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Join Museum of the Home director Sonia Solicari, artist Barnaby Barford, ceramicist Rich Miller and market specialist Marijke Varrall-Jones to celebrate FiredUp4. This charity brings together 50 artists to raise funds for pottery studios for young people across the UK. The panel discusses how ceramics enhance our lives and our homes. Exploring the benefits of creativity on mental wellbeing and how this fits with the need to provide young people a safe, inclusive and inspiring space, the talk focuses on FiredUp4’s mission to make clay accessible for young people up and down the country through OnSide Youth Zones.

Ceramics enhance our homes daily, both decoratively by providing beauty and also in a functional capacity. Everyone has an association with household objects made of clay, often formed as children. Now FiredUp4 is hoping to provide a route for future generations to unlock their own creativity through access to materials and tuition.

Barnaby Barford and Rich Miller are two of the makers whose generous contribution to the first FiredUp4 led to the successfully total raised being over £100,000. Their own dedication to clay and passion to help the next generation find their creative flow leads a fascinating discussion with industry professionals, Sonia and Marijke.

Instigated and led by leading ceramicist and OnSide ceramic ambassador Kate Malone MBE, this panel discussion will mark the MAAK Ceramics auction bidding going live. The auction closes at 1pm, Friday 27 May.

‘Every child has a seed of talent, exposure to facilities can nurture unforeseen passions. These studios could be a door to a creative life, a child who learns to make things develops a material understanding, and can become a more able person, someone more interested and more interesting. Creativity and hand skills need not make a world of artists, it can make well-rounded individuals who can be creative in all subjects and feel empowered by the ability to create.’ –Kate Malone MBE

Watch the panel discussion below.