British Ceramics Biennial

British Ceramics Biennial A biennial showcase of contemporary ceramics in Stoke-on-Trent, running alongside year-round programming with artist residencies, commissions and learning.

Next biennial: 2027 British Ceramics Biennial is the UK’s premiere contemporary ceramics festival that takes place in Stoke-on-Trent. BCB presents art-works from the UK’s leading ceramicists alongside international artists, in exhibitions and special events held across the city. BCB is underpinned by an exciting year-round programme of artists’ commissions, education and community engagement projects.

23/06/2026

Come on a field trip with the BCB team!

We were invited to visit Phoenix Tile Studio to see how they extrude, cut, and decorate their tiles, as one of the last large-scale tile manufacturers still producing in the UK. Sarah Watson, who owns Phoenix Tiles and its parent company Balineum, showed us around the factory and walked us through their entire process.

Their speciality is tube lining, a decorating technique that uses clay slip to create pattern outlines that form a barrier between different colours of glaze. This creates sharp, defined lines in the pattern, meaning you can use many different colours on a single tile without it getting muddy.

Thank you to Sarah and the rest of the Phoenix Tile team for a lovely and insightful visit.

☀️ When the heat wave hits... Which BCB artwork are you in this hot weather?1. 'My Inner Beasts' by Malene Hartmann Rasm...
23/06/2026

☀️ When the heat wave hits...

Which BCB artwork are you in this hot weather?

1. 'My Inner Beasts' by Malene Hartmann Rasmussen, BCB 2017. Credit Joel Fildes
2. 'Same Same But Different' by Sam Lucas, BCB 2019. Credit Jenny Harper
3. 'Movement Phases' by Catalin Filip, BCB 2025. Credit Jenny Harper
4. 'Systems of Production' by Michael Wild, BCB 2015. Credit Joel Fildes
5. 'Just Be There' by Johnny Vegas and Emma Rodgers, BCB 2025. Credit Jenny Harper

Clay Together is back with more workshops ✨These monthly workshops, held on the second Sunday of each month, will enable...
22/06/2026

Clay Together is back with more workshops ✨

These monthly workshops, held on the second Sunday of each month, will enable children and young people with care experience to get creative with clay. For July, the theme will be urban wildlife such as foxes, cats, birds and more.

Clay Together is a programme of creative clay sessions, designed especially for care-experienced children and young people and their carers. It provides a safe and welcoming space at the BCB Studio in Stoke-on-Trent, where they can explore clay, build confidence and connect with others.

Learn more and book your place on our website 👉 https://ow.ly/E9BB50ZffOt

The Clay Together programme was made possible through generous donations from local philanthropists via the 2026 Big Give Arts for Impact campaign backed by Arts Council England.

Great news 🌟Due to the range of interest in our open call for Living Heritage Heroes, we have extended the deadline and ...
19/06/2026

Great news 🌟

Due to the range of interest in our open call for Living Heritage Heroes, we have extended the deadline and removed the age threshold to welcome more applicants.

If you've been thinking about applying, now is your chance! Whether you worked on the factory floor, in decoration, mould-making, painting, packing, gilding or design, your experience matters. No prior experience of arts or heritage projects is required to get involved in this intergenerational heritage project.

We are looking for people who:
-Have highly specialised industrial ceramic skills refined over many years
-Are keen to share your expertise and stories
-Are available to attend weekly sessions in Stoke-on-Trent on Wednesday afternoons from 1-4pm

For more information and expressions of interest, please contact: [email protected]

Our Time, Our Place, Our Heritage is led by Stoke Creates in partnership with British Ceramics Biennial, funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, made possible by National Lottery players. The project runs from April 2026 to February 2027.



📷
1: Burleigh Applies Technology to Tissue Print, Alison Howel, BCB 2017. Credit Joel Fildes
2: FACTORY, Neil Brownsword with Rita Floyd, performative installation, British Ceramics Biennial 2021. Credit Jenny Harper
3: FACTORY, Neil Brownsword with Anthony Challinor, British Ceramics Biennial 2021. Credit Joel Fildes

For those who prefer to feel the paper under your fingertips when you read: Did you know you can get the research public...
18/06/2026

For those who prefer to feel the paper under your fingertips when you read: Did you know you can get the research publication for Waste to Resource sent to you as a newspaper?

From 2024-2026, BCB commissioned a research project exploring the creative reuse of construction spoil clay, carried out by BCB Researcher Claire Baily.

This research examines existing uses of construction clay spoil, as well as new and potential uses by artists, creative organisations and industry. It examines circular economy practices at a variety of scales, culminating in a published research document and a conference at the 2025 Biennial.

