On February 9th, the Student Creative Board welcomed 28 eager participants to the Ashmolean for a clay workshop. Master potter Charlie Clarke from Little Earthquake Pots was on hand to guide students through the process of making a coil pot using air-drying clay.

Charlie demonstrated the process of rolling out clay “sausages” and stacking them one on top of the other to gradually build up the sides of the pot. Students were also shown how to fix the coils together securely using the score and slip technique, how to use tools to smooth the edges of the pot, and how to create different textures.

The participants were then given free reign to get creative, and some very innovative pieces resulted. One student carefully constructed a heart-shaped vessel for holding jewellery, and others turned their clay into elaborate pieces of sculpture.

Classical Archaeology student Jessica Ellis, who attended the class, said: “I had a great time at the clay workshop, it was a really unique opportunity and a chance to do something creative for an afternoon!”

A big thank you goes out to our fabulous instructor, Charlie Clarke, for running a fun and informative session. You can see more of Charlie’s work on her blog: http://littleearthquakepots.tumblr.com/

Thanks also to the Student Creative Board Photographer, Steve Lawson, for his images. Visit Steve’s website here: http://www.srlawson.com/#about

Click to the Student Creative Board Facebook page to see more pictures from the event: https://www.facebook.com/AshmoleanSCB

In October 2015, the Student Creative Board ran its first workshop at the Halloween-themed DEADFriday event. Set in the ‘Egypt at its Origins’ gallery, the Pharaoh’s Bucket List game encouraged participants to dress up in Ancient Egyptian inspired clothing from the Board’s dressing up box and take a selfie with the object from the gallery that they would take to the afterlife. The selfies, posted on Instagram and Twitter using the hashtag #DEADFriday, popped up on the Student Board’s big screen. The photo challenge inspired some very creative responses, with participants saying that they would take everything from the colossal statue of Min to a model cat to the afterlife! A prize was awarded for the best selfie. The aim was to engage with a student audience, but people of all ages enjoyed taking part! The Student Board also had a great time dressing up and meeting the public.

If you’d like to be the first to hear about future Student Creative Board events, sign up to the mailing list by emailing: public.engagement@ashmus.ox.ac.uk

Click on the photos tab to see some of the images from LiveFriday

[See image gallery at blogs.ashmolean.org]