For Immediate Release

Contact: Krystl Louwagie

Southwest MN Arts Council

[email protected]

800-622-5284, 507-537-1471

114 North 3rd Street, Marshall  www.swmnarts.org

Southwest Minnesota Arts Council Awards Local Artist and Arts Educator totaling $6,000

The Southwest Minnesota Arts Council is pleased to announce Tom Wirt of Hutchinson (McLeod County) as the recipient of the 2020 Prairie Star Award

The Prairie Star Award is given out every other year and it recognizes an individual artist whose body of work has made a significant contribution to the arts over an extended period of time, who has been recognized by his or her artistic peers, and who has best exemplified the highest quality of work in the SMAC region. In recognizing these individuals publicly, the awards will raise the profile of the arts in their communities and throughout the SMAC region. The public is invited to join SMAC in publicly honoring Tom Wirt at our Annual Celebration of the arts and artists in our southwest Minnesota region. This Fall the celebration will be held in Jackson County. Please watch our website and other media channels, like Facebook and Instagram , for more details!

After the nominations were evaluated and scored by the SMAC Board of Directors it was determined that Tom Wirt had the highest score for the Prairie Star Award. SMAC Executive Director, Nicole DeBoer, then planned a surprise presentation of the award to Tom on Wednesday, May 20th, outside of his studio in Hutchinson. Local supporters showed up with a parade of cars and signs for Tom Wirt, who said " I am stunned and more than grateful for what was a total surprise. Thank you to everyone...I am truly humbled. And thank you to SMAC and the Hutchinson Center for the Arts and all the folks continuing to keep the arts going while we're out for a bit. Your help can help keep all of them going."

Tom Wirt was nominated by Greg Jodzio, a member of the Hutchinson Center for the Arts Board as well as a member for the Hutchinson Public Arts Commission and the Hutchinson Rotary. Greg writes, “Tom's beautiful, high-fired, hand-thrown functional pottery for everyday use features all-ceramic stoneware, oven cookware, and flameware stove-top pots. His penchant for inventive pots for special uses and recipes has made a name for him around the country.” He also adds, “Not many people have impacted the Minnesota rural art community more than Tom. He has been instrumental creating art and art awareness from Hutchinson in McLeod County and beyond. He brings business acumen to art defining the term ‘artrepreneur’”.

According to Greg, Tom’s art career began in 1994 when Tom and a Baker Square associate, Betsy Price, teamed up and left the corporate world and Chicago to start a pottery shop, Clay Coyote in rural McLeod County Minnesota. Land was cheaper in Minnesota than Illinois. Tom threw the pots and Betsy developed her glazing skills. But what differentiated Tom was the application of his business and marketing skills to his small business. Like most artists he wore all the hats from merchandising to management, financial planning to forecasting, and production to product photography. The marketing efforts paid off when Paula Wolfert (a well renowned author of nine books on cooking and the winner of numerous cookbook awards including what is arguably the top honor given in the food world: The James Beard Foundation Medal For Lifetime Achievement) called looking for beautiful, stylish pots to cook her specialty: Mediterranean foods. Clay Coyote had found their marketing niche - beautiful, functional pottery - flameware and stoneware pots for cooking, baking and serving. It became the bulk of Clay Coyote's income producing 5,000 to 6,000 pots per year - over 140,000 in his career. Tom's pots were recognized for their beauty, fit, finish, functionality and even the science of the clay - clay that wouldn't crack or explode when cooking. They were featured in many of Wolfert's cookbooks.

Greg says Tom’s art is classified as “studio pottery: making unique items on short runs”. He's involved in all stages of production; even more so with his latest venture New Clay . “A look through his website newclaypottery.com will give you an idea of the beauty, breadth and range of Tom's work from cazuelas to Mediterranean tangines. His work is recognized throughout North America.” Pictured: This is a Flameware grill basket. Flameware is one of the signature lines Tom produces and it is a mix of science and art. The clay 'formula' was ten years in development and allows cookware to be used on a direct flame. According to Greg, Tom is one of four potters in the country making Flameware.

