebuild a healthy economy in the studio. Ceramics Studio Co-op will carry on running pottery classes, provide open-access workshop for hobby potters and sculptors, continue kiln firings and maintain studio space services for ceramics artists.
Over £800 million in grants and loans has already been awarded to support almost 3,800 cinemas, performance venues, museums, heritage sites and other cultural organisations dealing with the immediate challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.
The second round of awards made today will help organisations to look ahead to the spring and summer and plan for reopening and recovery. After months of closures and cancellations to contain the virus and save lives, this funding will be a much-needed helping hand for organisations transitioning back to normal in the months ahead.
Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden, said:
“Our record breaking Culture Recovery Fund has already helped thousands of culture and heritage organisations across the country survive the biggest crisis they’ve ever faced.Now we’re staying by their side as they prepare to welcome the public back through their doors – helping our cultural gems plan for reopening and thrive in the better times ahead.”
Anna Baskakova, Co-director, Ceramics Studio Co-op said:
“We are delighted and welcome this support from Arts Council England. This year we faced many challenges, the grant will help us keep our doors open for everyone. The recognition of the importance of the work we are doing here in Lewisham shows ceramics is a valued field for the arts.”
Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair, Arts Council England, said:
“Investing in a thriving cultural sector at the heart of communities is a vital part of helping the whole country to recover from the pandemic. These grants will help to re-open theatres, concert halls, and museums and will give artists and companies the opportunity to begin making new work.
We are grateful to the Government for this support and for recognising the paramount importance of culture to our sense of belonging and identity as individuals and as a society.”
The funding awarded today is from a £400 million pot which was held back last year to ensure the Culture Recovery Fund could continue to help organisations in need as the public health picture changed. The funding has been awarded by Arts Council England, as well as Historic England and National Lottery Heritage Fund and the British Film Institute.
Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture. We have set out our strategic vision in Let’s Create that by 2030 we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish and where everyone of us has access to a remarkable range of high quality cultural experiences. We invest public money from Government and The National Lottery to help support the sector and to deliver this vision. www.artscouncil.org.uk
Following the Covid-19 crisis, the Arts Council developed a £160 million Emergency Response Package, with nearly 90% coming from the National Lottery, for organisations and individuals needing support. We are also one of the bodies administering the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund. Find out more at www.artscouncil.org.uk/covid19.
At the Budget, the Chancellor announced the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund would be boosted with a further £300 million investment. Details of this third round of funding will be announced soon.
Ceramics Studio Coop switched to 100% renewable electricity this week. All electricity we use comes from 100% renewable sources like sun, wind and water. Big thanks to our energy supplier Octopus Energy.
We 100% green energy to fire your pottery and sculptures, to keep our classroom and workshops warm. It’s one more step towards ‘net-zero’.
We pleased to have this opportunity finally: 100% green energy was not supplied to our industrial estate in Lewisham even a year ago! Find out more about what 100% green energy is, and how our suppliers support generation of green energy in our grid here. What does it mean to choose a green energy supplier?
Please wash your hands more often than usual and when you arrive, and before you leave the studio. Soap and paper towels will be provided for handwashing.
Face covering is not a requirement in the studio. However, we encourage everyone who has cold symptopms or recent contact with Covid-positive persons to use a face covering while visintg us. Distancing is not always possible in a workshop or during a class.
Our studio has an air circulation system that brings fresh and filtered air from the outside, it helps to keep the space well ventilated and safe to use. We also use HEPA and UV-C Light equipped air purifiers in the studio to maintain air quality.
If you forgot your mask, disposable medical face masks are available if you wish to use one. Please ask a member of staff.
Please, do not come in, if you have tested positive for COVID-19 or have any COVID-19 symptoms. Stay at home, self-isolate, and get a test.
Use of a face covering is compulsory in the studio to all users to make sure 1m+ distancing advice can be maintained. Unfortunately, not all areas of the studio have space to keep 2m distance. We decided in favour of using a face covering with advice of The British Medical Association, and we ask all members to adhere to this decision.
If use of a face covering is problematic or not possible, we will ask members to postpone the return to the studio, and firing service customers to delay their visits until this rule can be relaxed.
Thank you for your cooperation. It is greatly appreciated.
We are delighted to share that we have received an offer of support from Arts Council England as a part of Covid-19 Emergency Response Fund. This Grant will be used towards the costs of running the studio at the time when we have to stop or minimize our activities, and next 6 months of operational costs.
We are humbled by and grateful for this support, and it is a turning point for our organization. From thinking about survival we can now focus on plans for reopening, supporting our community and bringing back services.
