01 September 2026

Open Doors: Ten Years of Govanhill Baths Ceramics

In 2016, a free pop-up hand-building class opened in the closed Govanhill Baths: one kiln, a makeshift studio and a handful of curious neighbours. Ten years on, that single class has grown into Pottery Club: a thriving community of around 50 weekly members, working alongside master tutors, sessional artists and independent ceramicists in a fully equipped, four-kiln studio.

This exhibition marks that anniversary, and it belongs to the people who built it. The work on display comes from Pottery Club members, masterclass tutors, sessional workers and local potters who fire their pieces here at The Deep End. Among them are makers who began as complete beginners and now teach others – exactly the kind of journey the studio was created to support.

A highlight is a new commission, Around the Table, curated by Danielle McFadyen, a collaborative tableware piece made specially for this show by Pottery Club members. It will be auctioned to raise funds for the Baths, continuing a tradition of art and activism that runs through everything we do.

Look closely and you’ll see the range: technical throwing alongside first attempts at hand-building; raku experiments from specialist firings; and heritage-inspired tile work exploring techniques once close to disappearing from Glasgow. Much of this has been made possible through masterclasses and training supported by the Goldsmiths’ Foundation. These have brought leading ceramicists into the studio to share their knowledge of decorative techniques, sculpture and advanced throwing, while creating free places for people who might otherwise never have had the opportunity to touch clay.

Govanhill is one of Scotland’s most diverse neighbourhoods, and this studio is the only civic ceramics space of its kind in Glasgow. At a time when opportunities to learn creative and technical skills are shrinking, this work matters. Centuries of accumulated knowledge and technique are at risk of being lost if no one is supported to inherit them.

Govanhill Baths Ceramics begins with a simple conviction: talent is everywhere, but pathways into the craft and creative industries are narrowing – particularly for people from underrepresented backgrounds. We exist to open those pathways: whether someone is touching clay for the first time, developing a sustained practice, or progressing towards teaching and professional work.

What you are looking at is not a finished product, but a living practice: ten years of clay passing through hundreds of hands, in a building reclaimed by the community that uses it. Together, we are helping to create a thriving neighbourhood ecosystem in which inherited knowledge, craft excellence and technical innovation can generate exceptional opportunities for the next generation of makers.

United We Will Swim!

Pieces marked for sale support both their makers and the future of this studio.

This exhibition has been generously supported by the Goldsmiths’ Foundation