2022 had some ups and downs, being challenged by the cold weather and some difficulties with our kiln, but everything is starting to get on track!
Our Xmas Sale was a great success, with so many familiar and new faces that we can't wait to see again during pop-up sales later this year.
We finally upgraded our electricity to 3 Phase (at no small expense!) and connected our new kiln, which has been humming away as we fire a backlog of pieces. This week we are at long last finalising all the outstanding kickstarter rewards, and thank you all for your patience while we dealt with these issues.
Ali Hewson is moving into our studio this month, she's an incredible artist and we're so excited to share the space with her.
Sydnie and Haylie Jimenez became our first artists in residence as they prepared for their exhibition at Moosey gallery, and it was sad to see them leave earlier this year. An open call for our new Studio Residency has been awarded to Gemma Carson, who we are excited to host over the coming months. Keep an eye out for an exhibition at Helgate later in the year where we will be showing the results of her residency.
In the background we are applying for funding to begin doing some events at the studio, and we have also been drawing up plans for much needed long-term improvements to our building. We can't wait to share them with you all.
The studio itself is ever-evolving, fine tuning how we arrange the space, with 5 new pottery wheels a welcome new addition. We have accepted applications for our first studio assistant and will be inviting a shortlist of candidates for trial shifts shortly.
Since launching our Monday Membership we have had a growing number join, and we can feel the atmosphere building as Helgate becomes the open creative space we hoped it could be.
We can't thank you all enough for your support and involvement.
