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A kiln is central to any pottery workshop and the current large kiln at the Star Pottery has been an important resource to potters in the local community over the last 20 years. Those who have benefitted during this time include literally hundreds of children, amateur adults and professional potters in the area. After such heavy use, the kiln is now rapidly deteriorating and it needs to be urgently replaced.
About us
Mohamed Hamid started the Star Pottery in 1989 and so 2019 will see the pottery celebrating its milestone 30th anniversary. The Star Pottery is a thriving resource in which Mohamed not only produces his own highly sought after pieces but he also manages the workshop enabling an enormous number of people to take classes and further their own practice. These include:
- 50 adults a week
- Children’s term time classes
- Children’s and adults holiday classes
- Monthly taster session days for beginners to try out the craft of throwing.
- 10 associate potters (enthusiasts professionals and semi-professional potters using the space )
- Firing work of local potters and ceramicists.
IMAGES: work made in the children's classes
The workshop also provides:
- Employment for several staff.
- A gallery and selling platform to encourage professional development.
- A vital source of creative therapy for many people.
- A community and support network for local makers.
The presence of the Star Pottery in Lewes is hugely important, to have a highly skilled potter, teacher and workshop of such quality in the centre of Lewes is an amazing asset for the town. Without the large kiln, the Star Pottery cannot continue to function. Please help us raise enough to replace this kiln so that we can keep the workshop alive!
TESTIMONIALS
Before I became a student at Star Pottery, I knew of Mohamed. I admired his work and knew of him as a respected craftsman in Lewes and more widely in East Sussex. I didn't know, until I joined a class, that Mohamed is also a gifted teacher who gives generously of his time and his expertise. I have benefitted from this for four years, have had huge fun and learned a lot, my granddaughter recently attended a holiday class for children where she made several bowls and an elephant! She was thrilled. To have such an accessible studio pottery in Lewes is a real tangible benefit to the town. The atmosphere Mohamed generates supports creative expression and well-being for young and old students alike. It's no exaggeration to say that the Star Pottery is life enriching. Jean Gould, Tuesday morning class
Mohamed has a talent for bringing out the best in people, and for bringing people together. Walking round Lewes it is hard to go more than 100m without seeing some of Mohamed's own work on display as house names and numbers, and it is not an exaggeration to say that everyone who lives in Lewes knows Mo, as he is so much a part of the community. Bonnie Metherell, Thursday evening class
I have been attending evening classes at the Star Pottery since September 2017, having searched long and hard for a place to learn throwing on the wheel (such places I found to be few and far between in Sussex.) He and his team run a brilliant studio and work is always prepped and ready for the next process, allowing the maximum time to be hands-on with the clay and, therefore, to develop quickly. That he has been making and teaching in the space for nigh on 30 years is a testament to his skills as a teacher and craftsman and the very real need for such a place to exist. The Star Pottery is a brilliant place. Long may it continue. Lizzie Lower, Tuesday evening class
Mohamed has a rare ability to instruct both students who want to take their pottery to a more professional level, as well as being able to encourage real creativity in those who have never had artistic opportunities in their lives. On the odd occasion, I have dropped into children’s classes I have been really impressed by the focus and concentration in the young students and also the very high quality of some of the work which comes from those children’s groups. The Star Pottery is a vital resource for the town – please help to support this very important fund. Gill Kay, Friday morning class
Image: Teapots made by Mohamed Hamid
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