MUD: Artist Development Day
Description
Join artists and makers for MUD, a one-day artist development event exploring mud, wild clay, natural foraged pigments and earth-based creative practice.
Produced by Fife Contemporary with Perth UNESCO City of Craft and Folk Arts at St Andrews Botanic Garden, the day will bring together talks, practical activity, peer exchange and discussion around how artists can work creatively and responsibly with materials gathered from the land.
Together, these sessions will offer inspiration for new forms of practice while opening up conversation around care, safety, permissions and ecological impact.
Participants will gain insights into the innovative, provocative and thought-provoking work taking place in Scotland today. They will have space to consider foraging, care, safety and ecological impact while connecting with others interested in material, place and environmental practice.
What to expect
This opportunity is for artists, makers and creative practitioners interested in clay, mud, pigments, foraging, ecology, material research and place-based practice. The day will feature:
Artist talks, workshops and presentations from Siobhan McLaughlin, Becky Little, Susie Johnston, Sean Kingsley, Kevin Andrew Morris and Helen Gallogly, on working with wild clay, mud and natural pigments.
A choice of limited-capacity afternoon sessions: Becky Little’s Dorodango workshop, or Susie Johnston’s talk at St Andrews Galleries to see Dear Earth and hear about her piece 'Reclamation - to cry again' (2025-26).
Discussion around responsible foraging, material care, safety and ecological impact.
Peer exchange with artists and makers working across material, land and place. Including a pop-up exhibition featuring invited artists.
Space to contribute to a facilitated, shared conversation about careful and ethical creative practice.
Lineup
Siobhan McLaughlin, Becky Little, Susie Johnston, Sean Kingsley. Kevin Andrew Morris, Helen Gallogly and more
Agenda
- 9:30 am - 9:50 am
Arrival
Tea and coffee provided
- 9:50 am - 10:00 am
Welcome and introduction from Fife Contemporary Director Kate Grenyer
- 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Artist Talk with Siobhan McLaughlin on foraging, creative practice, ethics and safety when working with wild clay and pigments.
- 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Session with Becky Little on clay samples, what clay is, and foraging in Fife.
- 12:00 pm - 12:45 pm
Lunch with opportunity to view pop-up exhibition and contribute to a developing manifesto of care
Please bring lunch with you.
- 12:45 pm - 2:30 pm
Mud as Material Sessions
Choice of afternoon sessions (select preference at checkout): A workshop in making Dorodango with Becky Little An artist talk with Susie Johnston at exhibition Dear Earth, St Andrews Galleries Spaces for each are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
- 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Artist Talk
With Kevin Andrew Morris, Sean Kingsley and Helen Gallogly
Developing a Manifesto of Care
A facilitated round table discussion developing a manifesto for care around mud, clay, pigments and foraging.
FAQs
- How do I get to St Andrews Botanic Garden?
The nearest train station to St Andrews is Leuchars, from here a bus can connect you directly to St Andrews Bus Station.
St Andrews Botanic Gaden is 13 minute walk from St Andrews Bus Station taking the disused railway path.
On Saturday mornings buses arrive from Dundee at 0844 and 0912. The first bus from Dunfermline arrives at 0930. The X58 from Kirkcaldy arrives at 0920.
- Is there any support for travel?
Slow travel across Scotland is encouraged.
For Fife Artists:
If travelling within Fife, please keep hold of your receipts and we will reimburse this as long as travel has taken place on public transport.
For Perthshire Artists:
If travelling from Perthshire, a coach will be chartered from Perth station to St Andrews and return supported by Perth UNESCO City of Craft. Please indicate via the post-checkout questions whether you require a seat on this.
If you require access support to travel, please see below.
- Access Support to Travel
Fife Contemporary have a fund to support access for those facing barriers to inclusion and can offer financial support for travel to anyone wishing to attend this event from across Scotland, including from Perth and within Fife, who has access needs. Examples of travel access needs might be:
needing specific ticket types or need to use a taxi due to a physical or mental disability or neurodivergence
having caring responsibilities and needing to pay for a carer to cover your responsibilities
needing support for a carer to travel with you
having a financial barrier to access due to being in a low-income household
This list is not exhaustive and if you have any other access needs, we encourage you to contact kate.bell@fcac.co.uk to request travel access support. Your email will be treated confidentially.
- Access Onsite
Please let us know if you have access requirements during the event as soon as you are able. We can arrange access support such as BSL interpretation on request with sufficient notice.
The event will take place in The Boiler House which is a 10-minute walk into St Andrews Botanic Garden from their public car park entrance using gravel paths. Private parking directly next to the venue can be arranged in advance through the staff entrance.
- Access to Attend
Tickets to this event have been subsidised with funding through programming from Fife Contemporary and Perth UNESCO City of Craft and Folk arts. However, we have a limited number of free spaces available. If you would like to attend yet cannot cover the cost of the ticket, please email kate.bell@fcac.co.uk to book a space at no cost. These will be issued on a first come basis.
- How do I book the visit to Dear Earth or the workshop?
Please indicate your preference for Becky Little’s workshop or Susie Johnston’s talk via the post-checkout questions. These will be served on a first come, first served basis.
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
