Going to Pot in Rotherham

Pottery student, Bill Dickens of Mexborough, South Yorkshire has recently seen his work featured on the pages of Ceramic Review, the international magazine of ceramic art and craft. Bill, a student at WEA's Rotherham Learning Centre, created a clay figure in tribute to influential potter Sir Michael 'Mick' Casson, after his death in December 2003.

Left: The clay figure of Sir Michael Casson created by WEA student Bill Dickens.

The idea for the figure came about while Bill was attending Nora Brook's pottery course in Rotherham. Nora has been teaching for the WEA for over twenty years and her course in pottery has been running successfully for many of these years with new students joining some familiar faces each term. Nora's course caters for beginners and those with some experience in pottery and students learn about materials and techniques used in pottery and some of the leading figures in studio pottery including Sir Michael.

Michael Casson is described as one of the greatest figures in post-war pottery and is often portrayed as the person who brought pottery to the masses thanks to his BBC television series The Craft of the Potter, which was shown during the 70's and 80's.

Bill decided to create the clay figure in tribute to the man and his work. He used red earthenware clay for the figure itself and created a pot for the figure using white earthenware. The piece was fired to 1150?C in an electric kiln and a clear glaze applied to the clothing and wheel. The piece was shown in the WEA's Rotherham Branch annual pottery show, 'Going to Pot' and to Bill's and Nora's pleasure Ceramic Review chose to show a photo of the piece after Bill sent a letter to the magazine to express his sorrow on hearing of the death of the famous potter. Bill has also had his work exhibited in the Cooper Gallery in Barsley and in Doncaster's Museum and Art Gallery.

For further information about this course or other courses from the Rotherham Branch of the WEA please contact:

For further information on courses running in and around Rotherham please contact:

Catherine Bell
WEA Rotherham Learning Centre
19 Ship Hill
Rotherham
S60 2BH