MA Ceramics at Staffordshire University

MA Ceramic Design Design innovation for small-scale and mass ceramics manufacturing

Staffordshire University’s MA in Ceramic Design is recognised worldwide as one of the leading ceramic design postgraduate programmes.

A foreword from our course leader.

The course provides a design-led creative experience within a broad ceramics context. Designing through intelligent making allows students to access ideas through this unique material. A deep knowledge of one material helps students appreciate the professional opportunities in ceramics, as well as its translation into other materials.

The relationship between the course and the global ceramics industry is mutually beneficial and primarily responsible for the unique character and international reputation of the course.

The strength of this award lies in the accumulated wealth of specialist knowledge, practical skills and good working practices – essential tools of any ceramic designer – which have been developed at Staffordshire University over many years.

The course’s close working relationship with industry ensures clarity of purpose and academic coherence, as well as offering the award credibility. Because of this relationship, our students benefit from unique placement opportunities with leading names from the ceramics world and enjoy enviable employment prospects.

Tim Forrester, MA Ceramic Design.

Designing through intelligent making allows students to access ideas through this unique material.

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Cover credit: Sabrina Vasulka.

A city of ceramic heritage Ceramics and Staffordshire University; become a part of history - and contribute towards its future!

Where better to hone your expertise in the creative industries than in Stoke-on-Trent; the internationally renowned centre of ceramics? Stoke-on-Trent - home of Staffordshire University - is the beating heart of the UK’s ceramic production industry.

The city has developed new methods, perfected timeless techniques and has been a centre of innovation for ceramics for over three hundred years.

Since the 18th century, the city has been known for its pottery industry; from its potbanks and distinctive bottle kilns that scatter the landscape, to its famous names such as Josiah Spode, Henry Doulton, Thomas Minton and Josiah Wedgwood.

It’s not just about the history either; there are currently more than 300 ceramic businesses active in Stoke-on-Trent, producing exquisite ceramics from bespoke companies such as Emma Bridgewater, Burleigh, Moorland Pottery and Moorcroft Pottery, as well as tableware giants Churchill and Steelite.

With world-famous ceramic manufacturers quite literally on the doorstep, Staffordshire University provides a unique venue for the study of ceramic design. If there’s one place to develop your creativity, expertise and skills – this is it!

The beating heart of the UK’s ceramic production industry.

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MA Ceramic Design Re-evaluate, redefine and challenge conventions.

At Staffordshire University, we don’t just teach the foundations of ceramic practice; we offer a postgraduate degree that will make you an expert in skills for which Stoke-on-Trent is historically world-famous.

Combining traditional methods with 21st century thinking, our MA Ceramic Design course will give you the knowledge, skills and acumen you need to succeed in professional design-related practice.

Whether you want to be a designer-maker or an industrial ceramic designer we’ll help you excel.

It’s more than just a development of craft, as you’ll be able to take full advantage of our business links to connect you to future career opportunities with world-leading companies, such as Wedgwood, Royal Doulton, Denby and many more.

Whether you want to be a designer-maker or an industrial ceramic designer we’ll help you excel.

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Credit: Holly Kemp.

Our expert academics will teach modules on tools and techniques.

They will also support you to conduct your own programme of design, research and practice in 2D surface pattern decorating and/ or 3D shape, form and function through model and mould making.

What’s more, you’ll consider business, management and enterprise for professional practice – and will leave with an extensive portfolio, as well as the theory, knowledge and skills you need to launch yourself to the top of your career.

MA Ceramic Design Why study ceramics at Staffordshire University • Study in Stoke-on-Trent; the heart of the UK ceramic industry • Work on world-leading client-led briefs • Access unrivalled industry work placement opportunities • Gain valuable CAD, entrepreneurial, business and employment skills • Access our substantial world-of-work facilities • Develop your ideas in ceramics and other related materials • Exhibit your work at major international trade fairs • Create products for tableware, restaurant and hotel ware, as well as interior products, such as furniture and lighting • Integrate your learning with professional, market and commercial factors • Modular-based learning experience • Negotiate your own programme of study research and practice towards your personal vocational goal

‘The MA Ceramic Design course at Staffordshire University provides graduates with an excellent knowledge of material and process, together with a strong understanding of the current market place. I was highly impressed by the students’ professional commitment and attitude towards their studies. It continues to be a leading centre for ceramic design, enabling graduates to successfully set up their own studio practice or work as informed and skilled designers for the global ceramic and tableware industry.’

Dr Andreas Fabian, Michel/Fabian MA External Examiner, 2019.

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Facilities Access our outstanding facilities and gain the skills you need to be at the forefront of the ceramics industry.

