Clay Commons

So, this one doesn’t really mention clay, but allow me some poetic licence and imagine for a moment that clay is also land (which it is). I’m ashamed to say that the Land Back movement was not something I’d really engaged with or had even heard of much before this season. This is the battle for indigenous nations and people to get back land that’s been stolen from them. And yes, this is meant literally. Give it back. 

Many of the bigger organisations I went to mentioned things like ‘land acknowledgments’, which seems like a step, but when we’re talking about up to and over 200acres of privately owned land in some cases, what does a mere acknowledgement that it was stolen, actually do? Not a huge amount, practically. 

 And land means so much. It's not just resources, though that's important, it's also culture, food, education, autonomy, commuinity.

We take so much for granted. And so much of what we have was built on the profits of genocide and unspeakable violence. Not to be a downer, but we really need to start doing more than ‘acknowledging’ this. What does collective liberation look like in a world so divided? How can we start thinking about redistribution and changing our thinking from growth to thrive, from scarcity to abundance? These are not easy questions to answer, but I hope we can start to work through them together, on whoever’s land we might be standing on right now.

 Contributor:

Jeremy Dennis, President of Ma's House  https://www.mashouse.studio/

Clay Commons was written and produced by Eva Masterman, editing supported by Travis Roush. This podcast was supported by Newcastle University, and the Northern Bridge AHRC Consortium. Artwork created by Kelly Jade

Audio credits:

-       "Ambience, Children Playing, Distant, A.wav" by InspectorJ (www.jshaw.co.uk) of Freesound.org

-       "Ambience, Seaside Waves, Close, A.wav" by InspectorJ (www.jshaw.co.uk) of Freesound.org

-       Music in background is kindly given by Jonathan Hawk @ambient_techno and his recording Youngblood Singers - Grand Entry Song - Shinnecock Pow Wow 2022 Saturday https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NVmX7I7M_Y

Episode two is about DOING THE WORK y’all! And that means slowing down, decentring yourself, centring the community, challenging the status quo and constantly reflecting on your organisational structures and being open to your blind spots. This conversation flits between Watershed Centre for the Ceramic Arts in northern rural Maine and Black Hound Clay Studios in Philadelphia. And whilst the concerns of rural v city are obviously specific and different, the ideas that underpin how to run these spaces are not so. They are both heavily invested in building community through education, providing spaces for those who can’t access higher ed, and the importance of place and making people feel welcome and like they belong. 

What emerged many times during this trip was the idea of administration as an act of care and as a container for creative practice. That the labour involved in running these spaces was as important as the work that was created in them. Within that is a shift in the idea of learning, away from short term, once-accessed exam-based institutions, and towards a life-long embedded practice, creating places people can access throughout their lives. Obviously financing this is a massive issue, but we touch on that too – ever thought of sliding scale financing? Redistribution? Mutual aid? This episode is all about how we can do things better, and the importance of having a reflexive practice as an organisation, to ensure that you serve the entirety of your community, not just the ones who can pay. 

Contributors:

Black Hound Clay Studio https://www.blackhoundclay.com/
Watershed Centre for the Ceramic Arts https://www.watershedceramics.org/

Clay Commons was written and produced by Eva Masterman, editing supported by Travis Roush. This podcast was supported by Newcastle University, and the Northern Bridge AHRC Consortium. Artwork created by Kelly Jade

Audio credits:

-       "Ambience, Children Playing, Distant, A.wav" by InspectorJ (www.jshaw.co.uk) of Freesound.org

-       "Ambience, Seaside Waves, Close, A.wav" by InspectorJ (www.jshaw.co.uk) of Freesound.org

I realise now that episode 1 of season 1 also started with the institution of ‘school’ in some ways , but oh well, at least I’m consistent!  Ep 1 is talking about craft schools, mainly, but also what it means to have a craft education. What’s it for? What has it missed out? What does it promise? 

