- Suitable for ages 12+. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
- The price options for this workshop are: £15 or £30. Please read the pricing guidance below.
- There are 12 places available each session.
- The workshops will last approx 2 hours
Explore the ceramic decorative technique of ‘sgraffito’ – a technique that involves scratching through the surface of an object to reveal the contrasting colour beneath
Sheffield-based artist “Mr Ben” will demo the process and provide advice and inspiration during the workshop.
You can take inspiration from Ben’s work, featuring undeniably Northern imagery and the life of fells and valleys, or create your own unique designs.
After you have finished creating your piece, it will be fired in Ben’s workshop and delivered directly to your door.
Presented in partnership with Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery.
Workshop Information
The workshop is taking place on the ground floor of Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery by the South Asian Gallery – access is via the main entrance on Museum Street. The venue has a lift operating to all floors of the building and a ramp at the entrance.
Please arrive at the venue 10 minutes before the workshop. Unfortunately your place may be allocated to a participant on the waiting list in the event of late arrival.
Advanced booking required.
Pricing Guidance
We are offering this workshop on a ‘pay what you feel’ basis, with the option to select the price that feels most appropriate to you. Whatever price you choose will give you the same experience.
The price options are: £15 or £30
No proof of status is required – it is self administered on a trust basis. We hope those who can will pay the standard ticket price, and the affordable options will be accessed by those who need them.
The National Festival of Making is delivered through a combination of public funding, partnerships, sponsorship and ticket income. Revenue from ticket sales is reinvested into Festival of Making CIC to support the delivery of future commissions, workshops, talks and cultural programmes, helping us keep much of the festival free and accessible to all.
To see what else is going on over the festival weekend, click here.
About Benjamin Hall
Benjamin Hall – otherwise known as Mr Ben – is a ceramicist, painter and songwriter. After teaching himself in an old barn next to his childhood home the unmistakable imprint of the fells and valleys of his native Westmorland became indelibly furrowed into clay, canvas and song.
Today Ben occupies a thriving pottery studio affectionately known as ‘The Melody Shed’ in the heart of Sheffield’s old engraving district. Hall’s visual work ranges from humble tableware to beguiling illustrative vases, jars and oil paintings.
Traditional ‘Sgraffito’ is at the heart of the ceramic decoration, with handmade tools carving intricate landscapes and poetry written by Ben into a variety of slipped vessels. Hall’s love of regional dialect and knack for a lyrical turn of phrase comes to life through the tactile engraving process, merging his physical work with the literary.