27 September, 2025

Depot fires up new ceramics-painting venture

Attention to detail… Vauxhall School students Cami Pracy (10, in foreground) and Francesca McPherson (9) at work in the new ceramics studio

Depot Artspace is banking on bringing out the creativity in the Devonport community with a new venture giving people the chance to paint pottery.
The arts organisation has set up a ceramics studio at its 3 Victoria Rd hub and bought a kiln, which it launched to the public at a busy open day on Saturday. It hopes the venture will create a revenue stream, tapping into the market for children’s parties in particular, and bring more people into the gallery.
Adult groups can also book a guided session or individuals try their hand, even on a drop-in basis.
Attendees select unglazed “bisque” objects to paint and leave for firing and later collection. These range from coffee cups, tumblers, bowls and vases to decorative items, including cats and dragons.
“Depot Ceramics Studio is about more than painting pottery,” says Depot director Amy Saunders. “It’s about connection, to creativity, to community and to each other. We really want to bring people together through the art of making.”
She hoped it would bring more people into the gallery, already a vibrant space.
One of the resident artists with a studio upstairs in the leased premises, ceramicist Fiona Mackay, has helped guide the project’s establishment and the upskilling of Depot staff. A communal table seating up to 16 people has been installed at the back of the main gallery and a back room for children’s parties can fit up to 10.

For the opening day, the organisation also drew on the talents of participants in the Depot’s Arts Lab programme, which offers professional development and career guidance for creatives. Cellist Esther Lee played at the event. “It was really nice to be able to get them involved,” said Nick Edgar, a local contracted by the Depot to drive the studio’s establishment and initial marketing.
While the concept is similar to that offered by commercial operators, the studio’s aims are wider. “We want to generate revenue – to get it to pay for itself – but that profit would go back into supporting artists,” Edgar said.
The $8000 kiln was in a rear outbuilding, with shelving set up in another shed and the back of the main building for the pottery. Items will be available for pick-up within two weeks. Bisque prices start from $30.
Future workshops could offer the chance to make items from scratch, and the possibility of allowing home potters to use the kiln will also be considered.
Edgar has been in touch with several retirement villages about making a booking and he also sees the opportunity for work groups looking for team-building options. “It’s an all ages thing,” he says. “A place where you can connect or disconnect.”