Credit: Kirsten Corkish

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Ceramics Workshops

Computer Lab

Modelling Rooms

Practice your future craft in our specialist ceramics workshop.

From designer to maker; we have it all.

Use the latest in CAD / CAM design software and technology to perfect 21st century ceramic design techniques.

Perfect your style and design in our fully equipped modelling rooms.

Kiln, Plaster and Print Rooms

3D Workshops

Create functional ceramic ware, as well as sculptural forms, using the techniques of hand building, throwing, slip casting and plastic clay forming.

Our 3D workshops are equipped with everything you’d expect to see in a working studio; from lathes to 3D printers, welders to etching tanks, allowing you to work across materials including metal, wood, plastics and resin.

Visiting staff include: • Ed Austin • Reiko Kaneko • Margaret O’Rorke • Andreas Fabian

Practice your future craft in our professional-grade ceramics workshop.

Smart Zone New for September 2019 State-of-the-art collaboration spaces and augmented reality facilities where students can explore, design, and invent the future, including the ‘Digital Shed’; a dedicated fabrication lab and maker space and the ‘Immersive Lounge’; a place you can literally step into a digital world.

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Meet our Professor of Ceramics Professor Neil Brownsword.

In 2019, we were honoured to give a huge welcome to our newest addition to the ceramics team; internationally renowned ceramic artist, Professor Neil Brownsword. Neil has worked for over 23 years in Higher Education, both nationally and internationally.

He was raised in North Staffordshire and began his career as an apprentice modeller at Wedgwood in Stoke-on-Trent. As well as being awarded the Grand Prize at the Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale, South Korea – one of the highest accolades in the field of contemporary ceramics – Neil was also shortlisted for the Woman’s Hour Craft Prize. He was also a resident artist at the V&A in 2017/2018. His work as an artist and an academic has taken him worldwide, so he will bring experience alongside a wealth of knowledge to the ceramics team at Staffordshire University.

Professor Brownsword is not only an expert in his field, his research brings a new approach to design for industry too. His current projects include the digital archiving of heritage, together with collaborations with the V&A, British Ceramics Biennial, Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Heritage Craft Association and the Crafts Council. His work is represented in public/ private collections internationally, including the V&A, Korea Ceramic Foundation, Yingee Ceramic Museum Taiwan and Fu Le International Ceramic Art Museum China.

Through his new role as Professor of Ceramics at Staffordshire University, Neil will lead in the development of new research and exciting overseas collaborations. With the new connections, expertise and experience in the field Neil brings to the University, it is a very exciting time to be a ceramics student here at Staffordshire.

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His work as an artist and an academic has taken him worldwide, so he will bring experience alongside a wealth of knowledge to the ceramics team at Staffordshire University.

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Meet some of our graduates Laura Plant Having grown up locally in Stoke-on-Trent, the city’s ceramic heritage has long been an inspiration to Laura and her ambition to become a ceramic designer. Laura was from a studio pottery background and completely new to design when she started the MA course.

‘Through the course I’ve gained the skills I needed to work in the ceramics industry, including computer design and practical making. I’ve also developed an understanding of design and found my own personal style.’

In November 2018, Laura took part in an internship with Honav, a Chinese product design company, which involved creating CAD designs in the studio in Beijing before travelling to Jingdezhen to make ceramic samples.

‘The internship with Honav was an incredible experience. Working in a different culture and designing to a very different brief was challenging and pushed me out of my comfort zone but I learnt a lot from it and thoroughly enjoyed my time in China. As a maker, I learnt a lot from watching the local crafts people and it gave me lots of inspiration and ideas for new projects and designs.’

While studying, Laura worked on live briefs from Wedgwood, Dunoon and Dudson and also completed a work placement with Churchill China, as well as presented her work to the Shelly Group for which she won a bursary.

Laura also exhibited at New Designers in 2018 where she won two prestigious prizes; the Denby Associate Prize and the National Trust Artisan & Craft Associate Prize.

Following on from her award success, since graduating Laura’s had the opportunity to work on a project with Denby, alongside their design team, to realise a body of her own work. She’s also been designing and making an exclusive collection of pieces for the National Trust which will be sold online and in shops.

‘The facilities at Staffs are excellent and allow you to design and make items in many ways; from 3D computer design to wheels for traditional throwing and plaster lathes. The wide range of processes available mean the design process is really open and you’re allowed to be innovative.’

‘Studying for my Master’s was the biggest learning curve I’ve ever been on, but I’ve finished feeling confident and prepared to build the career that I want and have even started my own business as a designer maker.’

Working in a different culture and designing to a very different brief was challenging and pushed me out of my comfort zone.

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Sabrina Vasulka Originating from Argentina, Sabrina made the most of the city’s incredible heritage and knowledge of its local people to learn new techniques, as well as make contacts in the industry and open doors.

