Mudbelly Teaches is an educational space rooted in Black queer feminist values, seeking an intimate, reciprocal approach to learning.

Guided by these politics—and shaped by lived experience—we offer free classes for Black people to explore ceramics, taught by Black artists and potters, across a range of locations and formats in London.

We are excited by the holistic potential of ceramics—recognising the therapeutic and spiritual benefits of working with clay. We believe that intentional spaces like this are necessary in the overwhelmingly white and classist ceramics industry in the UK, to help disrupt the systemic barriers to access caused by endemic racism. We rejoice in the profound possibilities of learning alongside one another.

Our courses aim to cultivate a system of care, offering support where possible to help students attend—this may include help with travel, childcare, disability access, translation, or other needs. The kind of support we offer varies depending on our funding, but we always aim to be thoughtful about what’s needed to make the space genuinely welcoming and accessible.

A growing Mudbelly Teaches Library will be available during each course, offering books to lend with a focus on ceramics and artists of African and Caribbean descent. We hope to nurture the intellectual exchange and quiet, tacit dialogues that making art can inspire.

While our primary courses are held in London, previous years have included workshops in Brooklyn, New York (hosted by Picture Room), and at Two Queens in Leicester. Keep following for updates—and sign up to our newsletter below to receive news about future courses.