Rachel Kurdynowska
Pea Pots
5 Jul – 7 Sept 2025
Ground Floor Gallery
Pea Pots celebrates the Hub’s history as a former seed warehouse by reimagining the vessels once used to store pea seeds. The artist dug for local clay, from part of a geological layer known as the Blisworth Clay Formation which sits below Sleaford, made up of mudstone with thin beds of limestone and sandstone. Her project honours the soil that supported the pea trade, while reflecting on the land and its geology.
The exhibition brings together Rachel Kurdynowska’s hands-on exploration of Sleaford’s clay. In the vitrine, you’ll find test pieces fired at different temperatures, resulting in a variety of colours and textures. Photographs tell the story of how the new vessels were made.
Rachel Kurdynowska is an artist, educator and researcher based in Norwich. She works with clay to explore how people can connect through materials, and how local resources found in the geological landscape shape creativity and connection. Since 2024 she has been forming small communities through a course called Clay Research Group, a space for material enquiry that expands knowledge of clay, creativity, and place.
Photos on this page: Jules Lister (unless stated otherwise)
Artist: Rachel Kurdynowska
Exhibition Handout
“The clay was a blue/grey marl and 2 foot down, a seam of blue in the river. Noticeable due to the River Slea’s remarkably clear waters.”
Photo: Faye Parker