Our Team: Introducing Rebecca Catterall
Sunken Studio was setup by Rebecca in September 2016. A lot has happened. Here’s a Prezzi about Rebecca’s background and motivations.
Rebecca is the Company Director. She’s always been a maker/builder and became interested in ceramics at school. Rebecca studied ceramics at Staffordshire University and New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University and Lifelong Learning at the University of Leeds.
Rebecca has an interest in pattern, efficiency and sustainability - but has a pretty broad interpretation of how these terms could be applied and what they mean. She enjoys solving problems - albeit eccentric ones.
Rebecca is interested in craftsmanship, creativity, constructing and community. Pottery making is anthropological and Sunken Studio is concerned with how making can help us connect with each other and discover ourselves. Rebecca’s hope is that Sunken Studio will always embody all these values. It’s important that, as well as developing practical skills and conscientiously connecting with a material world, that Sunken Studio is social and humanistic.
Rebecca has a national and international exhibition profile. She has presented work in Korea, Germany, Australia, Belgium, France (Paris and Vallauris) and America (New York, Philadelphia, Arizona). She has also shown work at the Crafts Council, Galerie Pierre Marie Giraud, Carlin Gallery and Clara Scremini Gallery at DesignArt London. Her first solo show was held at XX International Biennale of Contemporary Ceramics, Vallauris, France. She has received several grants and awards including the under thirty-five prize at the XIX International Biennale of Contemporary Ceramics, France; the National Association of Ceramics in Higher Education Award for Excellence at Ceramic Art London and has been awarded a Grant for the Arts(Individual Award) and Craft Fellowship by the Arts Council England. Her work can be found in the collections of the World Ceramic Exposition Foundation, Korea; Musée Magnelli, France and Schein-Joseph International Museum of Ceramic Art. She is also featured in: Ceramic Glazes: The Complete Handbook (Doody, K., and Taylor, B., 2014), Breaking the Mould: New Directions in Ceramics (Hanaor, Z., 2007), The Workshop Guide to Ceramics(Hooson, D. and Quinn, A., 2012) and Ceramics: Tools and Techniques for the Contemporary Maker (Taylor, L., 2011).
As well as her ceramics practice she has always valued learning: she started working with community groups in the voluntary sector and then gradually moved into formal education. Rebecca is a fully qualified tutor in Lifelong Learning and she places importance on our shared capacity to constantly grow and advance. For 10 years she worked at Leeds Arts University with a team delivering the Diploma in Foundation Studies in Art and Design. In her role she supported students with developing skills relevant to a range of interests - architecture, theatre design, interior design, product, furniture, craft, jewellery and ceramics. She has also worked with undergraduates at Leeds Arts University and New York State College of Ceramics.