This grant for us is also a recognition of our contribution towards publicly funded arts though work we do teaching pottery and ceramics, serving as a ground for talent development and a place of excellence in making.
We have worked from the early stages of the “lockdown” trying to secure funding or any local authority support, which was futile for a long time. It had been a hard time of co-working, crunching numbers, attending seminars, emergency planning and bare minimum. This acknowledgement by Arts Council England is a testimony to the persistence of our team, our collective faith in the possibility of the positive outcome for our organization.
Thank you for all the support, and positive thoughts you were and are sending us. Your goodwill and care gave us a chance to get where we are now. Despite that the future is so unpredictable to many of us, we hope studio will be an island of stability for many in our making community, we are standing in solidarity with organizations, artists and makers who are facing difficulty at the moment.
Now more than ever we miss having our makers and students around, and we hope we can all be making together soon.
Our students contact us a lot about basic advice on working with clay in their homes or personal studios, so we are sharing our knowledge and tips on best practice. This post will cover things that are good to know, from basics of safety to good tips on storage and transportation of work from your home to the nearest kiln.
Health and Safety
The most important thing to consider and be aware of when working with clay, is that clay contains respirable crystalline silica (silica). Very fine invisible material that may cause severe respiratory illness, if not sufficiently controlled. Working with clay is generally safe, and silica becomes a problem for us only when our clay dries out, (or if we handle it in a form of powder). For this reason make sure:
no dry scraps are left lying around
adopt “clean as you go” method
avoid dry sweeping that will raise dust in the air
avoid using clay in carpeted spaces, as dust will be too difficult to remove
always mop the floor and wet sponge the surfaces after you are finished.
These basic steps will ensure making with clay is a safe and lovely process to share and enjoy.
Storing work
If you need to store your work to return to your projects later, it is a common practice to wrap your pieces in plastic. You can use a regular plastic bag. Check for holes, as they may speed up drying. One can keep the work indefinitely if it is wrapped well, sprayed with water, and kept airtight. So you can return to your projects after a break.
When you finish your project, let your piece dry out naturally in a room temperature. Your greenware is ready for a firing when it is dry.
Planning and materials
When you are deciding to work with clay, consider what materials you would like to use. If you worked in a supported environment before, did you use earthenware clay or stoneware? If you do not have a potter’s wheel at home, as the majority of makers, you can work on your handbuilding. Consider clays that are good for this technique. Usually ceramics suppliers will be able to advise you. Consider the scale of work, and the results you would like to achieve, and what will be possible to fire. Here is our list of trusted ceramics suppliers.
Kilns, transportation and packaging
The work is bone dry, when it is no longer cold to the touch at room temperature. It means we can safely load it into a kiln, and be confident the work will not blow up in a firing. When your piece is bone dry, it is time to take your pieces to get fired.
From our experience of running Firing Service
Cornstarch packing peanuts or its friend, vermiculite, are highly effective for transporting complex shapes. They can be easily “poured” around irregular shaped objects and provide a cushion against shock during handling and transportation.
If you are making stackable shapes – make sure you have cushioning between pieces when you are packing them into containers that will carry them. Make sure that none of the pieces are touching. It will help you to minimize breakages. You can use bubble wrap, a couple of layers of newspaper, shredded paper, or other packing material.
If you made flat or long pieces – use a stiff board for transportation, so the work does not flex when you move it. It will increase the chances of your greenware arriving to a kiln in one piece.
If you are working with porcelain or very fragile work, it may make sense to bring it to a studio that will do a firing for you in a leatherhard state. Thin pieces will dry out quickly and will not cause much nuisance, and can be transported to kiln shelves safely.
Kiln Firing
If you are making work that will be fired by someone else, take notes on your materials, your supplier, and any advice that is available about the materials you are using. Help your kiln technician to make the right decisions on a kiln programme that will guide how your pieces fire.
Don’t forget that it is unsustainable to fire half-empty kilns, and make your work well, so it can share a kiln with other pieces!
Bisque fired work can be glazed immediately and fired again, or kept indefinitely before it is glazed. It is important to make sure your work is dust-free before glazing. Also, don’t forget to check the temperature range of the materials before applying glaze.
If a step-by-step guide on the process is helpful for you, read our outline of the ceramics process here, and check out firing service page if you wonder how to access kiln firings in our studio.
We unfortunately have to close for visitors/ and work collection due to pandemic, and “Stay at home” policy. We will be closed until it is safe to open again.
No recently made work will be thrown away at time of the pandemic. If you are concerned about work made before January 2020, please email, so we can keep it for you.
If your work is left with Firing Service, we will not throw it away.
Thank you for your understanding and support. Stay safe, and stay at home as much as you can!
