Arts Council Wales Funded Mill Creek Pottery Apprenticeship

I am thrilled to announce some very exciting news that has been in the pipeline for some time. From February 2023 I will be moving to Mill Creek Pottery, Pawnee, Illinois for 18 months to join wood-firing potter Simon Levin as his next apprentice. Simon has been running a prestigious apprenticeship programme since 2004 and after being invited to Wisconsin to join his annual anagama workshop in July 2022, I’m delighted to have been accepted as his next (25th) apprentice. 

Simon fell in love with wood-firing in 1993 and in 2013 was a Fulbright Senior Scholar in Taiwan exploring the potential of local materials. He has been a visiting artist, lecturer and kiln builder at The China Academy of the Arts in Hangzhou and is regularly invited to build kilns and run workshops all over the US. As well as running the apprenticeship programme, in 2020 he began Clay Cohorts, year-long mentoring programmes to support artists.

I’m over the moon to have been successful for a ‘Create’ grant from Arts Council Wales to fund this professional development programme. ‘Create’ is a National Lottery funded grant which supports the development and creation of high quality arts experiences. Through this support I will be able to share my new learning with project partners across Wales and raise awareness of the international wood-firing community. I’m also grateful to the North American Wales Foundation for their generosity in providing financial assistance as well as International Arts and Artists who have sponsored my US visa.

Looking forward very much to sharing this journey with you! Edrych ymlaen at rannu'r daith yma hefo chi!