Pottery for All Workshops

Our popular one-day hand-building workshops for all levels of experience with potter Dee Barnes.

This is a flexible ceramics workshop for complete beginners and those with more experience who are seeking an informal opportunity to develop their skills.

This term we are repeating the workshop on five dates (subject to demand)

• Saturday 26 October 2024
• Monday 11 November 2024
• Saturday 7 December 2024

Please ensure you book the correct date(s). You are welcome to attend more than one date if you would like to practice more pottery!

For the beginner there will be simple projects to follow that teach the basics of pottery: hand building including pinching, slabbing and coiling. More advanced students will be encouraged to develop their own ideas and styles of making – you can use these sessions as studio time to pursue your own work with a tutor on hand for tips and advice when you need it.

We will cover the different ways of making ceramics: hand building, exploring clay from wet soft to leather hard, and surface decoration. In addition, we will cover ways of developing and expressing personal ideas through making, guided by set projects.

By the end of this workshop you should be able to make ceramic pieces through one or more of the following methods: pinching, coiling, slab building, press moulding and/or sprigging, and develop your ideas through experimentation and discussion.

Tutor and full-time potter Dee Barnes has taught pottery for over 40 years and produces her own distinctive ceramics from her home studio in Grantham. She sells her work online, with several independent galleries, and at ceramics fairs up and down the country.

These one-day workshops start at 10.30am and end at 4pm, with a 30 minute break for lunch. Our café will be open or you are welcome to bring a packed lunch.

All materials are provided.

Recommended for ages 16+. Under 18s must be accompanied by a paying adult at all times.

We aim to make all our sessions as accessible as possible and carers/PAs are very welcome – just remember to book their free place when you book your session. If you'd like to talk to us in advance of booking or attending your sessions to discuss your access needs, our Box Office team is here to help! Email arts-centre@le.ac.uk, pop in or call 0116 252 2455, open 7 days a week.

We have four blue badge parking spaces outside Attenborough Arts Centre, plus double yellow line roadside parking very close to the building for blue badge holders for up to three hours if our parking spaces are occupied.

Free parking for all customers is available after 5pm on weekdays and all day at weekends in the University of Leicester car park next door to Attenborough Arts Centre on Lancaster Road. The closest public car park for parking at all other times is Victoria Park, 5-10 minutes walk from us.

Please ensure that you agree to our updated Terms & Conditions before booking as courses/workshops are non-refundable in some circumstances.