Organizer Information
The British Ceramics Biennial (BCB) is a leading contemporary ceramics charity based in Stoke-on-Trent, the historic heart of the UK ceramics industry. BCB is the trading name of The Clay Foundation, a registered charity established by a group of trustees and patrons. Initiated in 2009, the biennial festival has grown into the single largest contemporary ceramics event in the UK, presenting work by leading UK and international ceramicists in exhibitions and events held across the city every two years, largely centered on the former Spode ceramics factory site.
Beyond the biennial festival itself, BCB delivers a year-round programme of artist commissions, education, and community projects, and is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, supported by Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Staffordshire University among other funders. The organization positions clay as a catalyst for creativity, skills development, wellbeing, and regeneration, connecting local ceramic heritage with global contemporary practice.
Title & Description
British Ceramics Biennial Mentorship Programme 2026/27 — Call for Mentees
The BCB Mentorship Programme is an open call inviting early-career artists working in clay in the UK to apply as mentees. The programme is aimed at artists who feel they face barriers to career progression and to accessing a professional network in the field of contemporary ceramics — barriers that may include financial circumstances, ethnicity, education, social class, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, neurodiversity, long-term health conditions, or other protected characteristics. Selected mentees are paired with an established artist, curator, or arts professional and receive one-to-one mentoring, peer connection with the wider mentee cohort, a bespoke artist film, and promotion across BCB's communications channels, running from October 2026 to February 2027.
Categories
- Ceramic
- Craft
- Mentorship
Eligibility
- Based in the UK
- Within five years of beginning their creative practice
- Have been working with clay for at least one year
- Feel they face barriers in accessing a professional network in the field of contemporary ceramics (which may include financial circumstances, ethnicity, education, social class, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, neurodiversity, long-term health conditions, or other protected characteristics)
- Applicants do not need to disclose personal details as part of their application unless they choose to
Program Benefits & Awards
- Four one-to-one online mentoring sessions (around 1 hour each) with an experienced artist, curator, or arts professional
- A bespoke artist film about the mentee's practice and experience, for the mentee's own self-promotion, featured on BCB's YouTube channel, the BCB Player, and social media
- Promotion across BCB's ongoing communications channels, including PR, newsletters, social media, and news stories on the BCB website
- Access to a peer network of fellow mentees participating in the programme, through three mentee sharing sessions (2 hours each)
- Ongoing support from the BCB team throughout the programme
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 15 September 2026
- Access-support meeting scheduling cutoff: 9 September 2026
- Mentees selected: 25 September 2026
- Mentee sharing session 1 (introductions, expectations, intentions): 1 October 2026
- Mentor selection and pairing process: between 2 and 8 October 2026
- Mentees and mentors connect and agree on session timeline: mid-October 2026
- Mentee sharing session 2: 10 December 2026
- Mentee sharing session 3: 14 January 2027
- Evaluation forms returned; artist film editing begins: end of February 2027
- Final edits of artist films sent to mentees: March/April 2027
- Programme duration overall: October 2026 – February 2027
Location
United Kingdom
Additional Details
- Up to seven early-career artists will be selected as mentees, based on: the aspiration and drive of the applicant to develop their career and creative practice, and the difference the opportunity could make to the development of the applicant's practice, career, and connections in contemporary ceramics
- Application consists of an artist statement (max. 200 words / 2 minutes) and two questions (max. 200 words / 2 minutes; max. 100 words / 1 minute), answerable in written, audio, or video form; recordings must be no more than 5 minutes and uploaded to an online sharing platform (Google Drive, Dropbox, YouTube, Vimeo, etc.); there is no assessment of production quality for audio/video submissions
- Mentees must commit to: four online mentoring sessions (~1 hour each); three mentee sharing sessions with the cohort (2 hours each); half a day of filming/interviews in the mentee's studio or making space for the artist film; and completing an evaluation questionnaire/discussion
- Selected mentees receive a shortlist of eligible mentors by email and choose their top three preferences; BCB aims to match all mentees with one of their preferences but cannot guarantee this
- Mentors and mentees agree a contract of engagement before the programme begins
- A BCB team member can assist applicants with completing the application via Teams or Zoom (available up to 9 September 2026), recording responses only to the questions as written in the application form, without offering further advice; using this method has no bearing on assessment
- Dedicated access support is available for applicants who feel they face barriers in making an application; this advice covers eligibility and suitability only and has no bearing on the mentee selection process
- Contact: apply@britishceramicsbiennial.com or 01782 294 634