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Central North Island Jan/Feb 2025
Happy New Year!
Kia ora from Driving Creek Pottery. It has been a stunner of a summer here in Coro Town. The sun is shining, the beaches are bustling and the campsites are cranking. The trains have been rolling non-stop at Driving Creek but just quietly, us potters can’t wait for summer to be over. Call us grinches but we’re all hanging out for the fire ban to be lifted so we can get back to our wood kilns!
2024 ended on a high note for us, with our 50th anniversary celebrations in November. Hundreds of potters, conservationists, steam heads and Coromandel characters converged on Driving Creek for a weekend of reconnecting and rekindling. Many thanks to all those who came and made it such a special celebration and to all those who have come before.
The opening of the NOTTAPOTTA exhibition in the Driving Creek Gallery was timed to coincide with the 50th celebrations. Guest curator Karl Fritsch dived into the Driving Creek collection to piece this exhibition together. It includes a selection of Barry Brickell’s pots, paintings, writings and schemings, as well as work from Barry’s friends and contemporaries. NOTTAPOTTA is a must see if you want an insight into Barry’s inner workings. It runs until the end of February at Driving Creek, a good excuse to pay us a visit!
The artists’ village here at Driving Creek has been full to the brim with residents. The residency programme has been slowly gaining traction over the past few years. In 2024 we hosted over 50 artists from around the motu and from as far afield as India, Poland and Alaska. Residency spots for 2025 are full through to the end of September but applications for the last quarter of the year are open until the end of March so get in quick! Head to our website for more details: drivingcreek.nz/artists-in-residence
Our pottery courses have so far proved a hit with students. They report learning much quicker with our five day intensive blocks than with night classes or once-weekly format courses. Each course has a maximum of five students per tutor and offers the chance to fully immerse yourself in the Driving Creek environs, a muddy retreat of sorts.
If you’re ready to take the leap, Callum is teaching a Five Day Advanced Throwing course in mid February. This is a new offering in our course lineup and is designed for more experienced potters who are ready to take on larger forms and more challenging techniques on the wheel. We continue to host a range of intensive courses for all skill levels and we also have some exciting guest potters lined up for 2025 so keep your eyes peeled for more details! Head to our website or scan the QR code for more information and bookings: drivingcreek.nz/activities/workshops
For a few years now, we have been running a lot of classes to raise funds and complete our renovations and replace our kilns and wheels. Now we’ve achieved that, we have paused our night classes for the public to focus on classes and workshops for our members that are affordable, teach new skills or build confidence.
Starting on 8th February, we have a “Beyond the Basics” 4-week wheel workshop with Ruth Vickers to start us off for the New Year.
We are also looking at bringing in visiting potters this year, so keep an eye out!
Flora & Fauna Exhibition
Running through to 14 February, our Flora & Fauna Exhibition is on now! See it at the Pot House, at the Tauranga Historic Village, 17th Ave, Tauranga.
Coming Up! A Call for Potters – Collaborative Exhibition
Our collaborative ‘A Potters Mark’ Exhibition, anticipated for May, will be open to potters from across Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Central North Island to come together and celebrate the stories behind their work. In this exhibition potters will tell the life stories behind their pottery, answering the deeper questions as to why people ‘pot’, and allowing the community a glimpse into how the art of pottery can be a space for rehabilitation and connection.
This will be held at the Rotorua Arts Village and will be free of charge for potters to enter. If you would like to be contacted with more details please contact Danni on rotoruapottersworkshops@gmail.com.