‘The University has great links with local industry and big retail companies like M&S, Sainsburys’, Wedgwood, Dudson and Wade. We visited a lot of ceramic factories around the city where we could watch the full industrial process happening.’

During the course, Sabrina was chosen as one of the Future Lights in Ceramics 2016 - 2017; a European ceramics competition that supports the future careers of emerging artists and designers. As part of this, she travelled around Europe for a year, including to Frankfurt where she exhibited pieces at Ambiente, the world’s most important consumer goods trade fair, and Meissen Manufakture, which is held in the German town where porcelain was first discovered in Europe.

In 2018, she continued to work with Future Lights and showcased her work in their ’Ceramics and its Dimensions’ project.

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‘My partner is a product designer and together we joined the Be Inspired programme; a scheme from Staffs Uni that supports entrepreneurs.

With support from that we set up a ceramic design studio, SaV Ceramics, in one of the reclaimed studios in the former Spode factory. This complemented my course and gave me extra knowledge for my MA projects.’

By the time Sabrina was developing her final MA project, Torrecid SA, an international ceramic supplier, commissioned 15 lamps from her second MA project to be exhibited in Frankfurt and Taiwan.

‘My personal highlights of studying at Staffs are making new friends from all over the world, learning techniques from such knowledgeable people, trips to international exhibitions, exhibiting in London and visiting many ceramics industries and retail companies.’

Six months after graduating, Sabrina returned home to Buenos Aires and now works as an independent maker.

‘I’ve benefited so much from my MA experience. I’ve made many contacts and friends, who I’m still in touch with, learned a lot about the field, techniques and other cultures.

‘The MA gave me the opportunity to work on renowned projects, start a career in the academic field and gave me the self-confidence to develop many new pieces. It’s opened so many doors and gave me a huge step forward in my career; I´m really thankful for that and I know the future is promising.’

Sabrina was chosen as one of the Future Lights in Ceramics 2016 - 2017.

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Lik Kian Loh and Debbie Ng Husband and wife, Kian and Debbie, travelled from Singapore to study postgraduate ceramics at Staffordshire University with the aim of increasing their career prospects and earning potential.

‘We did a lot of research before we decided to come to Stoke-on-Trent.

Staffordshire University was the only place that offered this very niche course which was exactly what we were looking for. We took 18 months out of our work to learn from the best!’

In Singapore, having only a basic diploma in ceramics and plenty of self-taught skills and experience, they worked over several years to successfully design and produce tableware for chefs.

‘Generally, we were doing throwing and hand-building, but we were lacking skills in industrial methods like casting and using plaster and had zero knowledge of how the industry works.

It came to a point in our career where we realised that we lacked certain experience so decided to put our work on hold to pursue more academic knowledge and perform a better job for our clients.’

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Debbie has a particular interest in glaze testing and the facilities and support she received at Staffordshire University enabled her to undertake research and development in this area.

‘The studios are very well equipped and help prepare a student before they move into the world of work, which is one of the reasons we picked Staffordshire University.

I’m very interested in research and development, especially using modern technologies like 3D printing, laser cutting and etching which are the part of the University’s facilities. We even used an infrared camera from the engineering department to test the insulation of our work.’

While studying, Debbie was approached by a gallery and they currently have several live projects with people in industry who were interested in their work and are now selling their designs to them. ‘It’s a very promising future for us to work with clients that we may not have had contact with before.’

‘Having worked in the real world, it’s important that you are aware of and know yourself, especially one’s own strengths and weaknesses. Returning to study at postgraduate level, I was able to utilise my strength and abilities, while taking the time and effort to improve or better my short comings.

As a student, the question is how far you want to push yourself; the opportunity is there but you need to know exactly what you want.’

The studios are very well equipped and help prepare a student before they move into the world of work.

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Holly Kemp After graduating from Loughborough University in 2016, Holly came to Staffordshire University to study a master’s in Ceramic Design and has gone onto graduate with a distinction.

‘The Master’s gave me a lot of specialist knowledge, building on what I had learnt during my Bachelor’s degree. I also had the opportunity to work on live briefs with huge ceramic companies, including Wedgwood, Dudson’s and Dunoon, where we designed work to briefs and presented our designs to them.

‘A highlight for me was working with the Wedgwood team on a brief that they set, having the chance to visit their factory and museum, and develop our work with their help. Also, at the end of the year we exhibited our final pieces at the university exhibition, which was a great way to celebrate the hard work we had put in.’

During her time at Staffordshire University, Holly was selected as one of three up-and-coming ceramic artists to be awarded £1,000 scholarships to support their MA studies.

