◊ News, Events, Inspiration ◊ May 2025

Inside this issue: Open May classes. Summer Studio Practice. Forthcoming gallery events. Sunday open studio hours. All about oxide washes. Meet a nerikomi master. Plus more exhibition news, events, and informative videos.

A peek at the results

of a recent soda kiln firing

May class startups...

...bring you three excellent opportunities to expand your pottery-making skills. Watch for an announcement of our next term classes, coming soon.

Soda firing

Our soda classes include making ware for two soda firings and participating in the loading, firing, and unloading of the soda kiln. Learn more about soda firing and see example pieces in our special gallery display May 7 through 24.

Atmospheric Soda Firing

• Tue, May 20-July 22, 10:00 am-12:00 pm, with Kay Yourist
• Wed, May 21-Jul 23, 6:30-8:30 pm, with Kay Yourist

Register here.

Glazing



Our glaze formulation class continues the deep dive into making glazes begun in our Glaze Formulation Understood class.

Glaze Formulation Section 2

• Fri, May 23-Jun 27, 10:00 am-12:00 pm, with Elliott Kaiser

Sign up here.

Spend summer...

...with us at the studio. Work in the studio 24/7 in our 7-week Summer Studio Practice. Spend as much time as you like honing the skills you've been learning in classes. There will be no instructor, but there will be a prerequisite: students must previously have taken a minimum of two full class semesters.

Studio orientation attendance is required prior to the Summer Studio Practice start date. A studio key will be issued to you, along with a copy of studio guidelines, at this time. The orientation will be offered on Friday, July 11, at 5:00 pm, or Saturday, July 12, at 12:00 pm. Call the studio at 734-662-4914 to make a reservation for the orientation.

Summer Studio Practice

• Jul 13-Aug 31, with YSG Team

Count me in!

In the gallery

Exciting events are in the works for our gallery.

Soda fired mug by Kay Yourist

Happy first birthday...

...to our soda kiln! We are celebrating this milestone in our gallery from Wednesday, May 7, through Saturday, May 24, with a display of soda-fired pots from the first eight firings of the kiln.

Display hours:

• May 7 through 24
• Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, 12:00-6:00 pm
• Sundays, 4:00-8:00 pm

We will feature pieces made by students, teachers, and community members who bravely sent their work through the new kiln not knowing what would come out on the other side. As it happens, the unpredictability of the soda and flame not only made for some beautifully dramatic results, but also some lovely subtle ones. According to Kay, the firings are a work in progress. She says, "We're still tweeking the process and getting better results all the time."

Our display will also include a photo montage of a soda firing in progress. If you would like to experience the soda firing process first-hand, there are still spots in our Atmospheric Soda Firing classes starting later in May.

Thank you to Jessica Krivan for submitting this piece.

Works by Lie Ladendorf

Short Stories exhibition

Anyone who has seen Lie Ladendorf at work in the studio will know what extraordinary pieces she makes. She has a love of story telling, which is reflected in her striking sculptures.

We're pleased to showcase Lie's creative talent in the exhibition, Short Stories, which will run from May 31 through July 12.

Exhibition hours:

• May 31 through July 12
• Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, 12:00-6:00 pm
• Sundays (except June 29), 4:00-8:00 pm

Artists' reception:

• Friday, June 13, 6:00-8:00 pm

Watch for the full story about Short Stories, coming soon.

Sunday open studio

The studio has added Sunday open studio hours to its schedule for May, June, and July:

Sunday, May 4-July 20, 4:00-8:00 pm

(except June 29)

You must have taken at least a one-semester pottery class at any studio to participate in Yourist open studio.

Job opportunity

Studio intern

We're interviewing potential studio interns for spring and summer to help with studio maintenance in exchange for studio use. The successful applicant should know how to mix glaze, load kilns, mop floors, and perform other typical studio duties. An internship is a great experience and resume building opportunity. Please send a letter of interest, including your previous pottery studio experience, to Kay Yourist.

Our bisque shelves...

...are overflowing with work waiting to be glazed. Please help us make room on these shelves by glazing any pieces belonging to you. On May 31, we will remove all bisque and glaze ware that has accumulated on the shelves in April.

• Please pick up your glazed pieces and take them home to enjoy.
• Please glaze your bisque ware now or take it home for glazing in the future.

Regrettably, any unclaimed bisque ware and glazed pieces remaining after May 31 must be discarded to make room for new work.

Potters quick tip

Q. What are oxide washes and how are they used on pottery surfaces?

A. Ceramic Arts Network defines an oxide stain (or wash) as "A mixture of coloring oxide and water, sometimes including a little flux, used as an overall patina (often on unglazed work) or for overglaze brushwork."

Potter Ann Ruel of Little Street Pottery illustrates this definition with a variety of ways to use oxide washes to add excitement to your pottery surfaces. She makes five different washes, applies them in various ways, and does experiments to show how they interact with glazes.

These videos are part of our continuing series for beginners at all levels.

Ceramic artist Judy MacKenzie making

one of her breathtaking nerikomi pieces

On-site exhibitions

We'll let you know when new ceramics exhibitions are on display and open to the public.

