Potheads is based on Dharrawal Country and the members pay respect to the First Nations elders past and present. We extend this respect to the elders of the Countries of those who visit us and our works. Potheads recognises the unbroken creative lineage of First Nations Artists who have continued to practice through colonisation despite the theft of their land and attempted genocide of their people and culture. We are grateful to them for their creative custodianship and pay homage to the inspiration they continue to provide
Potheads was founded by Alicia Rodden and has run since 2015 on Dharrawal Country. The membership was initially open to anyone, however a core group of members has emerged who now develop their practice together. Queen Potter Alicia coordinates knowledge and skill sharing. Potheads operates as a creative space but also encompasses activism, connection, ritual and play
The group meet monthly in Alicia’s shed, and these sessions are always accompanied by food offerings provided by members. Creativity is always fed by some form of feast, be it leftovers, baked goods or meals provided by partners.
Alicia Rodden (she/her) is a ceramicist/potter who founded Potheads in 2015 as a way to build accountability and motivation in her self practice. Teaching the group deepened her knowledge base and provided inspiration for her to push the boundaries of why and how she makes art. Alicia brings volume and practicality to the group practice but also grounds their work in playfulness and lols.
Mary van Reyk (she/her) is a ceramicist of Sri Lankan, Queer an Australian heritage. She is a storyteller who works in written and ceramic formats. Mary’s works explore the intersecting points of cultures as she creates new narratives anchored in traditon but looking towards the future
Sharron Settacase (she/ella) is an emerging artist whose ancestral stories are woven from the lands of Argentina and across the oceans to Wongal and now Dharrawal Country. She disrupts dominant power structures and creates connected communities. For Sharron, ceramics is ritual, reflection, playfulness and freedom
Shikha Sahay (she/her) is a ceramicist whose artistic practice started as a way to maintain a sense of self within mothering, and developed further into ritual. She finds connection and celebration with her self and community through her exploration of clay and being part of a creative collective. Her pieces draw inspiration from her cultural heritage as a Fijian Indian as well as her experiences in present as she connects with other artists and art forms
Minnie Rogan (she/her) is an artist who inspires herself and the group through her exploration of popular culture and food. Minnie seeks to dismantle boundaries in how she creates as an artist, and this is a reflection of how she interacts with social structures. Minnie’s questioning of limitations pushes the group to think beyond what is expected.
Alex McLeavy (she/her) is a ceramicist whose work exemplifies her qualities of patience and finding beauty in a slower and more considered practice. Alex balances her work in supporting and holding space for others to birth by holding space for herself in the creative practice both individually while mothering, as well as through the group
Ellen Curtis (she/her) is an emerging potter who came to the practice as a therapeutic tool which encouraged meditation as well as connection. She enjoys the contrast of the roughness and textures of ceramics with the playfulness and wit of women’s gatherings. Her works are an exploration of form, and she enjoys the process of imprinting individual style onto the universal material of clay
Mary van Reyk, Writer 