Two Glass and Ceramics students were given the opportunity to attend masterclasses at the British Ceramics Biennial in Stoke-on-Trent thanks to financial support from the Robson Real World Fund.
First year BA student Margaret McKie and MA student Ruth Bremner attended courses by prestigious ceramists and designers Neil Brownsword and Emma Bridgewater at the UK’s largest ceramics festival.
Robert Winter, Senior Lecturer in Ceramics, said: “Maggie and Ruth were successful in their application to the Robson Fund and were able to attend the summer school at the biennial.
“For Maggie McKie the opportunity to attend this masterclass came at an ideal time to enhance her studies and would not have been possible without financial help.
“Maggie is now in the second year of the Glass and Ceramics degree, a year in which design and professional practice are of great importance. The Emma Bridgewater design class was highly appropriate to upcoming second year modules in which future employability is an important element.”
Maggie added: “I was delighted to be given a place at the Emma Bridgewater summer school. I spent a week there and I am still reeling from the amount of much-valued information and expert advice I was given.
“Over the course of the week, the founder of the company Emma Bridgewater, and her husband Matthew Rice, gave several inspirational talks to the group, on starting up a business, early problems and pitfalls they had experienced, and then how, through sheer hard work, they had made a success of their business”.
On the other side, Ruth Bremner attended Neil Brownsword’s course, which was centred on the history of pottery production and the diverse range of materials and techniques used through centuries of manufacture.
Robert commented: “This was exactly the kind of input that Ruth needed as she was nearing the end of her Masters and was soon to exhibit in the National Glass Centre as part of her final assessment.
“Her work used clay and other found materials. She eventually achieved a distinction and is now studying for a PhD.”
Ruth said: “Not only did the class cover many skills and techniques but Neil also gave the students tutorials. A unique opportunity and especially appropriate for my studies”.
Robert concluded: “These experiences prove that the Robson Real World Fund enhance student learning and experience, offering opportunities that otherwise may not be possible for many students.”