In Paula Wolfert’s book “Clay Pot Cooking” she shared Tom’s response to why food cooked in clay tastes better and got this interesting response, “One thing I’ve wondered about is whether it’s just the clay pot or the fact it’s hand-made that makes the greater difference. As cooks, do we get the same response from a machine-made pot that we get from one formed by an artisan? True, it’s the clay that makes the basic difference, but I also feel that this completes the cycle of hand-grown food products and hand-cooked food by virtue of the way it touches our humanity. Food sustains us, and there is much love in the whole process. Add to that the emotion inherent in the creation of clay cooking vessels, and you have a chain of caring that is never broken.”

In his letter of support, Corey Stearns (former potter and President of Stearnswood Inc. in Hutchinson) said “ Tom had this concept to help coordinate activities of various arts organizations in the Hutchinson area and encourage collaboration. His goal was to lift up the arts and show the impact arts can have on community life.” Tom persisted and got the local arts groups to sit down at the table in December 2009 and discuss this concept, which ultimately resulted in Tom being the first president for The Center for the Arts in Hutchinson. In 2019 Corey presented Tom with the award that was started in his namesake, The Wirt Award, from Hutchinson Center for the Arts. This is what one of Tom’s associates had to say at that time: “Without a doubt, Tom has been one of the most instrumental people in promoting the arts in southwest Minnesota for over two decades. His interesting mix of talent as an entrepreneur and his history in business along with being one of the most successful potters in the Midwest has been stellar to the promotion of the arts in our region.” Another said, “Tom’s vision (and gentle coaxing) for expansion and organization of the arts, convinced many private donors, the City of Hutchinson, and businesses in the area to donate time and money to make the arts happen in Hutch. Tom helped reshape the arts landscape in our city, bringing more art opportunities to our community members.”

In his letter of support, Steve Gasser (President of Vivid Image in Hutchinson) said “I have known Mr. Wirt for 20+ years through his work with pottery, initiating the Center for the Arts, and promoting a strong arts community. He is deeply committed to supporting other artists and bringing out the best in each person. Tom is a man of integrity.”

Jim and Linda Fahey of Glencoe and Fahey Sales also wrote a letter in support of Tom’s nomination. They said, “Without a doubt, Tom has been one of the most instrumental artists in our area creating beauty and function….What’s more, during his twenty-six years in the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council region, Tom has been a tireless supporter of the arts. Thoughtful and kind, he accepts folks for who they are and nurtures their arts ability. He is a founder of the Hutchinson Center for the Arts. With his vision and passion he has nourished several arts organizations in the area including the Minnesota Pottery Festival, Historic Hutchinson, RiverSong Music Festival and the Hutchinson Theater Company, to name a few. Tom is well known to all in the arts community of southwest Minnesota, but most important, the arts in southwest Minnesota are well known to our communities due to Tom’s work.” Pictured: SMAC Executive Director, Nicole DeBoer, surprising Tom Wirt with the $5,000 award.

Finally, we’ll close with what LuAnn Drazkowski, a past board president for the Hutchinson Center for the Arts had to say about him: “One of the best arts advocate I have met. His best quality is his ability to influence people about the importance and possibilities for art. He does this to artists of all walks and experiences, art organizations (from start-up to large sophisticated entities), to government and public officials, to audiences and general population, to news sources and various social medias. Tom has heightened art awareness in the greater Minnesota area and helped grow/stabilize art groups for longevity. Because of Tom, I have met many people from all walks of life. I can’t imagine what Hutchinson would be like without his vision and hard work over the decades. Tom is so deserving of the Prairie Star recognition.”

We thank all the nominators and individuals who wrote letters of support, including for the nominees that were not able to be awarded this year; we had many exceptional and deserving candidates. We encourage nominators to try again in future rounds-the Prairie Star award will be awarded again in 2022 as it is given out every other year. To learn more, please visit: https://swmnarts.org/grants/smac-special-awards/prairie-star-award/ . Tom will be publicly awarded and celebrated at Southwest Minnesota Arts Council’s Annual Celebration in the fall. Keep your eyes open for details from us on this event!

Pictured: Nominator Greg Jodzio with his sign while surprising Tom Wirt with a socially distanced celebration and the Prairie Star Award.

SW MN Arts Council STAFF