Birds of Clay Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Welcome to Clay Connections, our short side series.

It's our first international chat! Today, Jane is speaking with Eva Masterman from Newcastle, England. 

Eva Masterman is an artist and educator working with clay for over 16 years, in both sculpture and collaborative participation. She is the founder of The Clay Commons, a developing organisation and podcast that explores clay as an agent for change and community studios as sites of emancipatory education and anticapitalist organising.

We chat about the changing face of clay education, the rise of the studio model, creating more inclusive communities and Eva's passion—creating a network of radical community clay studios outside the pressure of capitalism.

@evamasterman

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Talk to us via email birdsofclaypodcast@gmail.com or DM @birdsofclay_podcast.

Find us on Instagram
Rora @aurora_elwell
Jane @jane.orme.pottery

Welcome to Clay Connections, our short side series.

Today Jane visits Monte Lupo; an amazing clay studio and cafe that provide employment opportunities for artists living with a disability.

https://www.montelupoarts.org.au/
https://www.instagram.com/montelupoarts/

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Talk to us via email birdsofclaypodcast@gmail.com or DM @birdsofclay_podcast.

Find us on Instagram
Rora @aurora_elwell
Jane @jane.orme.pottery

Today we are at Rora's place and we are taking a deep dive into Kilns! Rora has a Gas Kiln and Jane has an Electric Kiln, we both got them second hand and have had our challenges. We are no experts, just sharing what we have learnt along the way. 

Have something to add or a question? Talk to us via email birdsofclaypodcast@gmail.com or Instagram @birdsofclay_podcast.

Find us on Instagram
Rora @aurora_elwell
Jane @jane.orme.pottery

Our first interview!!!

In this episode we are interviewing the all time great human Peta Berghofer.  We speak about many topics including working with clay, inspiration and design processes, teaching and artist residencies.

Peta Berghofer is an Australian artist based on Giabal and Jarowair lands/Toowoomba, Queensland. Working with clay as her medium and the vessel as her form, Peta creates both ceramic sculptures and functional wares for daily use. Her work references historically familiar form and function, but she disrupts these expectations of traditional vessel-based, ceramic art practices. 

Whether functional or functionless, Peta’s self-referential ceramics are most often presented as the same body of work, exhibited as abstracted still-life installations. Here she plays with distinctions between gallery and domestic spaces, engaging with historic and contemporary tensions between art, craft, and design.

Check out Peta's work below
https://www.petaberghofer.com/
https://www.instagram.com/petaberghofer/

Please reach out if you have any questions or ideas for Birds of Clay. 

You can get in contact with us birdsofclaypodcast@gmail.com or Instagram @birdsofclay_podcast.

Find us on Instagram
Rora @aurora_elwell
Jane @jane.orme.pottery

Setting Goals for 2024 - where we're going in 2024, what we want to explore and how to find joy in the things we struggle with (including more reclaim chats - it seems to be an ever-present subject for us both!).

Please reach out if you have any questions or ideas for Birds of Clay. 

You can get in contact with us birdsofclaypodcast@gmail.com or Instagram @birdsofclay_podcast.

Find us on Instagram
Rora @aurora_elwell
Jane @jane.orme.pottery

Welcome to the Birds of Clay Podcast! 

Episode 2 is the part two to our introductions.  We go into more detail about where we exactly are in the world (the famous Lockyer Valley!) and what's going on for us right now.  Again, this was recorded late 2023, it's taken a while to learn how to edit and use all the tech.  We'll catch up soon!

The group show we spoke about is on now. If you are in the Toowoomba, Queensland region you can check it out at Rosalie Gallery Goombungee until 3 March 2024 https://events.tr.qld.gov.au/events-by-category/exhibition/120466/exhibition-terrain.

Please reach out if you have any questions or ideas for Birds of Clay. 

You can get in contact with us birdsofclaypodcast@gmail.com or Instagram @birdsofclay_podcast.

Find us on Instagram
Rora @aurora_elwell
Jane @jane.orme.pottery

Welcome to the Birds of Clay Podcast! 

Episode 1 is just a little introduction to who we are and our clay journeys.  We are good chatters so our intro will be over two episodes.  It's also taken us a while to get here so we are living in the past (we recorded late 2023) but everything is still relevant. We'll catch up soon!

Please reach out if you have any questions or ideas for Birds of Clay. 

You can get in contact with us birdsofclaypodcast@gmail.com or Instagram @birdsofclay_podcast.

Find us on Instagram
Rora @aurora_elwell
Jane @jane.orme.pottery

A little taste of what's to come - clay, chats and laughs!
Episode 1 coming soon...

Welcome to our short side series — Clay Connections!

In a new series of the podcast, we are focusing on wellbeing, community and creativity. We believe in the power of creativity to heal and bring people together.

In this first episode we talk about our own journeys with mental health, when clay becomes work, process vs outcome, imposter syndrome, teaching, community and boundaries.

If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help now, call triple zero (000). You can also call Lifeline on 13 11 14 — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

You can also find other supports here https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/mental-health-helplines

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Talk to us via email birdsofclaypodcast@gmail.com or DM @birdsofclay_podcast.

Find us on Instagram
Rora @aurora_elwell
Jane @jane.orme.pottery

This week we were joined by Rachel North, an educator and multi-disciplinary artist working on Yuggera Ugarapul Country. Rachel's work explores the complex connections between landscape and memory. Using ceramics, painting and textiles to communicate her conceptual ideas, Rachel tells us how her practice has evolved over time to cross creative disciplines and deepen her understanding of how place can hold and hinder memory.

Rachel tells us about her experiences as an arts educator of the next generation and how she engages her students with the medium of clay. Lastly we ask Rachel how to begin working on a big project, and what's her piece of advice for other makers?

Keep in touch with Rachel and see her latest work here: @maple_and_raven_studio 
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Talk to us via email birdsofclaypodcast@gmail.com or DM @birdsofclay_podcast.

Find us on Instagram
Rora @aurora_elwell
Jane @jane.orme.pottery