Do you have some experience making ceramics by hand and would you like to attract native bees to your garden? This workshop, geared towards *intermediate-level ceramics practitioners, will be guided by award winning ceramic artist, Julie Bartholomew, to design and make beautiful ceramic bee habitat nests for your garden and to monitor the activity in the nest over the next year.
Presenting as part of Melbourne Design Week, Circular Ceramics for Native Bee Habitat is a one-day hands-on ceramics workshop with award winning ceramic artist Julie Bartholomew and is also the launch of a citizen-science project to attract native bees to urban gardens. Many Native Australian bees, particularly the Amegilla (Blue Banded Bee) like to build their nests in raw clay and are vulnerable for many reasons, not least the loss of suitable native bush habitat. The urban garden is not their most favoured habitat however they are excellent pollinators and how citizen science project is a way to test if Slow Clay Centre can help create suitable habitat from our waste clay. It’s potentially a win-win: to bring together ceramic clay waste whilst creating native bee habitat – which will also provide a model for other Australian ceramic studios too!
Our guest artist is the award-winning ceramic artist and bee-lover Julie Bartholomew, who will guide workshop participants to design and hand-build beautiful and appropriate native bee habitat structures that will be placed in participant’s gardens to monitor and report.
This workshop is Part One of a three-stage project. Part Two will be a panel discussion and forum with native bee scientists and habitat designers and Part Three will be the public launch of our model that will engage and empower local communities through primary schools to join the project. We will share the model with other large ceramic studios via a program of printed articles, digital platforms and social media, and provide an ongoing open-source project to encourage participation.
For clay makers *intermediate level and above and those able to join our citizen-science project to monitor the activity on the nests over a 12 month period. One intensive day, 17 May, at Slow Clay Centre. Limited spaces available.
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Early Bird (closes 5 April) : $265
Concession: Full time student/Unemployed cardholders: $275
Normal Price: $295
50% non-refundable deposit on booking/Balance due 3 weeks prior
Fee includes all materials, tuition and your finished piece can be collected a few weeks later ready to place in your garden!
*not suitable for complete beginners – please ask us before enrolling if you are unsure.
Slow Clay Centre
13 Keele St, Collingwood, Victoria
Tel: 03 99437844
Email: info@slowclay.com
About Julie Bartholomew:
Julie Bartholomew completed a PhD in 2006, Masters of Visual Arts in 1999 and previously, a Bachelor in Visual Arts from the University of Sydney. Julie has exhibited both nationally and internationally in Japan, Taiwan, China, Korea and New Zealand.
Julie was winner of the International Gold Coast Ceramics Award in 2006 and of has been the recipient of five major Australia Council for the Arts Grants, the Tokyo Studio Residency, the Australia-China Council Red Gate Residency in Beijing and the Asialink Taiwan Residency. Her work is in many collections including the National Gallery of Australia, the National Museum of Australia, the Shepparton Art Museum, Victoria, the Shanghai Arts and Crafts Museum, China and the WOCEK International Ceramics Collection, Korea and The Yingge Ceramics Museum, Taiwan.
The ceramics practice of Dr Julie Bartholomew has been inspired by cultural issues and social debates. Over her career, Julie has explored communication technology, global branding and female identity. Since 2010 her work has responded to environmental issues including the precarious existence of threatened Australian birds and flowers, the significance of ice core extraction from Antarctica and recently the declining population of bees.
Reviews of past workshops: “The Studio Practice Program at Slow Clay Centre is one of the best pottery related experiences I’ve had so far, it was a week packed with information with great teachers and guidance.”
“A great opportunity to pause and reflect on what motivates and inspires my practice”
“I loved my subjects. They tapped into a lovely creative headspace. As a creative professional, I did not think it was going over old ground as there is no limit to how much help we need generating creative ideas and getting unstuck.”
“I was most stimulated by the unlocking of new creative territories via my special object…”
“I was left itching to explore some of these ideas!”
Terms and conditions: A full refund is always given if we cancel. We do not give refunds for any other circumstances however we know life doesn’t always go to plan so please consider purchasing the refund insurance at the check-out gateway when you book online (Note refund insurance is not available when you book direct through our office). If you do not purchase refund insurance and we cannot find a replacement for you your fees paid will be forfeited. You are welcome to spread some love and give (or sell) your ticket to a friend – just let us know please. If we find a replacement we will create a credit note for your fees paid valid for two years. If we cannot find a replacement we will keep your payment but we can offer keep you in mind to offer you a spot in any future courses if there’s a vacancy. We will deduct the agent’s booking fees regardless.
Contact: Tel 03 99437844 Email: info@slowclay.com
Not interested this time? See examples of past subjects below and get on our mailing list to be informed before the next one!
- Summer School ’26: Vitality of Clay, Ceramics for Regenerative Practice with Pattie Beerens, Pie Bolton and Claire Ellis
- Spring School ’25: Unconventional Clay with Aaron Scythe, Trudy Golley, and Paul Leathers
- Spring School ’24: Thinking Tools for the Journey with Shannon Garson, Ben Richardson, and Jane Sawyer
- Winter School ’23: The Middle Glazes with Matt Katz
- Spring School ’22: Ceramics and Culture with Gary Mcphedran
- Touch-Respond: advanced wheel throwing with Jane Sawyer
- Winter School ’22: Surfacing with Janet DeBoos and Mould Making for Slip Casting with Gregory Bonasera
- Developing Personal Expression with Prue Venables/Pilar Rojas
- Setting Up Your Ceramics Studio with Jane Sawyer/ Alana Casey
- Clay, Kilns & Firing with Judith Roberts/Robert Barron/Pie Bolton/Janet DeBoos
- Ceramics in Context with Gary Mcphedran
- Glaze Development with Greg Daly/Pilar Rojas
- Concept and Meaning with Jane Sawyer
- Surface Design with Prue Venables
- Contemporary International Ceramics with Jane Sawyer
- Drawing for Design and Expression with Sarah Tomasetti
- Unleashing the Inner Critic with Jane Sawyer
- Design Basics with Simon Lloyd
- Design for Slip Casting with Somchai Charoen