Former pottery factory returns to roots for special weekend
The Dudson Centre in Hope Street, Hanley, has been best known for the last decade as the home to numerous local voluntary organisations, but for one weekend only, it returned to its pottery factory roots. Once the site of the original Dudson factory, on Saturday the 17th and Sunday the 18th of October the buildings once again rang to the sound of pottery making.
As part of the British Ceramics Biennial Festival (BCB) 'Open Weekend', a unique event was staged by The Dudson Museum at The Dudson Centre. Aptly titled, "From Our Hands", the event showcased up to twenty pottery industry experts and artisans, demonstrating their traditional skills. Pictured above are two demonstrators from Phoenix Tile Studio.
Alison Morgan, Curator of the museum, explained: "Last year, Mike Pepper produced a DVD also titled 'From Our Hands'. Mike worked in the pottery industry for over 50 years and wanted to record the various skills used in the production of ceramics for posterity. I was lucky enough to be one of the demonstrators on the DVD and later, Mike and I got together with an idea to develop the theme into a live event. The British Ceramics Biennial Festival offered the perfect opportunity to make the event a reality."
The BCB is a major project which aims to reinforce Stoke-on-Trent's position as a centre for contemporary ceramics whilst embracing the heritage of ceramics in the area.
"This really was a one off opportunity to see so many different skills under one roof. Because some of the big names have disappeared, it is widely thought that the industry is disappearing but the skills are still there and it is amazing what is still being produced: the industry is still very much alive and new local businesses are being created."
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