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‘The extra funding meant I didn’t need to worry about the cost of my work so I could experiment a bit more with materials, explore new opportunities and push my work even further. The University’s ‘Be Inspired’ programme also allowed me to start a little studio and helped me to set up a business producing my own work from home, which I do in my spare time.’

While exhibiting at New Designers in 2018, Holly was talent spotted as ‘One to Watch’ by Sainsbury’s Home. From there, she went onto win a prestigious year-long, paid internship as Assistant Designer with the company.

‘Exhibiting at New Designers was a great experience with lots of opportunities to speak to people in industry. I’m really enjoying my time with Sainsbury’s Home. I have the chance to design ranges of homeware, not only in ceramics, but in a variety of materials.

‘I’ve loved my time at Staffs Uni; the two years have flown by and I’ve learnt so much. The facilities are great, and the tutors and studio technicians are very supportive. It’s made me a lot more comfortable in my area; I’ve gained a lot of confidence, allowing me to be more confident in the work I’m producing, as well as in my abilities.

‘It’s been an amazing experience studying ceramics in Stoke-on-Trent.

The city is full of ceramic history and knowledge so it’s incredible to be able to learn right in the middle of it! There is such a rich ceramic culture there which you can really get involved in.’

Holly was selected as one of three up-and-coming ceramic artists to be awarded £1,000 scholarships.

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Credit: Gemma Cornes

The city has developed new methods, perfected timeless techniques and has been a centre of innovation for ceramics for over three hundred years.

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Student success Taught in Stoke-on-Trent – affectionately known as the Potteries – our long-established course has built a reputation for consistently producing career-ready graduates that are in demand by leading ceramic companies, both in the UK and overseas.

Our students and graduates have scooped many prestigious prizes, including…

• Best Stand Award – New Designers • Denby Award – New Designers • National Trust Artisan & Craft Award – New Designers • Sainsbury’s Homeware Award, winning a year-long paid placement • Keith Brymer Jones ‘promising young designer’ Award • Potclays National Awards • Multiple winners of FRANZ Rising Star Scholarships

Our graduates have gone on to work as…

• Freelance designers, producers and consultants • Entrepreneurs, setting up their own business • Designers in a commercial studio practice • Buyers in procurement and purchasing • Teachers and lecturers in Further and Higher Education 19

Our partners Companies that have supported the MA Ceramic Design course over the past year, through placements, material donations, collaborative projects and services, include: • British Ceramics Biennial • Denby • Duchess China 1888 • Heraldic Pottery • Johnsons Tiles Ltd • Phoenix Tiles • Potclays • The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery • Reiko Kaneko • Royal Doulton • Shelley Group • Spode Museum Trust • Times Square Ltd • Valentine Clays • Wedgwood

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“ I always look forward to the end of year designer maker / ceramics show, as the standard of work always seems to get higher every year. It’s truly inspirational and I am always honoured to be invited.”

Keith Brymer Jones.

Director – Head of Design, Make International Ltd.

“ Having closely worked with MA students on collaborative projects, each individual has demonstrated a high level of professionalism; being mindful of designing to consumer needs plus delivering high levels of creativity and innovative thinking.”

Dik Delaney.

Design Director – Fiskars Group, WWRD United Kingdom Ltd.

“ We are constantly amazed by the creativity, high levels of craftsmanship and professional attitude that postgraduates gain from their ceramic education at Staffordshire University. The course continues to play a key role in nurturing high quality designers that secure our future ceramic heritage here in Stoke-on-Trent and internationally.”

" We’ve been delighted to support ceramics at Staffordshire University for a number of years as part of our 'Educlaytion' mission.

Year after year, we’ve been very impressed by the consistently high standard of ceramics produced by the students. We look forward to developing our partnership with the university further in the future."

Jason Simms and Andrew Tooth.

Directors – Heraldic Pottery and Duchess China.

Becky Otter.

Director – Potclays Ltd.

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Connect with Ceramics at Staffordshire University We welcome links from across the world if you are a ceramics company, a teaching institution or an individual designermaker, we would love to hear from you.

To discover more about the opportunities available to collaborate with our ceramic design programme contact:

Tim Forrester Course Leader MA Ceramic Design T +44 (0)1782 294400 E t.forrester@staffs.ac.uk 3ddesignstaffs

Credit: Debbie Ng.

To study with us, apply online at www.staffs.ac.uk/courses/ postgraduate Follow the link for our ‘Art and Design’ courses or simply search for ‘ceramic design.’ Here you’ll find more information, including course fees and how to apply.

If you have any queries about the course or the application process, email: enquiries@staffs.ac.uk

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Credit: Kirsten Corkish

For more detailed information on courses or studying at Staffordshire University visit: www.staffs.ac.uk/postgraduate/ Find us on:

www.staffs.ac.uk/socialmedia