In the US, many of craft schools were made possible through the GI Bill, a state fund from the mid 40s that supported initiatives and education for returning veterans. Seems kind of unlikely in our current climate, but much of this government money was funnelled into craft and art education. A well known beneficiary might be Black Mountain College. Other schools like Penland School of Craft, and Worcester Craft Center began life as schools for European colonial-settler women to learn and perpetuate handcrafts to make a living. 

Both of these origins struck me as interesting, as, whilst we’re obviously acknowledging the whiteness and colonialism that is inherent to this narrative, the schools were arguably set up with a social directive. The looming beast of capitalism means that the utopian promise of craft suggested by the likes of William Morris, Bernard Leach, or – in this episode –  MC Richards, doesn’t really operate that way, but I loved this idea. That if we look at the underpinnings of what craft education can offer us, and how it’s operated in society, it offers us a way of being in the world that centres: people, environment, community, and not: profit, extraction and indoctrination into a failed state. 

Anyone interested….?

Contributors:

Michelle Millar Fisher https://michellemillarfisher.com/
Tom O'Malley, director Worcester Craft Centre https://worcestercraftcenter.org/
Sara Clugage https://dilettantearmy.com/
Fabio Fernandez, director Greenwich House Pottery https://www.greenwichhouse.org/pottery/


Clay Commons was written and produced by Eva Masterman, editing supported by Travis Roush. This podcast was supported by Newcastle University, and the Northern Bridge AHRC Consortium. Artwork created by Kelly Jade

Audio credits:

-       "Ambience, Children Playing, Distant, A.wav" by InspectorJ (www.jshaw.co.uk) of Freesound.org

-       "Ambience, Seaside Waves, Close, A.wav" by InspectorJ (www.jshaw.co.uk) of Freesound.org

It’s finally here! Welcome to the second season of Clay Commons! I’ve gone for something a bit different with this one so let me explain a bit. 

I maaaaay have mentioned the incredible few months in Summer 2022 that I spent travelling up and down the East Coast of North America, visiting craft schools and ceramic studios. Why? Because the idea for the Clay Commons came out of the rising number of community clay studios in the UK, and, if you listen to Ep2, Season 1, you’ll hear about how American models have massively influenced this. So, I wanted to go to source and see what these organisations might look like 10, 20, 100 yrs on. What ended up was so much more than a history lesson, positioning this work within much wider contexts of ethical feminist business models, indigenous land back movements and socialism.

As usual, I couldn’t fit all that I learnt and experienced into this podcast, so went for more of a soundscape, picking up on overarching themes. There was something so special about being physically in these places, so I’ve tried to embody some of that sense of being in place and context throughout this season. Please do try and forgive some of the sound quality - turns out wandering around with a hand held microphone on windy coastlines and in noisy studios isn't the best way to record a conversation! 

Hope there’s some useful ideas and provoking thoughts in there! Enjoy!

In conclusion to the first season of Clay Commons, we hear again from some of the contributors of other episodes, as well as a few new voices. We’ve heard a lot about the issues facing individuals and the ceramics discipline at large, and in this episode we go a bit deeper into potential solutions and how this work can feed out into the wider society and change our education systems.

Clay Commons has just scratched the surface of what community ceramic spaces and artists have to offer the education space and other sectors such as care and health, immigration, human rights and even law and policy making. Episode six aims to draw some of these strands together, taking another look at clay as a transformative, identity building tool, and generally hammering home the message of clay as a force for good!

