Clay Museum is a collaboration between British Ceramics Biennial (BCB) and The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery (PMAG), under the Museums and Schools programme, funded by the Department for Culture Media and Sport and managed by Arts Council England. We engage primary and secondary school students with the museum and its collections with the aim of increasing opportunities for high-quality museum-based learning for children. Through a series of hands-on clay workshops, we link the curriculum to objects in the museum.
Current workshops
Minton Archive
Students will learn about the work of an archivist, and what it takes to preserve a valuable collection. They will find out about ways of researching and documenting resources, and use their research to design their own Minton-inspired piece. There will be a follow-up session in school where students can create their own clay work in response to their research, and a celebration afternoon where students will receive their fired work, meet with other participants and reflect on their experience.
Workshop dates: Tuesday 15 and 22 September at 10:15am and 12:45pm
Session Duration: 1hr 45mins
Led by: Associate Artists and museum staff, who will liaise with schools on dates for the follow-up session
Growing Cultures
Growing Cultures is an inspiring and insightful collaborative project encouraging young people to discover the importance of ceramics in modern medicine. We will cover Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin and the unexpected link between Stoke-on-Trent’s famous pottery industry and the birth of life-saving antibiotics.
This project is a hands-on clay creation workshop for young people in Stoke-on-Trent, taking place at PMAG from May to July 2026.
Workshop dates: Friday 11 and 18 September at 12:45pm
Session Duration: 1hr 45mins
Led by: Associate Artists and museum staff
Cast of Thousands
Originally launched in 2019, this project connects young people with the history of ceramic rolled figure making in Stoke-on-Trent. They will look at how artists such as William Ruscoe created these expressive and popular characters. Cast of Thousands encourages students to explore identity, community and traditional ceramic hand-building skills in the design and production of their own clay figures.
This project is a hands-on clay creation workshop for young people in Stoke-on-Trent, taking place at PMAG until July 2026.
Workshop dates: Friday 11 and 18 September at 12:45pm
Session Duration: 1hr 45mins
Led by: Associate Artists and museum staff
Find resources from previous projects here.
How to get involved
Primary and secondary schools across the region can engage with the Museum and its collections through a range of free ceramics workshops. Clay Museum is open to all primary and secondary schools in the Stoke-on-Trent area and North Staffs with workshops running each term. We are operating the booking system on a first-come, first-served basis. If your school would like to book a session, please email museumeducation@stoke.gov.uk.