The rivers and us: Messengers of the Ouse Clay Sculpting Workshop
About this Event
Suitable for 7+ years (accompanied by an adult, please book a space if you wish to participate as an adult), teens and adults.
Join sculptor and ceramicist Sarah Schiewe for a creative, family-friendly clay workshop inspired by York’s rivers, flooding history, and climate resilience.
In this hands-on workshop, participants will create their own unique air-dry clay fish — a “river messenger” carrying stories, memories, and imagined journeys from the Yorkshire Dales down to the River Ouse.
Alongside making, we’ll explore some of the extraordinary things that have been discovered in rivers over many years — from everyday objects lost and carried along the water to unexpected and intriguing finds that hint at human lives, industries, and floods long past. These discoveries open up stories about what rivers gather and hold over time, and how objects become part of the river’s changing memory.
Using simple clay hand-building techniques, families will shape and texture their fish with materials found along the river such as reeds, driftwood, pebbles, sand, silt, and plant matter, alongside bark, leaves, rope, and fabric. These natural impressions will create tactile surfaces inspired by water, land, and flood environments, turning each fish into a storyteller of the river’s shifting history and imagination.
Participants will add “flood memory lines” and words such as rise, flow, safe, and home to their sculptures, creating personal artworks that reflect both lived experience and imagination.
At the end of the workshop, all the fish will come together as a collective “shoal of messages” — a temporary installation celebrating community voices, resilience, and our shared connection to the river.
Paints will be provided so participants can finish decorating their sculptures at home once dry.
What to Expect
- Learn accessible clay hand-building techniques
- Create your own river-inspired clay fish sculpture
- Explore storytelling, memory, and climate resilience through art
- Contribute to a collaborative community artwork
This event is part of the York rivers trail: the rivers and us.
About the York rivers trail
The York rivers trail: the rivers and us is a new trail along the River Ouse connecting people, place and flood resilience. Co-designed with communities, schools and artists, it uses art, storytelling and digital tools to reveal how upstream and downstream are connected - and how nature-based solutions are helping York adapt to a changing climate.
Find out more:
www.ousewem.co.uk/york-rivers-trail
www.york.gov.uk/YorkRiversTrail
Follow City of York Council on social media for the latest events, activities, and updates throughout the summer.
About the Artist
Sarah Schiewe is an artist who creates unique ceramic sculptures inspired by people’s personal stories. She enjoys listening to experiences and transforming them into clay pieces that reflect emotion, character, and individuality. Her work aims to encourage understanding, conversation, and connection, helping to build kinder, more thoughtful communities.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
GBP 0.00
