Five Haywood Hospital PIER volunteers along with June Brammar, recently took part in the ‘Stoke Makes Plates’ project which culminated in a large community display at the British Ceramic Biennial (BCB) which took place at the Goods Yard in Stoke from 11th September to 17th October.
Stoke Makes Plates large-scale display was made up of 250 plates designed by 120 Stoke-on-Trent residents, including those from the PIER volunteers, care home residents, people in addiction recovery, commissioned artists, and local ceramics manufacturers, all inspired by Stoke-on-Trent’s historic heritage or personal experience.
Due to the ongoing effect of the pandemic, many participants including the PIER volunteers, met online to design their plates. Clay kits were distributed to participants ahead of Zoom sessions led by ceramic artist Jo Mills. Using plates as an artistic canvas, each volunteer made their own individual design. Some explored their heritage, personal stories memories or recent experiences whilst others represented their hopes and wishes for the future or depicted what brings them comfort or solace.
Jo Mills,Artist in Residence, British Ceramic Biennial Project Manager said: “June Brammar and her team of volunteers run the Patient Information and Education Resource at the Haywood Hospital. With the pandemic limiting access to the hospital, the volunteers were looking for ways to connect online.
They are experts at communicating with others, so this creative activity gave them a chance to keep those skills sharp. They drew upon their own experiences of the past 18 months to create their designs, exploring what has been important to them. A shared appreciation of nature and local heritage emerged from their conversations.”
