Workshops

Bob Race’s workshops are renowned in the area and he is constantly in demand from schools through to nursing homes. He is probably the country’s leading expert in providing pottery workshops in the field of mental health. Indeed, the cover of the last Mental Health Act features a bas relief made in one of his workshops at Kneesworth House Hospital. For the past 12 years, Bob has been the Community Artist at Fulbourn Hospital, providing regular workshops for those with depression and in a forensic ward, to people with functional dementia and also early onset dementia. The latter group was recognised in the 2004 Best Practice Recognition Awards. It was part of a project so highly rated it was recommended to be incorporated into regular day-care across the whole trust.

Bob is now a member of the Research Network contributing to and gaining knowledge from the University of Nottingham’s project Clay Transformations.

He provides two weekly workshops for Mind in Cambridge.

He tutors a workshop through Cyrenians for homeless people in Cambridge.

Through Artists in Schools, he provides occasional workshops for schools.

He provides monthly workshops at two selected care homes in Cambridge.

Bi-colour frieze on a theme by workshop participants

Waiting for Firing: Toby Jugs created by a school workshop

Frieze created by workshop participants

Various ammonite-inspired pieces produced by Cyrenians’ homeless group and sold at markets etc

In 2009 Bob provided his biggest and most publicised workshop yet, when he took part in One & Other – Anthony Gormley’s installation for the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square. He used Gormley’s own sculptures as inspiration for  ‘Plinth on the Plinth’ – figures made by the people gathered in the square were set on a miniature clay plinth. The interactivity and enjoyment of the participants that day is actually typical of all his workshops.

These are the comments of one of the senior staff on his workshop with older people with functional dementia:

One of the most potent consequences of a workshop run in this non-judgemental way is the beneficial effect on patients’ self-esteem. It can be difficult to encourage the delicate growth of self-esteem in the hearts and minds of those whose self-confidence and self-respect are being steadily eroded by the psychological disintegration of dementia. But it can be nurtured by acknowledgement of an individual’s personal worth, which is in turn reflected back in the eyes of their peers, carers and loved ones. The pottery workshop, with its good-humoured, uncritical atmosphere, provides an environment in which self-esteem can flourish. Such a resource is of incalculable value.

The staff are unanimous that [the] workshop could not offer what it does without the unique qualities of the artist who runs them. Bob prefers to work in mental health. He finds the participants less inhibited, more creative, taking ideas he gives them and adding their own individual slant to make something unique. For staff, the quietly supportive environment he creates has an extraordinarily powerful, enabling effect on the participants. This is a precious resource.’

Quotes from Service-Users with Dementia:

‘I don’t usually get the opportunity to do this kind of thing.’

‘My children can’t believe I can be artistic.’

‘I never thought I could do it but I can!’

‘It’s good to relax for a couple of hours and forget everything else.’

‘There’s no competition, just fun.’

Feedback from Roysia School:

‘The children produced amazing [work] under Bob’s expert guidance. An excellent workshop.’