Nic Winstanley is working on a design for a waymarker to go alongside the canal in Stoke, based on the theme of 'Hospitality & Welcome', one of the Seven Values Waymarkers for the Werburgh and the Wild Goose project.
She is running a free workshop at Stoke Market on Saturday 23rd March 2019.
Nic writes:
"For Saxon people, offering food & shelter to visitors and those seeking refuge was part of their culture, so I feel that Stoke Indoor Market is an ideal location to explore this theme. The Market is fast becoming a hub for the community, offering a vast array of quality goods from friendly and welcoming stallholders."
At the workshop people will carve vegetables from the fruit and veg stall into mini sculptures and working musical instruments that would go on to inspire the design of the Waymaker. Artists Nic and Anne will help participants with the carving and making their instruments.
Do call in on Saturday - the event is free to join in with, but if you are part of a group of more than five people please would you contact Anne in advance.  
anne@lettinginthelight.org.uk
This project is supported by Arts Council England

If you are involved in a group that would like to get involved in the Greening Stoke project this year, please contact Anne:
anne@lettinginthelight.org.uk   01782 714776

Join us as we explore potential canal-side locations for beautiful Werburgh waymarkers with artist Kate Robinson and take part in creating patterns and designs in response to the Saxon stories.

​Tuesday 5th February 2019
10.00 - 11.30 Starting at Baskeyfield House, Burslem.  ST6 3PR
Enjoy making wild geese at the Baskeyfield House Cafe and join us in walking down to the canalside near Olivers' Mill.

Wednesday 6th February 2019
11.00 - 12.30 starting next to Etruria Canal Museum. ST1 4RB
​Take a Canalside Wander starting next to Etruria Museum looking at a potential new site for a beautiful new sculpture along the canal.
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At these free events you will have the chance to join in exploring the story of St. Werburgh for our exciting new arts and heritage project Werburgh and the Wild Goose. 
We will be visiting the potential site for two beautiful new sculptures alongside the Trent and Mersey canal.
Meet Sculptor Kate Robinson, have a wander to the canal, enjoy a warm drink, imagine times gone by and help to bring the sculpture to life! 
Take a Canalside Wander starting next to Etruria Museum looking at a potential new site for a beautiful new sculpture along the canal.

Find out more about Kate Robinson and her beautiful work at https://www.katerobinsononline.com

Friday, 11 January 2019, 17:30-20:30
Space next to Spode Arch Entrance, Church Street, Stoke.  ST4 1RB

Alice Thatcher was Artist in Residence at Art Stop Stoke from August to November 2018. In addition to hosting very well received workshops, she used the time to individually experiment with new techniques.
Alice’s porcelain paper work reflects ideas of fragility, material transformation and human relationships. Her aim is to challenge the perceptions of porcelain and paper by creating visually ambiguous work. The drop in sessions gave participants the opportunity to experiment using a new material in a unique way, whilst allowing Alice to work with others, experimenting with new techniques in a socially engaged setting.

​The work created during the residency will be exhibited at this final event. Complimentary refreshments will be available.

Illustration by Sylvia Bull

Join ceramic artist Alice Thatcher for the next relaxed and fun session at Art Stop Stoke.
Participate in the creation of works to be exhibited at the final show of her residency with Festival Stoke later in the year. During this free drop in workshop you will be producing delicate porcelain pieces which will be created using printing and forming techniques.
Bring along a favourite book, poem or quote to use in the making of the pieces.
108 Church Street, Stoke. ST4 1BU

New dates announced for drop-in workshops!

We are excited to announce that ceramic artist Alice Thatcher will be based in Art Stop Stoke on Wednesday afternoons, from June to November 2018, as 'artist in residence' as part of our Festival Echoes programme this year.

Alice will be hosting workshops and drop-in sessions for participation along with demonstrations as she takes time to experiment with developing her work.  (A mix of afternoon and evening sessions - times will be posted on our Facebook page).

During her residency Alice will use the time to research and experiment with new techniques, in addition to hosting workshops.  Art Stop will be a temporary studio, a space for making and thinking, for experimenting and sharing ideas, and an opportunity to engage with the people who live, work and visit Stoke.

"My independent ceramic work reflects ideas of fragility and material transformation through the human hand. Using various sculpting and painting techniques, I experiment with creating paper-like ceramics, mostly inspired by paper and the Japanese art-form, Origami. My work is extremely fragile; the paper-like qualities are initially visible but on closer inspection, the ceramic qualities show. I aim to challenge people’s perceptions of the two materials by creating visually ambiguous work."

We're excited to be joining in a brilliant and beautiful creative event in Stoke during this spring and summer called Greening Church Street.  Supported by Grow Wild, Kew Gardens and Seedbed Stoke Creative, artists Rachel Ballard and Anne Kinnaird from Letting in the Light will be using discarded items, such as colanders, tyres and even an old bath, to create beautiful plant and flower displays around the town of Stoke.  They will be getting local people and businesses involved too, to donate unwanted items as plant-holders and help to plant up displays.
The original Greening Church Street was an installation by Rachel outside Art Stop as part of Festival Stoke 2017 at which she used and old filing cabinet as a planter and created a small lawn on Church Street.  This generated such a positive response from local people and passers by that, when the Grow Wild project was announced, it sparked the idea to spread the floral displays using up-cycled items right across the town.  With support from the Festival Stoke team Rachel and Anne have been able to extend the impact of the floral project further afield (do excuse the pun!).  Watch out for a gloriously floral Stoke this summer!