Families reclaim heritage..

‘Pottery Studios’.. Platforms for Arts and Culture

Amid the crowds of families on Taif’s summer nights, cultural features have emerged from the heart of packed cafes, transforming them into a vibrant cultural space that enhances artistic taste, encourages creativity, and restores traditional crafts to the contemporary scene. It is as if a new affirmation that culture is still practiced, lived, and creating its daily impact in the consciousness of society, and that it is not merely displays in window corners.

The ‘Pottery Studio’ is a new approach to employing culture and arts, and reviving their role, amid the summer cafe crowds in Taif, where pottery transforms from mere raw material into a visual language reflecting the aesthetics of local culture and the richness of human heritage. With notable turnout, it has succeeded in attracting Saudi and expatriate families, tourists and visitors, to these venues through activities and events. 'Al-Riyadh' ventured inside the pottery studio at a cafe in the historic Maashi neighborhood in Taif to capture the pulse of the scene, where participants’ fingers shape works that tell the story of arts that have long been a mirror of life and a means of expression for the people and environment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Open Creativity

Mona Al-Khalif, a ‘customer’, said: ‘The idea of establishing studios or corners within cafes and markets specialized in pottery artworks serves as an open creative and cultural space that combines attractive practical arts, heritage and handicrafts in an interactive environment open to visitors, enthusiasts and connoisseurs. Its role is not limited to providing entertainment activities, but also contributing to highlighting the aesthetic value of pottery art, which has been an important part of daily life for decades, strengthening cultural identity, and transferring craft knowledge to various segments of society, especially today’s generation of both genders, in line with support for cultural and creative industries.’

‘Al-Riyadh’ observed the services provided by the studio, which included practical applications of decoration and coloring techniques, glazing to produce aesthetically valuable artworks, individual artistic expression through designing works reflecting participants’ personalities and ideas, developing design skills, creativity and innovation in producing pottery art pieces, and teaching the basics of clay shaping using hand techniques and the pottery wheel.

Cultural Channel

Maysoun Makhlad, an ‘art teacher’, considered the new trend a cultural channel aimed at introducing the history of pottery making and its development across different civilizations, highlighting its place in local heritage and public consciousness, showcasing its historical uses in daily life, hosting artisans and artists to share their expertise and pass on traditional experiences to new generations, while drawing inspiration from various decorations and shapes derived from our national identity and our deeply historical architectural heritage.

The new trend of cafes and markets in establishing pottery studios and centers feels like an enhancement of culture’s status as an essential part of daily life and quality of life, by transforming these venues into spacious cultural spaces that combine shopping, art and education.

A Vibrant Environment

Nahar Al-Hathli, a ‘content creator’, asserts that pottery corners and studios, as arts and heritage, have contributed to creating a vibrant environment and revitalized these ancient arts. This has positively impacted public satisfaction, especially for those seeking to satisfy their taste, for recreation and releasing negative energy, while also consolidating identity and pride in roots among today’s generation, stimulating their minds, encouraging innovation, broadening their horizons, and honing their skills, which reflects on personal and professional performance.

1 Successful Employment of Culture