We’re a family-run studio that’s passionate about making pottery available for everyone. Why? Because we believe the therapeutic and uplifting qualities of clay making and painting should be accessible to all ages, abilities and budgets. So our goal is to make it as easy as possible to get hands-on with a lovely lump of clay, whether that’s in our studio, your home or at your school. In our latest project, we have been working with schools in the Wakefield district to bring the joy of clay into the classroom. We have brought history to life using the medium of clay by creating ancient Greek vases, Egyptian canopic jars and gnarly Viking faces. During the project, we visited 11 primary schools all across the Wakefield district and had the opportunity to teach 782 children in years 3,4,5 and 6. This was made possible thanks to a Culture Grant from Wakefield Council.
So who are we? I’m Naomi Jasmine, the founder of Jasmine Pottery Studios, a keen Potter that wanted to spread the joy of clay. I started teaching in the community and quickly found that I needed a base to teach more classes. I renovated a space in the Ridings Shopping Centre with the help of the Makey Wakey Scheme and have been helping people to learn about the art of clay for almost four years. We consider ourselves to be one of Wakefield’s best-kept secrets as not many people know about us but we still managed to be awarded the best independent business in Wakefield 2022.
The studio is run by myself and my partner Pepe and as we are both qualified teachers we came up with the idea of taking our pottery workshops out of the studio and into the classroom. There is so much art in the Wakefield district but young people don’t get the opportunity to learn about crafts like ceramics. We wanted to do this project to help inspire budding potters and for the children to understand the process of ceramics, it’s a craft that has become difficult to access due to the rising costs of electricity and the need for expensive equipment and we want every child to experience the excitement of having a kiln-fired piece of pottery that they can treasure for years to come. Together we managed to give young people an opportunity to try something new, raising aspirations and cultural understanding.
To celebrate the children’s achievements we will be hosting an exhibition from 11th-21st April at the Ridings Shopping Centre to showcase a selection of the pupils’ finished ceramics. During the event, we will also be running free pottery painting workshops from the 11th-14th of April where anyone can come and try it for themselves. If you want to join in then you can book a place on our website at www.jasminepotterystudios.com and head to the bookings page. Find us on Facebook and Instagram at #jasminepotterystudios.
