Join Clay Week co-organisers Thom Baker, Jim Squigley and guests on the couch for lively conversations from the depths of the Kiln.

Windows into the lives of potters will be placed around the city, stop and take a moment to watch it all unfold.

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If you'd like to be involved by having your studio featured you can click here

Come and hear clay tales from two mates who've travelled far and wide to be with us!

Jack Troy and Hamish Jackson make pots rooted in the traditional values of England and Japan. Both have a preoccupation with natural materials and processes in both making and firing.

Jack taught English in high school and college before becoming a potter.
He has continued as a writer and teacher for many decades, publishing books on salt glazing and wood firing. He lives in Pennsylvania, starting the ceramics programme at Juniata College, where he taught for 39 years.

Jack has led more than 260 workshops worldwide, including a two-week workshop in Nelson in 1983.

Halfway through his undergraduate literature degree, Hamish realised he wanted to become a potter. He started out at Winchcombe Pottery in England, then completed a four-year apprenticeship with Mark Hewitt in North Carolina, followed by an MFA from Utah State University. He works as a studio potter and has exhibited widely, including in Europe, Japan, Thailand, and New Zealand. Hamish focuses on using local materials in his work. He seeks to make pots that people love to use and connect them to the landscapes where his materials come from. He is also a tea enthusiast.

The two potters will have a small exhibition of work at Wall to Wall Gallery, 112 Bridge St, Nelson, for the duration of clay week.

The Heart of Clay Week, Potters Square is our interface between the public and the potters. A place for potters to catch up, share and demonstrate their skills.

A place for the public to get ‘hands-on’ with clay each day and contribute toward the creation of a large-scale public community artwork.

Grab the kids and bring them down to the clay table to get creative!

Ngā Kaihanga Uku are a leading collective of artists promoting Māori ceramics on a worldwide platform.

Join us for a rare opportunity to see several of the artists live on stage. 

Watch as they create works while actively engaging in conversations with the audience.

There will be imagery, powerpoints and an opportunity to get your publication of the “Ngā Kaihanga Uku” book signed.

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The artists for each time slot will be confirmed at a later date.

Nelson's art galleries proudly present a range of carefully curated exhibitions and retailers within the CBD have come on board to enable us to showcase the ever-growing talent of Aotearoa's clay community.

To find out more about the showcases check out the Gallery Page here...soon.

Our opening event will feature the Potters Market alongside Potters Square in the main street of Nelson where artisans from near and far will gather to showcase and sell a huge assortment of their fabulous wares.

Please contact us if you would like to have a stall at the market.

Geologist and historian Dr Mike Johnston will talk about the clay deposits of the Nelson and Tasman region.

The region’s geology is the most varied of any part of New Zealand and it is the weathering of some of these rocks that have given rise to a number of different types of clay. Because the region is dominated by mountains shaped by physical rather that chemical weathering most of its clay deposits are relatively small.

Nevertheless, it was the variability of the clay deposits and their properties that beginning in the 1960s was one of the key components in the outstanding growth of craft potteries in the region.

To many potters the search for clay deposits, however, small that allowed them to create their own style of pottery was almost as satisfying as producing the final article. Unlike today it was also a time when New Zealand attempted to be self sufficient in as many commodities as possible. In this talk Mike will outline how the geological units that gave rise to the more important deposits with their varied characteristics were formed. These ranged from clays in Nelson city that because of impurities and a tendency to shrink on firing were largely used to make bricks to in the Tadmor valley and at Puramahoi in Golden Bay high quality kaolinite derived from the weathering of granite that was in demand to manufacture insulators and other high quality products.

Hosted in the studio of generous friend and fellow artist Lee Woodman, The Potters Refuge is the mind child of the amazing Annie Marshall. A getaway from the hustle and bustle of Clay Week, The Refuge is a cozy quiet lounge with comfy seats, warm food and hot drinks. Gather around and meet your fellow potters in a relaxed calm setting. Pop in for one of our film nights during the week or pull up a chair and take a look at our extensive pottery reading library.

The Potters Refuge is a please to unwind and recharge. Please be considerate of others inside.