STOKING CURIOSITY | SHORT REPORT 2018
REPORT OVERVIEW
WHY DID THE FESTIVAL TAKE PLACE? WHERE WAS THE FESTIVAL HELD?
First planned following Stoke-on-Trent’s 2021 City of Culture
bid, Stoking Curiosity is a festival of ideas to share what we
know and learn from each other by thinking, talking, looking,
making, and doing things together. Stoking Curiosity was held at the historic Spode pottery
site in the town of Stoke. Spode is a great example
of creativity and research, science and art in the city.
Stoking Curiosity set out to:
• Shine a light on Stoke-on-Trent
• Share University and Community research and projects
• Help people find out about local education, heritage,
projects and organisations
• Spark new ideas and partnerships
• Spode was the first pottery company to develop
underglaze transfer printing on earthenware and printed
‘Willow’ patterns, and a new type of porcelain known
as ‘bone china’ in the 1790s.
• It is still a lively creative place. Spode Museum Heritage
Trust, the Potbank hotel and events venue, ACAVA artist
studios, the Clay Foundation (British Ceramics Biennial),
Friends of Spode Rose Garden, CentreSpace Gallery,
and Paul Adamiec Ceramics are all based at Spode.
• Celebrate the ‘creativity at the heart of the city’
• Be positive and hopeful about the changes
we can make together
By offering a chance to:
• Academics to share their knowledge and learn
from people not connected with Universities and
to University managers to see the value of this
• Visitors to explore the arts, sciences and humanities
and research in creative ways to see how we can
all benefit from this.
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SPODE IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF
CREATIVITY AND RESEARCH,
SCIENCE AND ART IN THE CITY