Claire Shoosmith
Eastbourne Studio Pottery CIC, Eastbourne 2016-present
Co-founder and director of Eastbourne Studio Pottery CIC, an open access ceramics facility established in February 2016 in the Devonshire Collective Makerspace DC2. DC is an umbrella organisation spearheading cultural and economic regeneration through socially engaged creative practice.
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In our two studios we offer students, artists, designers and members of the community the opportunity to work together in a creative environment of shared learning where experimentation, personal and professional development are fully supported. We offer courses throughout the week, I devise and lead the family workshops, festival pop-ups, community projects and collaborations with artists.
Towner Gallery and Tollgate Community Junior School, 2019
I was commissioned by Towner Gallery to work with Tollgate Community Junior school on a project for Draw Me in - the annual young people's exhibition. Eleven women artists from the Towner's collection were chosen as the starting point for the projects, at Tollgate we were inspired by Berenice Sydney's 'Totem'.
Salvation Army and the Rough Sleepers Initiative, 2020 continuing
I was asked by the RSI to devise and lead a series of weekly creative workshops focusing on clay for the Rough sleepers who access the Citadel night shelter in Eastbourne. We are planning to develop the programme to introduce other media, explore training opportunities and curate an exhibition that documents the work of the RSI together with the fantastic work created in the workshops. We received funding from Devonshire West Big Local to put together a mobile pottery kit that means we can work out in the community with groups like the RSI who would find it difficult to come to the studio.
Eastbourne Mencap and the Hive day centre, 2019 continuing
I have been working with the most incredible group of ladies and their support workers every Friday making all kinds of functional and sculptural objects in clay. Before lockdown we were working on a project making objects and shaped tiles on the theme of 'A day at the seaside' for an exhibition that will support the work of Eastbourne Mencap. We received funding from the Chalk Cliff Trust to purchase a slab roller that has significantly helped our less physically able students produce slabs to use in this type of project. The exhibition has been delayed but we hope to get back together as soon as we can, meanwhile with funding from the Arts Council we have been able to deliver free boxes of art and craft materials for all Mencap's Eastbourne clients giving them the opportunity to be creative at this time.