As the Spring Equinox approaches, the natural world begins to awaken—sap rises in the trees, buds open, and new life emerges. In this 5-week Clay Art Therapy group, ceramicist and Art Therapist Kate will guide you in exploring your own “inner spring” through clay, awakening creativity and self-expression.
Clay is a deeply tactile material, shaped over vast geological time. Working with it offers a grounding, embodied experience. Each week Kate will invite you to explore a theme using metaphors, poems and visualisation in a supportive and safe group space where connection with yourself and others is encouraged. Alongside Kate, Emily (who leads the Open House Wholebeing programme) will be part of the group, to support the sessions.
You will be guided in clay hand-building techniques and given space to follow your own creative process, making several clay sculptures that will be glazed and fired for you. In the final week, you will have the opportunity to share your artwork with the group and reflect on your creative journey and experience of the process.
This workshop is ideal for those wanting to:
Inspire their own creativity using clay
Connect with others in a group
Cultivate personal insight
Dates and Themes:
Session 1: Monday 2nd March – Setting intentions, sowing seeds into clay –creating a pinch pot seedpod
Session 2: Monday 9th March – Centering – where do you find and connect to your centre? – creating a coil pot
Session 3: Monday 16th March – Perfectly imperfect - creating sculpture
Session 4: Monday 23rd March – Equinox and letting in the light - creating sculpture
(4 week pause, while the kiln is lit and our ceramics are fired)
Session 5: Monday 20th April – Claiming the ‘artist’ archetype for yourself - reflections, celebration and collecting your pottery
About this event:
Price - £150 for the 5 week course (this includes all materials, your pottery being fired and glazed, and your own collection of handmade ceramics to take home)
Location - Downstairs @ Open House. Please arrive ten minutes early for a prompt 6.15pm start
Please wear comfortable clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty. You may wish to bring an apron, and perhaps a cushion - we will be sitting on wooden benches.
You’re welcome to bring a journal to write your reflections.
Booking - Limited to 8 spots (we will need a minimum of 5 people for the course to run), to book your spot, please click below.
No experience needed; all levels are welcome.
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Kate Ackroyd Cooke is an HCPC-registered Art Psychotherapist and ceramicist. She works as an art therapist for a charity in Sheffield alongside her private practice, and makes pottery in her garden studio.
Passionate about the natural world, Kate originally studied Zoology and went on to teach biology and outdoor education before following her own creative pull — setting up as a potter and retraining in Art Psychotherapy.
When her hands aren’t deep in clay, Kate can usually be found walking with her family and her dog, wild swimming, or heading to a yoga class.
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Art therapy is a way of using creative making to support wellbeing, self-expression and understanding. Working with clay can be especially helpful — its physical, hands-on nature encourages people to slow down, feel more grounded and explore thoughts or feelings without needing the right words. Shaping, holding and changing clay can be calming, releasing and playful, offering a simple and accessible way to reflect, experiment and create.