Sat 23 March – Sat 29 June 13. Free.

One of the UK’s most exciting designers and winner of our 2012 MMU Graduate Exhibition Award, Joseph Hartley, presents a range of innovative and beautiful ceramics in his first ever solo exhibition! Every Step takes a look at Joe’s artistic exploration of concept, material, and process, a careful balance that results in objects that are pure, honest, and playful.

The design process of Joseph Hartley can sometimes be a balancing act. The interplay between concept, material and process, which occurs at every step of his creative practice, results in objects that reveal rather than conceal their making and are both innovative and honest.

A Lancaster-born, Manchester-based designer, Joe is a man of many talents. A personal interest in bread, along with experience of working in the Lancashire cockling and meat industries has inspired his range of award-winning designs and earned Joe the nickname of Butcher, Baker, Designer, Maker.

Not simply a great nickname, Joe’s artistic practice is greatly inspired by the diverse activities he does in day-to-day life. The result is the production of objects that are deeply rooted in Joe’s experiences and are not bound by conventional disciplines.

Every Step: The Design Process of Joseph Hartley showcases a range of existing and new work in dialogue with developmental pieces in order to introduce us to the heart of Joe’s creative practice and to understand it, step by step.

Want to get in touch with your own making process? Joe will be leading a two-day ceramics workshop in April 2013 called Throw with Joe.

See our workshop page for more information.

Keep up with all of the Joseph Hartley news and reviews by using the hashtag #EveryStep on twitter.

Want to see more of Joe? Check out his website here.