Martin’s Pots for Prostate journey saw him travel around New Zealand, setting up his potter’s wheel in his Nissan van, and throwing pots in the places he visited.
He’d use items from those areas in some of his creations and now Pots for Prostate is a collection of 35 blue-glazed ceramic pieces, inspired by and made in iconic locations across Aotearoa, incorporating local sand, water, rocks, and wood into the design.
One of the amazing Pots for Prostate artworks Northland potter Kevin Martin produced on a recent road trip to raise awareness and money for prostate cancer. This is of Aoraki Mt Cook
He documented much of the three-week journey on his Instagram and hopes the initiative will raise plenty of funds and awareness of prostate cancer, which affects 4000 men a year, with about 700 a year dying from it.
Despite having no family history of prostate cancer, as a male in the age range where testing should start to cross your mind, the ceramic artist and teacher found a unique way to raise awareness for one of New Zealand’s most diagnosed cancers and raise money for Prostate Cancer Foundation New Zealand.
One of Kevin Martin’s Pots for Prostate artworks, which used materials from where it was created - this one includes mussel shells from Marlborough
Martin’s studio is in Ohaeawai and he regularly travels to Auckland to teach at Clay Studios, where the collection is currently on display, and said he was amazed at the response to his alfresco artworks everywhere he went.
“The van is amazing and great marketing and wherever I’d stop, whether it was Kaikohe or Ruapehu, people would come up to see what was going on and I got nothing but positive feedback wherever I went.”
Martin said he had no problem finding inspiration for his artworks along the way as New Zealand’s natural beauty, and its people, provided plenty of creative stimulus.
He said incorporating elements form each area he visited, such as mussel shells from Marlborough, sand from Te Oneroa a Tohe/Ninety Mile Beach, wood and other natural elements, really made each piece unique and connected to where it was created.
Northland potter Kevin Martin used materials from the places he visited to create colourful pots to raise awareness of prostate cancer. So what could he use to symbolise Auckland - the city of traffic cones
• Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in New Zealand with around 4000 people diagnosed every year
• Prostate cancer is the second-highest cause of cancer death in men after lung cancer, and the third highest for all sexes (behind lung and bowel cancers).
• More than 700 men die on average every year from prostate cancer
• 1 in 8 men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime
• 61% of prostate cancer survivors say they had no symptoms when diagnosed.
• Prostate cancer is a family issue – if a person has two or more first-degree relatives who were diagnosed with prostate cancer or breast cancer, then their risk increases by 5–11 times.
• Early detection saves lives. Prostate cancer is very treatable when diagnosed early.
• A PSA blood test is all it takes to start the process – simple and quick.