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this episode:

• Simeon Featherstone  Make@ Story Gardens @makeatstorygarden @simeonfeatherstone https://simeonfeatherstone.co.uk
• Shaya Ishaq Artist @shyshaya https://www.shayaishaq.com 
•  Gerald Brown Clay Siblings @geraldbrownart https://www.claysiblingsproject.org
•  Rebecca Davies and Anna Francis The Portland Inn Project @theportlandinnprojectcic https://www.theportlandinnproject.com
•  Yinka Orafidiya Artist @crafting.community https://www.yinkaorafidiya.com
•  Carolina Rubio MacWright Touching Ground (NYC) @touchinglandorg
•  Jack Tan  Artist @jackkytan  

We’re already over a year post the murder of George Floyd, and the global reckoning this atrocious act sparked, but really, how much can we say has changed? This podcast has taken a while to come out, so we’re not as up-to-date as we could be, however, the issues we speak about in this episode are long standing, and universal. Ceramics, especially in the UK, is often the territory of the white middle classes, and we have a long way to go in the discipline before we can call ourselves an equitable, access-for-all type of field. The UK has the added excuse of that good old ‘we’re not racist’ report that the government brought out in March 2021, and centuries of profiting from a colonialism that operated with the human cost of slavery happening largely in other countries. There’s a culture in Britain of ignoring the difficult questions and our particular brand of racism is more insidious than the out there in your face type that is more likely found in America. Perhaps because of this, as with the open studio model, the US ceramic field is slightly further on than us when discussing access, institutional racism and the self organised networks that have sprung up to combat it.

I speak exclusively to artists from America for this episode, and we hear from some truly inspiring ceramic artists who are challenging institutional models in education, gallery and beyond to create more equitable spaces and communities for and by artists of colour.

Yinka Orafidiya @crafting.community https://www.yinkaorafidiya.com
Gerald Brown @geraldbrownart @claysiblings https://www.claysiblingsproject.org
The Color Network @thecolornetwork https://www.thecolornetwork.org 

Antiracist Resources:

Read:
Octavia Butler (any of them!)
Caste: The Lies That Divide Us by Isabel Wilkerson
White Tears/Brown Scars: How White Feminism Betrays Women of Colour by Ruby Hamad
Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad
teaching to transgress by bell hooks
Do Better by Rachel Ricketts
Why I'm Not Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo Lodge

Podcasts:
Resistance Podcast
Stance Podcast
Hear to Slay podcast on Luminary
About Race with Reni Eddo-Lodge
1619

Follow:
@NoWhiteSaviours
@everydayracism_
@black_ceramicists
@thewhitepube

Executive Producer and Editor Aiwan Obinyan
Editing and Production AiAi Studios
Supported by Subject Specialist Network at York Art Gallery, Arts Council England and Newcastle University
Artwork by Kelly Jade

In Episode 4, we’re meeting some amazing people who are literally transforming lives in very real and tangible ways. It might seem ludicrous to think that a previously incarcerated person, or an undocumented immigrant, or someone forced to use foodbanks to feed their children might have any use for clay, but we meet people in this episode who prove otherwise. Going back to America, we hear from two incredible projects, The People’s Pottery Project and Touching Land. The PPP is a pottery studio run by and for previously incarcerated women, trans and non-binary people; one of their founders, Ilka Perkins, tells us of her experience in the prison system and how clay has changed her life. Touching Land is an inspiring project in Brooklyn run by Carolina Rubio MacWright, using clay to teach undocumented immigrants their legal rights. In the UK, we look at two projects, The New Linthorpe Pottery and The Portland Inn Project, that have centred clay as a way to support refugees, create community and literally rebuild what was one of the poorest streets in the U.K.  This episode was full of inspiring stories, I hope you enjoy it!

Abolitionist Resources:

There’s so much out there but these few were ones that really helped me:

- Freedom is a Constant Struggle Book by Angela Y Davis Angela Davis is great any day of the week

- Forensic Architecture are really challenging how art and political commentary meet
https://forensic-architecture.org/

- Abolitionist Futures blew my mind. So much on their website and if you can sign in for one of their reading groups, I highly recommend. https://abolitionistfutures.com/resources

- Revolting Prostitutes: The Fight for Sex Workers' Rights Book by Juno Mac and Molly Smith. Not specifically about abolition, but really interesting manifesto on the intersections of national boarder control, the prison industrial complex, women's rights and immigration.

