British Ceramics Biennial (BCB) is seeking volunteers to support the delivery of the 2025 Biennial programme. We are looking for creative individuals who love to work with people and have a passion for clay and ceramics.
This is a fantastic opportunity to connect with the single largest contemporary ceramics event in the UK. It’s a prestigious event, attracting significant local, national and international attention and showcasing artworks from leading artists working with clay. Joining the BCB team as a volunteer offers unique insight into the exhibiting artists and their work, as well as a range of leaders and influencers from key arts and community organisations. We hope that our volunteers will stay in touch with us well beyond the 2025 Biennial. We expect that the connections you make with BCB and our network will be both enriching and long-lasting.
About us
Our vision: Making change through clay.
Our mission: To develop, sustain and expand innovative ceramics practice and improve lives together with artists and creative communities.
BCB values: Bold, accountable, welcoming, significant, grounded, inclusive, connected and collaborative.
Volunteering with BCB
British Ceramics Biennial is the largest contemporary ceramics event in the UK. We present artworks from the UK’s leading ceramicists alongside work by international artists in exhibitions and special events held across Stoke-on-Trent every two years.
Working with the BCB team and Associate Artists, Biennial volunteers will help to support the delivery of day-to-day activities and welcome visitors to the Biennial. This includes:
- Welcoming visitors at the welcome desk
- Invigilation of exhibition spaces
- Assisting in the Engagement Space with hands-on clay activities
- Helping with other Biennial events, such as artist talks
A typical day volunteering at the Biennial might look like:
9:30am – Arrive at the Biennial venue. Meet with staff on duty for the day (and get a brew)
10am – Work with a BCB staff member on the welcome desk to greet visitors and give out information as required
11:30am – Spend some time invigilating – this involves being in the exhibition space ensuring visitors and artworks are looked after
12:30pm – Lunch break
1:30pm – Welcome desk or more invigilation while others are having their lunch break
2:30pm – Work with a BCB Associate Artist to support the delivery of a workshop in the engagement space
4pm – Finish for the day
Benefits include:
- Work with a friendly and supportive team
- Connect with creative people, communities and cultural networks
- Learn more about clay, ceramics and the artists in the Biennial
- Build confidence, gain new skills or develop skills you already have
- Flexibility – choose to do a full or half day and opportunities to work in different areas and get hands on with clay
BCB Volunteering role details
- You must be 18 years of age or over to apply
- A minimum of 5 hours per week for 6 weeks
- Taking place Monday to Sunday between 5 September and 19 October
- Based in BCB Studio, Spode Works, Stoke-on-Trent
- As much as possible we will schedule volunteering times in advance, however, scheduling can be flexible to work around the needs of individual volunteers
This is an unpaid role. Volunteer expenses can be claimed to cover the costs of transport and lunch during all volunteering days of four hours or more. These will be capped at a maximum of £10 per day for transport and £5 per day for lunch and are repayable on presentation of the relevant tickets, receipts and mileage claims.
How to apply
To apply for this role:
If you would like to know a little more or have any questions about volunteering with BCB, please contact Natalie Armitage at natalie@britishceramicsbiennial.com.
Key Dates
Closing date: 21 July 2025
Interviews: Week beginning 28 July 2025
Volunteer Induction: Tuesday 19 August 2025
Access
We are committed to making our recruitment process transparent and accessible. If you have questions or you require the application information in an alternative format to Word or PDF, please let us know. You can do this by emailing: natalie@britishceramicsbiennial.com or by calling 01782 294634.
Please note that alternative formats are made available upon request to ensure they are suitably tailored to support an applicant’s access requirements.
BCB will make reasonable adjustments to accommodate the needs of people with disabilities. You are welcome to discuss your access needs with us at any stage in the application process by emailing natalie@britishceramicsbiennial.com.
Equality and Diversity
We strive to ensure that opportunities to work for BCB are open to all. All job and volunteering applications are treated equally, regardless of age, disability, gender identity or gender expression, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, relationship status, pregnancy or any other equality characteristic.
We particularly encourage applications from people who identify as Black, Asian, LGBTQIA+, d/Deaf, disabled, neurodivergent, from a lower socio-economic background or those with long-term health conditions as people from these groups are currently underrepresented in the cultural sector.
We understand the paragraph above isn’t holistically reflective of the rich community in which we live and work and if you don’t feel this speaks to you and you would like to support how we communicate this in future please get in touch with us: info@britishceramicsbiennial.com.