To disseminate the research findings, a beautifully designed, high-resolution, full-colour newspaper has been published. It shares learning gathered through research, case studies and collaborative exchange. Its purpose is to raise awareness, support knowledge exchange and encourage further research and experimentation.

There are two ways to get your limited edition newspaper:

1. Pick up your free copy from the BCB Studio in Stoke-on-Trent. They will be available on Mondays and Thursdays from 4-6pm. 118 & 124 Church Street, ST4 1BU.

2. Get a copy posted to you. The research publication is free, but we do ask you to cover our costs via a donation.

-If your postal address is in the UK, we ask for a minimum donation of £3.50
-If your postal address is outside of the UK we ask for a minimum donation of £6

Once you have made your donation, email your donation receipt, along with your postal address, to [email protected].

is 'Rare Earth Rising' by Mella Shaw. Mella received the BCB Award Prize in 2023 and returned to BCB 2025 to present a...
17/06/2026

is 'Rare Earth Rising' by Mella Shaw.

Mella received the BCB Award Prize in 2023 and returned to BCB 2025 to present a new body of work. The installation of large hand-built structures and dramatic lighting explores the ethics and impact of harvesting polymetallic nodules and its devastating effect on marine life and carbon absorption.

Incorporated into her work, Mella has used clay sourced from the deep-sea bed of the South Pacific Ocean at a site rich in polymetallic nodules. The gold leaf she used was taken from recycled sources, drawing attention to the futility of mining for new material when there is already enough in circulation.

📷 Jenny Harper

New writing prize championing critical voices in ceramics launched as BCB marks its 10th edition.We're proud to be partn...
17/06/2026

New writing prize championing critical voices in ceramics launched as BCB marks its 10th edition.

We're proud to be partnered with Ceramic Review and State Ceramics for the Eileen Lewenstein Prize – a new award recognising excellence in critical writing about ceramics and clay art.

The prize arrives at a significant moment: BCB 2027 will be our 10th Biennial, and the commission offered to the winner will form part of that landmark programme.

The winner will receive:
-£4,000 cash prize
-Additional paid commission from British Ceramics Biennial for BCB 2027
-Publication in Ceramic Review
-Mentoring support

Two runners-up will receive £500, and the winner will be announced at Ceramic Art London 2027. Applications are free and can be submitted via the Ceramic Review website.

Closing date: 28 February 2027
Find out more and how to apply 👉 https://ow.ly/X1qt50ZcHeJ



📷
1 & 3: British Ceramics Biennial 2025. Credit Jenny Harper
2: Eileen Lewenstein, one of the founding editors of Ceramic Review magazine. Image: courtesy of Ceramic Review, ceramicreview.com

🌈 BCB is back at Stoke On Trent Pride for 2026 🏳️‍🌈Take part in our free, hands-on clay workshop and have a go at making...
16/06/2026

🌈 BCB is back at Stoke On Trent Pride for 2026 🏳️‍🌈

Take part in our free, hands-on clay workshop and have a go at making your own rolled clay figure, inspired by the work of William Ruscoe, a Stoke-born potter, educator and author who popularised the rolled figure technique. Explore and celebrate the pottery, makers and communities of Stoke-on-Trent. The figures will come together as part of a display to create a People’s Forum, promoting a clay community that everyone can be part of.

📆 Saturday 20 June, 3-5pm
📍 Arts Zone at Stoke-on-Trent Pride in Hanley Park (near the bandstand)

Stoke-on-Trent Pride is from 12-6pm and has stalls, activities, food and live music throughout Hanley Park.


📷 Jenny Harper

15/06/2026

We're exploring the places that make Stoke-on-Trent special. Next up: Burleigh Pottery ⭐

The BCB marketing team continues with our mission to visit landmark venues in Stoke-on-Trent that highlight arts & culture or city heritage. This time, we went to the Burleigh factory, based at Middleport Pottery.

We met with Jemma Baskeyfield, their Brand Marketing Manager and company historian, who gave us a tour of the factory. Burleigh is the last remaining manufacturer in the UK that does tissue paper transfer printing, using original equipment from when the factory was built in the 1880's.

Thank you to Jemma and the rest of the Burleigh team for a wonderful visit.

From the 'Life, Death and that moment in-between' by James Duck, Fresh 2015 artist.Built as a comment upon the rise of ...
13/06/2026

From the

'Life, Death and that moment in-between' by James Duck, Fresh 2015 artist.

Built as a comment upon the rise of disposability and the death of craft, this vending machine contained hundreds of loosely thrown, minimal porcelain vessels that smashed anything purchased. It was a sculpture, collection, exhibition and performance; a monolithic portrait of consumerism.


📷 Joel Fildes

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