Earlier in the year we told you about our Albert Untold project looking at the life of artist Albert Wainwright who attended Castleford Secondary School with fellow artist Henry Moore. They were both taught by Alice Gostick who showed them the art of peasant pottery and helped cultivate their artistic talents.

In the course of our research, we came to realise just how influential Alice Gostick was, not just to Albert and Henry, but so many others. And so we’ve made the decision to switch our focus to Alice and take a greater look at her ground-breaking creative teaching as well as the early lives of the students she taught, including Albert, Henry and a few other names you might not be familiar with but who also went on to great artistic heights. This gives us greater scope to truly appreciate the powerful artistic movement that was being cultivated in Castleford, and also the chance to focus in on Alice Gostick herself, her incredibly interesting life and her legacy.

So we give you: “Breaking the Mould: The Story of Alice Gostick” a theatre show, zine and blue plaque to honour Alice’s life.

“Breaking the Mould” and the wider project to celebrate and blue plaque the life of Alice Gostick is funded with a Culture Grant by Wakefield Council as part of Our Year – Wakefield District 2024