ART for everybody is the tag line of a newly formed community interest company (CIC), Mud and More, which aims to give everyone in Teesdale the opportunity to be creative.
The venture, the brainchild of Suzanne Thomas and Vicky Hindle, was launched at the beginning of the year and aims to provide a space for local artists to deliver workshops, encourage skills sharing and offer outreach sessions for people of all abilities.
Mrs Thomas said: “Vicky and I met at Teesdale Pottery Group at the TCR Hub. I actually taught her hand building clay, and it was a meeting of minds over a ball of clay.
“We are both passionate about the healing power of art and want to give new life to heritage skills. We are taking a multi-generational approach.
“We will be opening a space where local artists can deliver workshops, encourage skills sharing and indeed an inclusive art space for people living with disabilities.”
She added: “I will bring my gardening skills, cookery experience and indeed clay work and Vicky, who has a background in project management, is going to work with clay and decorative furniture upcycling. We have got premises at Stainton Grove industrial estate, but we don’t get the keys until April.”
She added: “We got a lot of support from Durham County Council setting up the CIC and they have been fantastic. Create North has been mentoring us to ensure we provide an inclusive service.
“We believe art is for everybody and so we will be offering pottery experiences on a walk-in basis that can be booked as a one-off or sessions over a set period. We will be hiring out the space to local artists as a space for their own process as well. We have one kiln but have an application for another and we will be doing hand building classes for people wanting to do stoneware.
“Inclusivity is the key for us, and we are working with Andalusia to put on sessions for people living with different abilities.”
The first outreach workshops began this month, taking place every Tuesday with dry clay sessions between 2pm and 4pm and pottery painting from 6pm until 8pm at Andalusia cafe.
Alongside this they have organised a weekly clay club for youngsters and their families from 9.30am until noon on Saturdays at Barnard Castle Methodist Church Hall. Prior to each of the sessions, which cost £5 per person.
The first clay club got off to a roaring start when more than 50 people took part with any number of volunteer potters on hand to help out.
Mrs Thomas said: “We were over the moon with the turn out and it just shows there is an appetite to be creative.
“We would like to open a shop in town and the idea would be that people would make things, and we will have an outlet to sell them as well.
“We will have a monthly market at the Methodist church hall called Market Town Makers.”
