MUD: Artist Development Day
21 November 2026
Join artists and makers for MUD, a one-day artist development event exploring mud, wild clay, natural foraged pigments and earth-based creative practice.
The Boiler House, St Andrews Botanic Garden
Saturday 21 November 2026
9:30am – 4:30pm
Join artists and makers for MUD, a one-day artist development event exploring mud, wild clay, natural foraged pigments and earth-based creative practice.
The Boiler House, St Andrews Botanic Garden
Saturday 21 November 2026
9:30am – 4:30pm
Tickets: £20 (book via Humanitix)
Suitable for artists, makers and creative practitioners
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.
This opportunity is for artists, makers and creative practitioners interested in clay, mud, pigments, foraging, ecology, material research and place-based practice.
What To Expect
The day will feature:
- Space to contribute to a shared conversation about careful and ethical creative practice.
- 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.
Agenda
9:30 – 9:50am: Arrival
Tea and coffee provided.
9:50 – 10am: Welcome and introduction from Fife Contemporary Director, Kate Grenyer
10 – 11am: Artist Talk with Siobhan McLaughlin on foraging, creative practice, ethics and safety when working with wild clay and pigments
11am – 12pm: Session with Becky Little on clay samples, what clay is, and foraging in Fife
12 – 12:45pm: Lunch with opportunity to view pop-up exhibition and contribute to a developing manifesto of care
Please bring lunch with you.
12:45 – 2:30pm: 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 – 3:30pm: Artist Talks
With Kevin Andrew Morris, Sean Kingsley and Helen Gallogly
3:30 – 4:30pm: Developing a Manifesto of Care
A facilitated round table discussion developing a manifesto for care around mud, clay, pigments and foraging.
Susie Johnston image © Lydia Smith, all other images © Fife Contemporary
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Katie Fowlie
Katie Fowlie is a multidisciplinary artist living and working in Fife. Her inspiration comes from the landscape, and foraging has become central to her artistic practice.
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