The Goose Mugs 2019

These lovely, elegant bone china mugs were designed by me specially for 'And the Door Opened,' my project with women@thewell, and produced in Stoke on Trent by Repeat Repeat as bespoke products. The edition is limited to 600. 

Why Geese? 

The goose comes from 'Winchester Geese,' the term used to refer to the women who were licenced by the Bishop of Winchester to be sexually exploited legally in the parish around Southwark Cathedral, South London, in the 18th century. The term was probably pejorative but geese are fierce birds - often kept as guard animals. They’re also group animals - they don't operate singly. These two things struck me as good qualities for a project campaigning for social and legal reform, as And The Door Opened does.  May your mug inspire you with fierceness, strength and excellent teamwork.

And The Door Opened, (ATDO,) is a ceramic project by artist Claudia Clare

in partnership  with Women @the Well, (W@W.)

Women @the Well, is a women-only service located in Kings Cross dedicated to supporting women whose lives are affected, or at risk of being affected, by prostitution and helps them to find ways out.

ATDO is a series of events with displays of Claudia’s pots, with talks, demonstrations and workshops that illustrate the lives of the women supported by W@W.

The aim is to enhance the public’s understanding of what prostitution is, to name the abuse and exploitation, and to show that, with the right support, girls and women do not need to live and die exploited in the sex trade – there are ways out.