About Stroud Pottery

Nat, Dawn and Anna are the team behind the Pottery, we share the same passion as creatives working with clay as well as drawing on our strengths to create an environment that our students, members and wider community can enjoy.

Natalie and Dawn first met in 2014 while working in a secondary school—Natalie as an Art teacher and Dawn as the Art technician. At the time, Dawn was already an established ceramicist, producing and selling her functional pottery in Stroud. After relocating to Singapore, Natalie left teaching to pursue her own ceramics journey.

In 2020, the two reconnected and began working together at Craft at the Centre, a multidisciplinary craft studio. A year later, they took over its management and transformed it into Stroud Pottery as we know it today.

Combining their strengths in studio management, ceramic expertise, business ambition, and a strong friendship, Natalie and Dawn have grown Stroud Pottery into a thriving community space. Their focus is on making clay accessible and enjoyable for all, while nurturing a supportive creative environment.

In the past year, they’ve been joined by Anna, a talented technician who brings further creativity and studio expertise.

Luca has also joined the team as an apprentice, learning all aspects of pottery as well as being given a wealth of knowledge in building her skill set.

Together, the team continues to collaborate, innovate, and expand opportunities for their community through pottery.

Meet the directors

Natalie Case

Managing Director / Tutor
BA(hons)
Photography

Having worked and studied within the Arts and Education for the past 30 years, exploring and making work in a variety of mediums, I rediscovered my love of clay whilst living in Singapore and devoted my time there learning and developing my own practice. This opportunity, after many years of teaching Art & Design and Photography in secondary, sixth form and colleges, allowed me to focus primarily upon this wonderful material.

Since my return to the UK, I took a studio at Stroud Pottery and became part of the development team, bringing experience of studio development, management and planning. Alongside this, I manage the separate artist studios and teach classes, specialising in hand building and surface design. My personal work is with dark bodied clays with slip work and a simple white glaze, I’m currently exploring sculptural work with a focus on portraiture and figurative.

Dawn Almasi

Director / Tutor
BA(hons)
3D Ceramics

I’ve been teaching pottery to both Secondary students, adults with learning and physical differences, and the general public for the last 30 years. In 2007, I moved to Stroud and began working part-time for Lansdown Pottery within the lower floor of the CSA. I have since continued to be part of the management and teachers in this beautiful historic building.

What I bring to the successful running and continual development of the pottery are years of experience in studio management and a broad knowledge of ceramics, with a focus on wheel throwing, glazing and firing techniques. In between the running of Stroud Pottery and teaching, I also produce my own work – continually developing new designs. I take inspiration from Polish pottery and my love of surface texture.