Wedge Studio: A Contemporary Creative Space

Aim

We need YOUR help to build a community art space containing a ceramics studio; jewellery workbenches; and a communal creative space.

**UPDATED 13th April**

We've had so many requests for private/corporate parties and also lost of new interest on our charity scheme that we've decided to add an extra week to the Crowdfunder to get as many of these workshops funded as possible!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT! We're so excited to open really soon!

THIS IS OUR MISSION

To promote creativity in the community by creating an inclusive, accessible space for a diverse range of people to explore pottery. 

Are you in?

(PS - the main picture is us collecting a kiln from a studio in Bideford last summer. It's now at the studio waiting for you! Look how happy we are!)

WHY WE ARE HERE

There is a lack of readily accessible creative space in Cornwall in general and Newquay in particular. There's a array of hot-desking opportunities springing up, but not so much for those working sans laptop. Those who want to get into creative making – either for business or pleasure – either have to create space at home or hire out and fit a whole studio or their own, which is unlikely to be a viable prospect except for those already trained and committed to pottery as a business (and stacking the cash).

This presents an affordability issue for young businesses and folk who need access to space and potentially expensive equipment, but are not in the financial position to invest in their own studio; and an access issue for those seeking to try out creative hobbies but who can’t/don’t want to invest in financially prohibitive equipment for something that won't necessarily be returning revenue. 

Especially in the pandemic era, many people’s access to funds for supposed’ luxuries’ which we think are in fact are more often essential wellbeing and creative tools, has become very limited. By offering an inclusive, well priced space, communal equipment and a range of access options to suit all budgets and types of commitment, we want to remove the social/financial barriers that often keep creative pursuits restricted to well-off, middle-class sectors of the community. 

We are committing to a permanent rolling offer of one-off events and classes to ensure continued diversity and opportunities that welcome new faces to the space, even if memberships/courses become full. 

WHAT IS WEDGE?

Wedge is a community studio and creative workspace that helps people explore pottery for business, for wellness, and for the sheer fun of it. 

We offer a broad-spectrum, inclusive blend of physical tools, entrepreneurial support and social space for makers, families and communities, with curated space for business incubation, artistic workshops and wellbeing offerings. 

In practice this looks like a range of pottery courses and one-off workshops, plus a membership programme for regular users and individual studio cubicles for young pottery businesses establishing their first production runs. 

We’ll also be offering business tools including lectures and seminars on PR, business finance, wholesaling and more.

WHY NOW?

The boundaries between career, hobby and side hustle are becoming ever more blurred. A career for life is no longer even a consideration for the majority of working age people in the UK; whilst having just one job seems an increasingly antiquated concept to those under 40. Blended careers that stretch us in new ways, encourage us to learn and utilise a broader range of skills, and yes - ensure we get the bills paid in an ever more uncertain economy, have become normalised.

It started with eBay, Etsy, NotOnTheHighStreet - crafting, creating, making has gained new resonance in a world where a side income is no longer just about pulling pints or working nights. So many activities and creative hobbies fit nicely into spare room or shed - and to an extent, pottery and jewellery-making are among them. 

But in these modalities where expensive equipment, high utility bills and a whole lot of mess may make home work prohibitive beyond a certain point, access and expansion are necessary steps for progression, maybe even to reach a place where that side-hustle starts to pay the mortgage. 

WHY COMMUNITY IS KEY
Wedge isn’t just a commercially focused space however - it offers an outlet for creativity and mindful relaxation. In a post-pandemic world, our home lifestyle landscape has changed forever. The importance of hobbies, of mindful activity, of navigating solitude and of finding new, constructive, inspiring ways to fill our free time has never been so important. Just ask all those sourdough bakers and lockdown knitting fans.

And that word - SOLITUDE, is so important. More than ever, communities are needed to hold each other. Wellbeing groups need places to hold events and gatherings. Those who are struggling below a living wage or are in other ways marginalised, need additional support to be heard, to self-express, and to self care. Mindful activity, especially when shared in community, is the perfect tool to support these needs. 

NOT INTO GETTING DIRTY?

We will be utilising part of the space short term to host events, corporate offerings and other activities to introduce the community to the space and raise awareness of what we're up to and future expansion plans. So even if you don't want to make something, you can definitely BUY a vase, plate or mug. We all need those! We've already had a whole bunch of amazing folk get in touch, from surf therapy groups to retreats, mobile saunas, coffee trucks, vintage markets and more. We're also super stoked to curate our own monthly Sunday morning Pot Shop market, showcasing both the work coming out of the studio and that of other local makers.

These events could include:

Supper clubs / Pop-up markets / Seminars / Film nights / Art installations / Photography / Press launches / Book clubs / Wellbeing events 

We're open to ideas. All of them.

WHO ARE WE?

Andy is a keen hobbyist potter with a penchant for kintsugi. A professional nerd (he owns web development studio and works with some major social enterprises and charities), he began studying pottery at night school 4 years ago, and quickly became fascinated with form, texture and the chemistry of colour. The benefits of time spent in creativity alongside the running of his tech business were immediately clear to him, and after completing his initial training, he started potting out of the garage on a second hand kickwheel. 

Andy’s own search for collaborative or community workspace to continue his pottery journey cast a spotlight on the market gap, and he’s been focused on finding a building in which to plant the seeds of Wedge ever since.

Janie has been running creative businesses since the mid 2000s; she worked with some of the planet's most recognisable brands and fashion houses before launching her own art buying/production company in 2012. Her clients included Net-a-Porter, ASOS, Dior, Matches Fashion and Topshop. 

After relocating to Cornwall in 2017, Janie embraced a new career in wellbeing, dusting off her yoga certification and launching Silence & Noise, an in-demand business specialising in sound therapy which continues to flourish across the southwest. During the 2020 lockdown she created a new wellbeing brand called Rock & Ritual and after a successful online launch she opened a bricks and mortar retail space in Newquay.

Janie is an absolute novice when it comes to pottery (although she did study jewellery design, once upon a moon) - and is very excited to get started with the beginners course!

(this lilith-in-chains pot is an Andy Foley original, photographed on our kitchen table)

WHO IS WEDGE FOR?

Our people are simply interested in creativity, either as a hobby, a business, for learning, or for wellbeing and mental health. The nature of our course offerings means that we will have options available for age ranges from kids aged 5+ all the way through to retirees. We will be structuring our courses and classes to be broad-spectrum and inclusive, so that we have a deep reach within the community. 

* hobbyist potters/jewellers

* hobbyists looking to grow a small business

* potters/jewellers in stage one of their business 

(ie. outgrown home but not yet ready for a solo space)

* total beginners looking for new activities

* kids and teenagers

* wellbeing & community organisations

* local businesses (corporate events)

FROM US TO YOU

We believe in Wedge and the need for this space so much that we've poured everything we have into it. We put a deposit down on the studio in Nov 2020 and have waited until February 2022 to finally move in - and we KNOW it's going to be worth the wait. We want to create a truly democratic, inspiring, collaborative space, and we want you to come along with us.

If nothing else, it's worth a Ghost moment, right? 

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING

We can talk about Wedge - a LOT - but there are lots of other people loving this concept too. Here's what some of them have to say:

"What Wedge have created I believe will play an integral role in boosting a new wave of Cornish artists careers. It's so rare to find facilities like these outside of doing a prescribed course. Having access to the workshop space will allow me to develop my work further and place it within Cornwall. I've been living in London for the past 10 years and am looking forward to coming back to Cornwall to continue my work now I know there's a community of people there to support one another." - Jessica

This project successfully funded on 11th May 2022