The Academy team
Taz Pollard MA
Tutor/Technician/Person who pays the bills ;)
Taz teaches three of our general pottery classes; Tuesday & Thursday evenings and Wednesday mornings plus one-off workshops and masterclasses.
‘I have been teaching pottery for over twenty years from beginner right through to degree level. I was lucky enough to train at both Cardiff and Bath Universities for my BA (Hons) and MA and Plymouth for my PGCE. I started my career as a thrower but have moved on to large-scale coil-thrown work in recent years. My work has been exhibited around the world picking up the odd award along the way. I have been running The Ceramics Academy for the last 9 years. Teaching is my absolute passion and providing a safe and supportive place for people to be is paramount. I love it!’
Ruth
Tutor
Ruth teaches our Saturday taster workshops and one-off workshops.
'I studied in Fine Art and Furniture Design in York, so studios of any description are my happy place. I've worked as a street artist, photographer and Interior designer amongst other creative roles. My passion for all art is limitless but ceramics has my heart now. Anything from sculping to throwing I love it all and the freedom and endless possibilities of what you can do with clay is so exciting. Teaching has been an ambition of mine so I'm very excited to be a part of the Ceramics Academy team!'
Sarah
Business Manager/Technician
Sarah is one of our technicians and the Business Manager.
‘I really enjoy working at the academy and the variety that the two different roles bring. The natural organiser in me is balanced out through being creative! I fell in love with clay when I started lessons with Taz and now make from my small home studio. I currently make stoneware birds which are finished in a variety of designs using slip and transfers for underglaze decoration.’
Jo
Apprentice Technician/Social Media Marketer
Jo is our first Apprentice Technician, which she is doing alongside a Level 3 Diploma in Digital Marketing. Jo will also be running Children’s workshops for 7 - 13 yr old's, drop-in pottery and chat sessions on Friday mornings.
She is also an artist, children’s book author and illustrator, writing stories to promote social, and emotional learning. From a young age, Jo has loved being creative as a way of expressing herself. With bold colours and photo-realistic pet portraits - she hopes to help people feel those big emotions often masked to fit in and inspire others to take up a creative hobby to promote mental health.
You can see Jo’s art at www.joblakeart.co.uk
