Stoking Curiosity is Stoke-on-Trent’s first “festival of ideas” - a free festival that will build a community of curious people in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, to celebrate inquisitiveness, spark ideas, and bring people together.

The festival, led by Keele University, will include workshops, talks and exhibitions on various topics, showcased by people from across the community. It’s an opportunity for the public to get involved in creative activities, debate and research around the big issues that affect our communities and the wider world.

The festival is being held on Friday 16 and Saturday 17 November at the historic Spode Works factory site. Activities will be taking place in the Potbank and Spode Heritage Museum.

Running from 10am to 5pm on both days, over 45 exhibitors will offer visitors the chance to nurture their curiosities in various ways. Exhibitors include academics, artists, creative thinkers and curious people from the local area who are passionate about exploring and sharing knowledge more widely. Artists from the Association for Cultural Advancement through Visual Art (ACAVA) will also be opening their studios and holding an exhibition of curiosities.

Keele University’s Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise, Professor David Amigoni, said: “The festival steering group is keen that Stoking Curiosity will become a space for pleasure in shared enquiry, debate and learning, as well as dialogue between our local universities and communities.”

All events at the festival are free to attend, and include clay, writing, drawing and screen printing workshops, art exhibitions, talks and discussions about social issues, culture, arts and science events, and many more.

Stoking Curiosity was conceived and led by Keele University. The festival is co-produced and co-organised by a partnership between Keele and Staffordshire Universities, the communities of Stoke-on-Trent, the Spode site communities – the Spode Heritage Museum Trust, the Potbank and ACAVA studios, and Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

For more information and the full timetable, please visit keele.ac.uk/stokingcuriosity.