Ilka Perkins 
https://www.peoplespotteryproject.com
@peoplespotteryproject

Rebecca Davies and Anna Francis 
https://www.theportlandinnproject.com
@theportlandinnprojectcic

Carolina Rubio MacWright 
https://www.touchingland.org
@touchinglandorg

Emily Hesse 
https://www.emilyhesse.com/new-linthorpe
@emhesse 

Episode 3 is out and we’re delving deeper into the role of the artist in society, and specifically clay as a tool to support those in mental health crisis, with disability and those effected by dementia. There’s a long history of art therapy and I’m sure plenty of science to back up what we, as artists working with vulnerable communities, witness – that clay and the arts are good for the soul and integral to a wholehearted life. It can even be life saving. 

I’m not and do not pretend to be a medical professional or to have any training in social care, and most of the amazing artists I speak to in this episode are just that – artists, not medical professionals! However, what we have to offer this sector is something truly amazing, and with the right support, something transformational can happen. Dementia sufferers can learn new skills, people who’ve experienced trauma can reconnect to the world, and those with disabilities can improve their quality of life. There’s some really uplifting stories and testimonials in this episode, and hopefully some new ideas and proof that we’d all be better off with clay and art as a central column of our life.

Brigit Connolly https://www.rca.ac.uk/students/brigit-connolly/
Janna Edwards 15 Days in Clay  www.15daysinclay.co.uk
Helen Lee @helenleeceramics
Katie Spragg  @katie_spragg_ceram and Janine Nelson @gardenmuseum

Leading on from themes of education and the decline in university courses in Episode One, Episode Two looks at alternatives to formal education and the rise of open studios and independent art schools. We meet some of the leading pottery studios in the UK who are challenging traditional economic models and providing university standard training for a wide demographic of people. Setting this against a wider movement of alternative art schools that have started to pop up in the wake of rising course fees, we also discuss the role of the artist in society and hop over to America to meet The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, to hear about the responsibility of ceramic studios to 'move well' into areas in a meaningful and mutually beneficial way for both the organisation and the communities they're working with.

A shout out here as well because I only managed to speak to an all white cast for this episode and there’s some amazing initiatives that are foregrounding Black and Brown histories and art practices and decentring the dominant white washing of the art world and education at large. Absolutely look up, support and go educate yourselves at 

Black Blossoms @blackblossoms.online 

Mudbelly Teaches @mudbellyceramics 

Pot LA @pot_LA 

…to name but a few doing this incredible work!

Contributors to Episode Two:

Stuart Carey @thekilnrooms, Mark Essen @modern_clay, 

Polly Brannan @openschooleast, Jennifer Zwilling @theclaystudiophl 

In Episode 1 we ask the question: where has all the clay gone? In the UK, we've gone from a kiln in every school and over 30 BA specialist courses to just 2 in the space of about 30 years. Speaking to veteran educators who have lived through this decline in HE education, we track the reasons for this against rising course fees and the general shifts in university models, and discuss what this means for the discipline. 

Far from going quietly into the night, however, clay has never been more popular, with  a huge rise in community and adult education spaces opening across the UK. We ask what is community ceramics, where has it come from and how the impact of popularist TV show The Great British Thrown Down has changed the landscape of who and how people access clay education.  

Contributors to Episode One:
Duncan Hooson @claygroundcollective
Christie Brown @xienbrownceramics
Ingrid Murphy @ingridamurphy
Tony Quinn @confederacy_of_dunces
Rich Miller @richmillerpots
Kate Malone @Kate_malone_cermaics
Jack Tan @jackkytan

Clay Commons was written, narrated and produced by Eva Masterman 

Executive Producer and editing by Aiwan Obinyan, edited and produced by AiAi Studios @aiai.studios

Artwork by Kelly Jade @crouchingbean

Supported by:

The Subject Specialist Network at the Centre of Ceramic Art (CoCA),York Art Gallery

Arts Council England 

Newcastle University