Helgate
Clay Research Group: 2026 Programme
Clay Research Group: 2026 Programme
CRG is back for its third year exploring clay, creativity, location and community!
Rachel will re-run her curriculum for a new group of clay enthusiasts, an intensive year long programme that consists of 4 terms that are each 10 weeks long, which provides a more structured approach to material enquiry and explores making ceramics in greater depth.
The 2026 Clay Research Programme will explore making from the perspective of material investigation. Together we will gather and make materials, share test results, discuss ideas and create new work.
Each term will involve making materials as a group, demonstrations, exercises, field trips, alongside your own avenue of making and testing where Rachel will be on hand to provide guidance and 1-to-1 feedback. You may prefer to work as an individual, or to develop a project collaboratively with other members of the group, but fundamentality these sessions are for creative exploration and experimentation.
To make this programme as accessible as possible we have decided to split payments across each term, so if you wish to attend the full year you simply need to sign up to the first term. Existing students will be given first option to join the next term, before we open it out to the general public.
Thursday Mornings, 10:00am-1:00pm
Term 1 — Material Gathering and Production
Term 1 — Material Gathering and Production
January 15th—March 19th (10 weeks)
Material gathering and production
Term 1 will focus on ceramic material and alteration, field trips to gather materials from local sites of clay interest, and the production of a clay materials library including our own clays, slips and grogs for the group to use throughout the year.
The material library will allow you to share ideas and results of testing to gain a better understanding of the materials we’re using and their potential.
During this time you will be able to explore avenues of your own practise whilst creating forms to test these materials on.
Week 1
Introduction to CRG and a chance to meet each other. An overview of the term ahead. Hand out of overview, discussion around particular areas of interest and conversation around materials.
Week 2
Clay production.
Week 3
Time to explore own found materials and begin making tests for bisque.
Week 4
Field trip to collect more materials - fill holes in material library.
Week 5
Time to process found materials and make tests for bisque. Wild clay processing.
Week 6
Clay processing of wild and CRG continued and self directed making.
Week 7
Washing sand & ash.
Week 8
Group slip making session.
Week 9
Test palettes.
Week 10
Self directed making.
Term 2 — Collective and Individual Testing of Materials
Term 2 — Collective and Individual Testing of Materials
April 2nd—June 4th (10 weeks)
Collective and individual testing of materials
Term 2 will provide a consolidated period to test materials created in the first 10 weeks.
We will create test palettes of all materials, consider new ways of recording and documenting, whilst learning how to listen and respond to results.
Discussions around documentation, testing.
Week 1
Introduction, welcoming back. Overview of weeks ahead. Overview of materials library. Discussion around ways of testing. Palette testing of collected materials,
Week 2
Discussion around documentation, inventing new ways of recording / documenting, making a plan! Pairing up together or making a folder on your phone. Simple notes.
Week 3
Time to make tests.
Week 4
Time to make tests.
Week 5
Field trip to Lowestoft to walk from clay pit to the site of lowestoft porcelain.
Week 6
Sharing of pieces so far - chance to alter approach / choose another route or exploration.
Week 7
Making greenware tests - Topping up of materials library where necessary.
Week 8
Making palettes for glaze testing - to be fired to bisque.
Week 9
Making glaze tests to be fired to bisque vertical + horizontal.
Week 10
Self directed making (with tests in mind)
Term 3 — Glaze dissection
Term 3 — Glaze dissection
June 25th—10th September (10 weeks)
GLAZE dissection
Term 3 will provide a basic introduction into glaze chemistry, production and editing. You will learn to create line blends and experiment with balancing raw materials to create a simple glaze recipe. We will also explore pre existing glaze adaptation through the introduction of oxides.
Week 1
Basic overview of glazes - what’s the balance, what’s happening during the firing, what is each ingredients purpose. Filling test palette with raw ingredients - example pre made.
Week 2
Line blends.
Week 3
Basic 4321 + alteration.
Week 4
Testing.
Break x 2
Week 5
Come back to look at palettes together.
Weeks 6
Slips under glaze.
Week 7
Incorporating found materials into glaze.
Week 8
Glaze testing.
Week 9
Glaze testing.
Week 10
Reflection.
Term 4 — Testing on a Larger Scale
Term 4 — Testing on a Larger Scale
October 1st—10th December (10 weeks)
Testing on a larger scale
Term 4 will allow you to begin exploring information gathered over the past 30 weeks into individual practise based exploration during a focused period of making time where you can either test further and on a larger scale or put results towards a more finished work/works.
Week 1
Introduction, welcoming back. Discussion of results - plans ahead.
Week 2
Discussion around ways of making - exploratory exercise.
Week 3
Time to make (Thinking about larger scale - giving time for firing).
Week 4
Time to make.
Week 5
Field trip to 4th Floor of V&A.
Week 6
Sharing from trip and over view or current work.
Week 7
Time to make.
Week 8
Time to make.
Week 9
Time to make.
Week 10
CONCLUSION TO YEAR ! CHRISTMAS SHARING/FEAST !
