Over the October 2022 half term, families visiting Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village were able to book onto our autumn Make Space in the Foyle Pottery Studio! Inspired by the Watts Chapel, and Watts Gallery’s long history and affiliation with pottery and ceramics, families were invited to create their own clay tile with messages and designs to explore sustainability and taking care of our environment.

Over the seven days of workshops, 228 family members joined us and made a whopping 160 clay tiles! Some families used terracotta which were then fired in our Kiln, and some used air-dry clay and took them home with them at the end of the workshops. All the tiles were photographed though and below is a collective collage of them together.

Did your family take part over half term? Can you spot your tile below? And if you used terracotta and left your tile to be fired, have you picked it up from us yet?

(Must be picked up by 21 December)

Thank you to the Watts Creatives – Youth Forum, artist Laura Ribbons, and all the families who joined us!

Study - For every skill only exists after you have searched for it

Past - For you can learn the most from what has already ended

Live - For life is where all creations start, but not where they end

Present - For it is there we are most happy, and focused more than anywhere else

Work - For the effort comes before the sculpture is finished

Future - For it is nothing more than study, past, life, present and work, all things we have done before

- Written by the Watts Creatives Youth Forum

The Make Space workshops run on the first Sunday of each month, as well as on selected days during school holidays. Families can book on The Make Space to create, experiment and learn together, with each month or school holiday looking at a different theme, inspiration and making technique to discover.

The Watts Creatives Youth Forum is a collective of young people aged, 15 to 19 years old. The next Watts Creatives Youth Forum run will take place in January to February 2023, looking at themes of identity and portraiture, inspired by the current Faces of Fame exhibition. For more information, and to register your interest please email learning@wattsgallery.org.uk

- Stephanie O’Neill-Winbow, Learning Curator: Schools, Families and Young People