Welcome back to our second Positive Pottery Post! Every month we’ll be sharing the latest ceramics industry news and our favourite success stories… focusing on the positives. With lots to celebrate, here’s what’s caught our attention this summer.
Clay College Class Of 2026
Teaching a new generation the art of pottery, we had the pleasure of attending the preview evening of the Clay College Graduate Show this month. Sharing the work of their 14 full-time Diploma students, the exhibition 'marks the culmination of two years of technical study and creative exploration in clay'. Based at the historic Middleport Pottery site in Stoke-on-Trent, you can learn more about the students, their processes and development, and buy your favourite piece(s) from a curated collection of ceramics by 'emerging makers at the forefront of the next wave of studio pottery' until 6th September.
Valentine Clays Receives Industry Recognition
Earlier this month Valentine Clays were named winners of the Innovation, Science & Technology Award at this year's Staffordshire Chambers Business Awards for LoStone for their ground-breaking low-firing stoneware, challenging traditional thinking in the ceramics industry. ‘Developed to offer significant energy savings while maintaining exceptional performance, LoStone represents years of research, technical expertise and collaboration across the business’. The award shown below is a bespoke fine bone china plate, handcrafted by Duchess China 1888.
Valentine Clays has also been shortlisted as a finalist in the Science & Innovation category at the Staffordshire University Business Awards, again for LoStone's impact and innovation. The awards take place this September.
Re-Issued Re-Engineered Brown Betty Teapot
A re-issue of the re-engineered Brown Betty Teapot by Designer Ian McIntyre is due to be launched later this year. The news was announced in an Instagram post – with an article about the teapot and featuring on the front page of the special 50th anniversary edition of Popeye Magazine. With a long history of research, design and collaborations – Ian McIntyre is no stranger to this iconic piece. We’re looking forward to seeing the launch.
Screen Staffordshire Celebrates 1st Birthday
Screen Staffordshire celebrated its first full year in operation this month. With an investment of £125,000, the Staffordshire film office has enabled a local production spend of over £1.3m during its first 12 months. With 150 locations, it's secured both a major high-end TV drama and a BAFTA-winning reality production in its first year, amongst many others. A three-year pilot programme, we’re excited to see what Screen Staffordshire does next.
SAVE Britain’s Heritage List Updated
Adding a record number of buildings to the national risk list this year (208 to be exact) SAVE Britain’s Heritage features 40 from the Midlands & East Anglia region. Chatterley Whitfield Colliery (considered to be the most comprehensive survival of a deep mine site in England from the height of the industrial revolution, dating back to the early 1800s) and Swinfen Hall in Lichfield (a Baroque style house built by Benjamin Wyatt in 1755) have joined the list, sitting alongside other important structures locally, such as Falcon Pottery Works, Stoke Library and Burslem Town Hall.
V&A Announce Clay Exhibition For 2027
‘Exploring the work of British artists from the mid-1980s to the present, ‘Sculpture in Clay’ will explore ‘how artists have reinterpreted, challenged and expanded the possibilities of clay as a medium for sculpture and installation.’ The exhibition is planned to run from May 2027 to February 2028 at V&A South Kensington.
Yuri Kawakami-Shotton Talks Stoke With BBC
It was lovely to see our friend Yuri in a BBC feature, talking about and getting the recognition she deserves for all of the hard work she puts in to promote Stoke-on-Trent to Japan. The owner of 'Peak and Pottery Tours', Yuri felt inspired to help support and spread the word after learning that the ceramics industry was in rapid decline in The Potteries.
Famous Ceramics Remade For 75th Anniversary
In 1951, for the Festival of Britain, Wade Ceramics created Ivy – a large figure that later became one of Stoke's most recognisable pieces of pottery. Family member George Wade recently set up new company 'George Wade & Son Ltd', where he made 51 smaller eight-inch replicas to mark the creation's 75th anniversary. Made in Stoke-on-Trent, all profits from the sales of these will go to The National Brain Appeal charity.
Hungry for more? Read the latest Home of Ceramics blogs while you wait for the next Positive Pottery Post.