Made in England: Public Involvement
Made in England was a project in three parts. The first was a mosaic installed in the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Stoke. The second was a series of public workshops. The third was a website documenting the project: www.made-in-england.net
As the project depended on public involvement, it was essential that as many people as possible knew about it. I contacted local TV, radio and the press. I appealed for pottery fragments and invited anyone interested to get involved. I went to public events — fairs and meetings, and circulated information. I visited clubs (I even went to a Rotary Club lunch). I alerted NORSACA — the North Staffordshire African Caribbean Association, and the local Racial Equality Council. The project was made part of the coursework for second year students from the University of North Staffordshire. I spoke and held classes at primary and secondary schools. UNITY — the Trade Union — bulletined their members alerting them to the appeal.
I needed to produce publicity material that gave a flavour of the project, but had its own visual integrity. I have worked for many years with the designer George Walker. He and Catherine Nippe came up with these postcard designs. Using typefaces from a variety of periods, they took well known Stoke words and phrases and and worked them into designs that are strikingly contemporary. We printed the cards on recycled material, and circulated them as widely as possible in Stoke and the surrounding area. They gave details of what we needed for the project, and who to contact.
Jiggers and Jolleys are mechanical potter’s wheels, with a pivoted profile tool on an arm, used to shape the clay.
Saggarmaker: A maker of saggers — fireclay containers used to protect pottery from flame and smoke marks caused by firing in a bottle oven.
Bottomknocker: a potbank worker who makes saggar bases from a lump of fireclay by knocking it into a metal ring using a wooden mallet.
Shawdruck: (or shraff tip) where the potbanks disposed of factory waste, and where crockery that had escaped being smashed when slightly imperfect might be found.
I had no idea how much time and energy you put into this project. Thanks for covering the “back” end of mosaic work in all ways. Great to have the perspective.
It was a huge amount of work, but it was very rewarding. I think art in the community should be about more than someone high-mindedly coming in and delivering a project that has very little to do either with the place it is sited, or the people who live with it. I am sure many of the Stoke based Made in England volunteers and helpers will continue into the next stage of the work. I did have quite a few contributions from the US. Rhonda Heisler kindly sent me backstamps, for example. She may not know it, but her name is on the wall in the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery.
OMG, this is amazing. I’ve been away a few days and look what you’ve done! I’m floored by this wealth of quiet passion. Gonna put a FB notice up now. I’m interviewing director of Florida’s Art in Public Places Program, and the topic of community integration is in there. You and Matthew have done it in spades. ..