Uncategorized – Page 40 – Bridget Macklin

Just An Ordinary Market Town

Sleaford: a market town on the edge of the Lincolnshire fens;somwhere between Grantham, Boston and Lincoln with a population of about 18,000 and, from my limited experience, the worst traffic system in UK!

Important fact: Sleaford is now the home of the National Centre for Craft and Design within an old seed factory on Navigation Wharf.

It is this fact that meant I was in Sleaford on Friday. I have the good fortune to have been selected by the Design Factory,which is based in the building, as one of their Emerging Makers. On Friday I made the trip to visit the centre and to chat about the direction in which my work is going. It was extremely helpful to be able to voice some of my ideas and to have feedback on how things are developing – much food for thought! It was also good to look in their shop and to see the work of other artists, Kate Welton for example, whom I had the pleasure of exhibiting alongside at Great Northern Contemporary Crafts Fair, and who is also an Emerging Maker.

I had no idea that this was such an impressive set up. In addition to the shop there is a lovely looking café, several workshop spaces and a number of fabulous exhibition spaces which, coincidentally, currently comprise two ceramics exhibitions. Alphabet Aerobics by Anton Alvarez challenges the preconceptions of making, craft and design. Alvarez is not a ceramic artist but here he is making use of clay to explore and redefine the role of the artist in the creative process. The results are strangely beautiful and the space they are currently occupying only serves to enhance this.

Up on the top floor in Sleaford is the work of Kathryn Parsons. 151228-found-in-the-woodlands-1med-307x400[1] Her exhibition, Found in the Field is inspired by the poems of John Clare and comprises tiny, exquisite porcelain works. I could have spent hours in their company!

So come on, friends, the deep recesses of Lincolnshire are certainly worthy of a trip, but might I suggest that you leave your car at home and go by train!

And we have lift off . . .

I can hardly believe that our pop up shop is now open for business. It was only mid January when we had the first beginnings of an idea and it was only on Monday that we got the keys to the premises. Previous to that there was a huge amount of planning and preparation to do and since Monday it has been all hands to the pump cleaning and decorating ready for our first day of business on Thursday. 12802780_589962844503429_4591393063765265220_n[1] The results of all this hard work is a great little gallery which all 12 of us are truly loving! Equally important is the feeling of camaraderie which this project has generated. The jobs to be done have been taken on willingly and happily by all and I am only aware of a sense of contentment derived from us pulling together to create something new, exciting and, in its own small way, amazing. It is extraordinary how well our work sits together. Obviously, since ten of the twelve met and trained together, we have a shared sense of values and there is a feeling of harmony within our work and yet, in addition, the City Lit Ceramics Department impressed on us the need for originality and independent thinking which now shines through the entire gallery. Quality functional ware sits comfortably side by side with contemporary vessels and sculptural work and the entire look is one seems really comfortable.

One of our visitors yesterday was Luke Bishop. he is a former graduate form Ciy Lit too and is now doing really well in the field of ceramic art. he confessed to me that he was mildly envious of our project and we chatted for a while about how it had come about. Honestly, I think if it hadn’t been for the wonderful way in which we had related to each other and supported each other through the trauma, excitement, exhaustion and sheer hard work which was the diploma, we would not be here in Camden now and I know that my life would be less rich as a result.

12805887_10153953114063908_4346533268285540102_n[1] — The Klay Gallery tucked up tight at the end of its first Saturday.

I am not aware of any other group graduates who have embarked on something like this but, if you are out there, please get in touch as it would be great to share our experiences.