Following the success of the first two years, Potfest is pleased to announce its return to the south west at Motcombe Turnpike Showground on 3, 4 & 5 July from 10am – 4.30pm daily
Potfest South West will be held in the show field for the Gillingham and Shaftesbury country fair, just off the B3081, Shaftesbury to Gillingham Road.
Over 90 makers have been selected to showcase a wide and diverse range of work that is guaranteed to delight and inspire. Discover functional and decorative ceramics to suit all tastes and budgets and buy direct from the maker.
From the South Coast of England to the centre of Scotland
There are now ten Potfest events distributed through the year from April to November. Spanning the country from the south coast near Brighton, to Perth in Scotland, each show features the work of between 90 -110 potters who exhibit and sell their handmade ceramics.
Potfest is a fantastic day out – a popular event among ceramic enthusiasts, collectors, and members of the general public who are interested in pottery and ceramics. In addition to the exhibits, visitors have the chance to meet and talk with the artists themselves, and at the spring Penrith event there are also demonstrations, talks, and workshops by renowned potters and ceramicists.
“It’s very much a boom time for ceramics at the moment,” said organiser Matt Cox. “Post pandemic all of the shows in the last couple of years have absolutely exploded. I don’t know if that is partly to do with people becoming a little bit more craft focused over the pandemic or whether The Great Pottery Throwdown on TV has had an influence.”
During the pandemic, Potfest was one of the few arts festivals able to continue, as it was classed as an outdoor event because the sides of the marquees are kept open.
“The idea is that we hold the shows in beautiful places so it would seem an absolute waste to hold a show with such fantastic vistas but then put it inside a tent so you can’t see any of the surroundings,” said Matt.
“We always open the sides of the tents up, which meant that during the pandemic they were judged to be outdoor events and we were able to run all the way through.”
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