Clay folke – find your centre

Clay Folke has opened up on Tontine Street in the former Adult Education clay studios.  Jez and Ellie, both ceramics tutors in different places in Kent, decided to work together to open the studio again for all to come and use.  Folkelife went to meet them to find out what’s available and when.

Jez: “Ellie used to be a tutor for the Adult Education centre in Deal, and I used to teach at St Lawrence College in Ramsgate.  KCC were closing down the AdEd studios and the equipment, if it doesn’t get salvaged, was just going to be skipped.  It costs a fortune to get this equipment removed, so it just didn’t make sense.

“I had been doing some AdEd classes in Deal and just got chatting with the folke there, and one thing lead to another.  Creative Folkestone own the building here on Tontine Street so we started to talk to them about taking on the studio.  Ellie then spoke to her line managers about us having the equipment as well.”

studio space

“Predominantly, what we are offering is studio space for people to use the equipment here.  We do have tutoring sessions too, but a lot of our customers want to have the space and use the equipment here.  It’s a lot to have your own wheel, and even more to have your own kiln.  So to be able to use the facilities here, makes pottery and ceramics more accessible to a wider group of people. 

“We can do basic one-to-one sessions to introduce people to the equipment, and we also run evening classes here through the week.  These aren’t incredibly structured sessions, but there’s support here if you need it. Then, there are also classes in blocks of eight weeks, so you can join up for specific projects.”

a community resource

“We have people from all walks of life coming here to use the facilities.  People come for some ‘me’ time, to have a bit of relaxation and meditative making.  And what you create doesn’t have to be perfect, by any means!

“Craft of any kind is a wellbeing thing.  Any form of making is a meditative process for many people.  It’s something that you need to anchor yourself during the week. Sadly, it seems that the provision to be able to make and create is getting smaller.”

open all hours

“During the day we have a lot of retirees, and self-employed people.  I guess they can work flexibly, and so having the option to be here then suits some. The evening sessions tend to have more younger people, and the induction sessions tend to be couples or family groups that want to have a go. During the school holidays then we do have a different dynamic, with parents and children coming to spend some time here as an activity to do together, which is really lovely to see.”

freedom sessions

“We have freedom sessions which mean you book for two hours, or four hours, and can use the place as you wish. We charge you for the clay you use, and anything you don’t gets reclaimed to be used again.  There are small costs for firing and glazes too.  Due to the nature of clays, we do like you to use our products here so that we can put the kiln on knowing everyone is working with the same clays and glazes.  

“We have groups that come in, all friends together, who come and make on a specific evening.  They are doing this as a social event, but also creating as they go.  Ellie and I are always around to ask if you are having any issues, but it’s good to have that moment to get immersed in the clay and see what you can create.”

the throw down

“Obviously, there is a little flurry of interest when the Throw Down is on, and that makes sense.  But clay is the sort of material, that once you see how versatile it is, and what you can make from it, it becomes addictive.  Making the same pot over and over again can be fun, and also doing completely different makes each time suits others.  It’s wonderful to watch what people create, and how much they enjoy the process.”