Saz's Ceramics & Crafts End of Year Blog!

As we come to the end of 2023, I would like to do a recap of just how many amazing things we have been involved with in the last year!

Wordsley Together Community Mural - From a little idea that popped out of my head back in 2020, to the truly magnificent piece of community art now in the heart of Wordsley Green. There was a lot of stress, a lot of hard work, several mini breakdowns, tears, and I nearly broke Saz, BUT! What a triumph! The coming together of our studio with Friends of Wordsley Parks, Cllr Kerry Lewis, Wordsley Together Community Group, Dudley MBC and all the hundreds of Wordsley folk who provided their hand/finger prints was a humbling experience. From the very young (6 months) to the very old (100) and everyone inbetween - the nurseries, the schools, the care homes, local businesses and all of the community groups - THANK YOU! Special thank yous to Cllr Kerry Lewis and the Friends team who worked tirelessly to make this happen, and to Ben Cree and his team from Dudley MBC for the superb job of installation. Would we do another one? You're flippin' right we would!

Dudley HAF - We continued our working partnership with Dudley HAF this year, providing pottery painting & clay workshops for children aged 4-16. These are the most rewarding sessions that we do - to see the joy on the children's faces, and the concentration as they complete each project - it's a beautiful thing. We provided classes for 200 children this year - a record for us! We would like to thank Dudley CVS, who ran an excellent programme and hope to continue this fabulous relationship with Dudley MBC and their new portal providers, Sutton Croft.

Dudley Creates - Our 'Autumn in Clay' project began in November. Commissioned by Dudley Creates and funded by the Arts Council England, we feel extremely lucky to have been chosen to take part in this amazing opportunity for Dudley Borough residents. We had 120 clay plaques completed by over 100 participants - from all ages and abilities. Lots of fun was had out in King George V Park, Wordsley and the outside area at the Source Youth Centre, Wordsley. Saz is currently trimming all the tiles and getting them glazed, and hopefully in the New Year they will all be displayed in an art installation in the courtyard at the Red House Glass Cone. Celebrating nature in all its forms throughout the Autumn months, we hope it will be a lasting artwork for all to enjoy. Special thanks to all the team at Dudley Creates, who believed in our bid, all those from across the community who took part, and the Cone - we hope you love what we have produced.

The Studio - This year we branched out a lot more! We held sessions with schools and nurseries, parties within the studio and at outside venues have definitely been on the increase, and we held our first corporate fun day with the BDA in Birmingham! Saz's Etsy stores 'Clay Play by Saz' and 'The Glazed Look' have seen sales go through the roof - her drizzle plant pots and paint pots are her most popular seller, and she literally cannot throw her pots quick enough! Saz has given me the confidence to produce my own work and 'Bostin' Clay' is my little baby which I hope will grow more in 2024 - selling Black Country themed ware. We've done craft fairs this year, including the very first Wordsley Christmas Lights Switch On, which was a cold one, but so much fun, and once again taken part in the most successful Holy Trinity Church Christmas Tree Festival, with over 65 trees! We continue to support charity work, and would like to thank all those who have bought items and donated to this year's chosen charity 'Beth's Sunflowers'. Speaking of which, we have also completed commissioned pieces this year, and Saz had an amazing plaque on display at the Gardeners World's Exhibition in Beth's Garden.

What's the Future Hold? - Keeping busy is our plan! More projects with Dudley Creates will hopefully be in the pipe line, and we are looking at a joint experience with Hawbush Community Gardens. January starts with four Dudley HAF sessions, which are already fully booked, and we hope this thriving partnership continues. We are on the look out for another big community project, so if you think your town or village needs an art installation, give us a call! We would like to see our finished ware creeping into other shops, maybe a garden centre or two! Saz will continue to develop her own range and I am still in the early days of my products. I am being given the opportunity to share my ideas, and will be launching monthly 'hand building with clay' classes to accompany Saz's already popular potter's wheel experiences. I am also planning to get out and about in Wordsley & Kingswinford to meet with nurseries, schools, care homes and community groups to see how we can work with them to share our love of pottery. And most of all? We're continuing to provide a welcoming studio for all things pottery & ceramics - pottery painting, potter's wheel, clay handbuilding, and finished ware shop - our dedication to our craft is something we want to share with you all.

For now, from Saz, Zoe, Lily and myself, we would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. And thank you - thank you for being an amazing part in the story of Saz's Ceramics & Crafts!