Clay in Common
A project book for schools, museums, galleries, libraries, and artists and clay activists everywhere 
Authors: Julia Rowntree and Duncan Hooson
Imprint: Triarchy Press
Publication: 2018
Extent: 240pp.
Size: 15.2 x 22.9 cm
ISBN: 978-1-911193-42-5
Price: £20. 

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Tags: Clayground Collective, Clay, ceramics, pottery, education, clay art, hand skills, clay skills, community projects

About the authors

​Julia Rowntree and Duncan Hooson are co-directors of Clayground Collective. 

Clayground Collective specialises in all things clay, combining public art, education and research in a series of projects and events. Clayground act as facilitators and creative producers, working with the public and experts in a range of fields.

​Clayground Collective was awarded a Craft and Creative Skills national Award in 2013 for “commitment towards excellence in craft skills, success, ambition, exemplary and imaginative approaches in passing on craft skills". 

​Readership

Clay in Common is a project book for artists and arts educators in the broadest sense: teachers in schools and outdoor settings; facilitators in museums, galleries, libraries and civic spaces; festival organisers and community facilitators; activists wishing to connect citizens to the material world and to one another; artists and students setting out to work in schools and engage the public; policy-makers keen to foster social connections across conventional boundaries and enrich learning for all.  ​
Images from the Book Launch

An Arts Society book of the month...

“If you’re a practitioner setting out to work with schools and the public where do you go for advice? Clay in Common is a great starting point.”
Steve Moffitt, Chief Executive, A New Direction

“This is not a 'how to' book but a 'Can you?' book. This book challenges those with specialist skills to engage the public in that discovery and provides a route to get started.”
Amanda Bright, Head of School of Art, University of Brighton
​
“Hooray for clay! Projects that place clay and ceramics centre stage are invaluable - be it in architecture, public sculpture, decorative art, or simple cups and saucers. Passing on an understanding of the material is vital and Clayground Collective are true clay ambassadors. Their extraordinary work is exemplary.” ​
Kate Malone, Ceramic Artist; Judge, BBCTV Great Pottery Throw Down

"A comprehensive and creative approach is taken by Rowntree and Hooson to communicate clay's power to engage, nurture and empower people everywhere."
British Ceramics Biennial

"This book is a real example of how to make a book accessible. It is beautifully laid out, easy to open, the whole look and feel makes you want to delve. The layout of the sections and the way they are colour coded and each page titled to go with it makes it so easy to navigate.”
Clare Cooper, Cateran's Common Wealth

"...a pragmatic and necessary book for anyone in education who cares about the future of clay.  Clay in Common...  points out the crucial need for kids (and adults) to have a direct material experience by using our hands with clay, one that teaches multiple skills beyond the art/craft-based perceptions that currently exist. Providing educational projects that challenge learners' ability to engage fine motor skills along with three-dimensional problem solving will enhance crossover experiences that supports STEM education without undermining the value of art. Those who create in clay and ceramics can learn multi-discipline information, as well as appreciate how to collaborate and work together in social settings. These collaborative projects build bridges to others, unfolding a historically rich ceramic past..."
Holly Hanessian, President, National Council on Education and the Ceramic Arts
and Professor of Art and Ceramics Area Head, Florida State University
Clay in Common
​A project book for schools, museums, galleries, libraries, and artists and clay activists everywhere 
Julia Rowntree & Duncan Hooson  
Writing and design supported by
​Paul Hamlyn Foundation
Clay in Common starts by offering passionate arguments for the vital role of clay in passing on craft skills and fostering knowledge of the material world -- skills and knowledge that are vital for creativity, social engagement and the mental and physical wellbeing of (especially) younger people today.

Then, using detailed descriptions of their UK and international creative ventures, Julia Rowntree and Duncan Hooson of Clayground Collective explore:
  • the properties and uses of clay
  • how to work with schools and the public
  • how to make projects happen
  • how to build partnerships and fundraise for work in communities
  • how to learn as projects evolve.
The book illuminates how engagement with clay can foster the qualities of social interaction needed in response to big picture challenges such as climate change, environmental degradation and social dislocation.

Beautifully illustrated and packed with case studies and detailed project examples, Clay in Common is a hands-on project guide explaining how to set-up and run a clay project from start to finish - in school, in community, civic and many other kinds of space.

Contents

In ​Section 1 – Seeing a Bigger Picture read about:
  • the role clay can play in fostering social and creative responses to big picture questions such as climate change and wider environmental pressures
  • the decline of hand skills and where engagement with clay can lead in life
  • perspectives from many different fields on why the development of hand skills and deep knowledge of the material world matters so much
  • the physical, material and environmental facts about clay
 
Everyone should read this opening section for pointers as to the continuing significance of clay and hand skills’ development and where clay studies can lead in life.
 
In Section 2 – Connecting beyond the Artroom  read about:
  • the story of Clayground Collective and its mission to take clay out beyond the art room to investigate the material more widely, across the curriculum, in performance and story-making
  • how to handle clay - practical guidance
  • practical ways and creative ideas for introducing clay into different subjects in schools

Clayground Collective Case Studies:
  • how  Clayground worked with a story-maker to create permanent installations in a public garden
  • how they worked with other experts as part of a regional schools’ enquiry into clay in London
  • how they advised a national project to re-fire kilns in schools across the country
(includes practical notes for working across school subjects and organising an introductory session for school staff)
 
If you are a teacher, parent, school governor, artist-facilitator or, education policy-maker, Section 2 has ideas for projects and activities that can bridge school and community life.
 
In Section 3 - Putting Clay and Communities Centre Stage , read about:
  • how to reconfigure, through the medium of clay, connections to local resources and to one another 
  • how Clayground Collective has engaged the public in civic settings
  • how they make projects happen – getting ideas off the ground and keeping creative efforts going over time, adapting to circumstance and opportunity
  • digging clay and exchanging clay locally and internationally
  • working with clay through archaeological ceramic fragments
  • how the Clayground explored contemporary links between clay and canals
  • how poets, artists, a film-maker and photographer took inspiration from clay as the starting point for new works
  • how to use kiln construction and celebration as a focus for community celebration
  • how to work work with museums, galleries and libraries, forging crossovers between historic collections, visual arts, and reading development.
 
Chapters on fundraising and forming key partnerships show how to secure essential resources to realise creative projects, and practical considerations when preparing projects to engage the public. Finally,  the book sets out practical considerations to take into account when preparing projects to engage the public.