Pewabic: Detroit's Pottery: documents the pottery's past while celebrating the present. Pewabic Pottery. Ongoing. More . . .

Playful Dining: a virtual exhibition that is mostly about toy dish sets belonging to children of the past. International Museum of Dinnerware Design. Ongoing. More . . .

From Asia to the World: Ancient to Contemporary Art. Display includes blue-and-white porcelain, celadon, and enamel ceramics from China, Korea, and Japan. Toledo Museum of Art. Now–June 29, 2025. More . . .

Making Her Mark. "...highlights the achievements of women ceramicists since the early 20th century." Flint Institute of Arts, December 21, 2024–September 28, 2025. More . . .

Pottery perspectives

Opportunities to expand your knowledge of ceramics past and present.

A Ceramic Review Masterclass on Nerikomi. Ceramic artist Judy McKenzie demonstrates her nerikomi technique from coloring the clay, making the canes, and assembling slabs to creating the dazzling finished piece. More . . .

How Fiesta Tableware Is Made. If you've ever wondered how the Fiesta Tableware Company (formerly the Homer Laughlin China Company) mass produces its iconic, colorful Fiesta ware, this video has the answers. More . . .

CERAMIC GESTURES: A Studio & Teaching Practice in North America. International Museum of Dinnerware Design. The video of IMODD's April online lecture is now available. More . . .

And three from Colossal:

Old myths and traditions inspire new ceramics by Clara Holt. More . . .

Clay portraits of demolished homes by Aysa Marakulina. More . . .

Clay personalities with form and function by Aman Khanna. More . . .

Beverage ware set from

the Scott Hamblen collection

Fans of beverage ware, the International Museum of Dinnerware Design's May on-line lecture is for you. Collector Scott Hamblen leads a "curated stroll" through his personal collection of bar and beverage wares.

Wednesday, May 14, 2025, 6:30 p.m.

Learn more here.

The Michigan Ceramic Art Association has announced the dates and location of its Michigan Mud Conference for 2025:

Michigan Mud 2025

May 16-17, 8am – 5pm

Frostic School of Art, Western Michigan University

The conference program includes keynote presenters Kyungmin Park and Paul Briggs, both noted ceramic artists, plus live demonstrations from 23 artists and designers, and much more.

Find out more on the MCAA website.

The Cracked Pot Studio Tour returns on September 20-21. This self-guided tour of studios in the Greater Lansing area runs from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm each day and is free and open to the public. This year's tour promises new artists and more demonstrations.

Tour details are forthcoming. Check the tour site for updates.

NCECA is coming to Detroit in 2026! "Volumes, the 60th conference of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA), explores diverse cultures, material-driven experimentation, and conceptual frameworks that animate art created through clay. The essential energy of voices and sounds of the Detroit region catalyzes this conference’s theme."

Visit the NCECA site for details.

Calls for artists

The Michigan Medicine Gifts of Art Program has issued a call for exhibits for its September 2025 to August 2026 exhibition year. Sunday, June 15, 2025, is the deadline for applying. Each day thousands of people see the art displayed in the medical center's nine galleries, which host over 30 exhibits per year.

See full information here.

The International Museum of Dinnerware Design (IMoDD) has issued a call for entries for Picnic, its Sixth Biennial National Juried Exhibition.

This exhibition is an opportunity for artists and designers in all media to explore the theme Picnic through the creation of specialized dinnerware or 2D and 3D work related to the topic.

Exhibition dates: September 6, 2025—January17, 2026

Exhibition location: Kingston, New York

Application deadline: May 31, 2025

Get details here.

Throwing an oil dispenser

A few issues ago, we featured a video from the Alchemy Ceramic potter showing how to throw a non-dripping sauce dispenser. Viewers wanted to know if the dispenser would also work with oil. She says that it can, with a few changes. As she throws the oil dispenser, she explains how she takes liquid surface tension, capillary action, and viscosity into account in designing the oil dispenser. Although her oil dispenser tests well, she calls it a work in progress.

The tao of clay

Explore the forces of yin and yang as potter Shirin Shabdar of ceramic creation hand builds a striking ceramic plate representing the yin-yang symbol. Shabdar shares all her tips and techniques for making this plate.

Visit shabdarceramic on Instagram to see more of her pieces.

Here are our open studio, gallery, and shop hours for 2025:

• Tuesday, 12:00-6:00 pm
• Wednesday, 12:00-6:00 pm
• Friday, 12:00-6:00 pm
• Saturday, 12:00-6:00 pm
• Sunday, 4:00-8:00 pm*

*Sunday open studio hours are available May 4-July 20, with the exception of Sunday, June 29, when the studio will be closed.

There are no open studio hours on Thursday. Saturday open studio hours begin at noon with the exception of one Saturday a month, when the Try It Once on the Wheel class meets from 1:00 to 2:30 pm. Check our class schedule for the date for this class.

Please remember to sign in when you arrive for open studio and sign out when you leave. And make sure to clean your work area thoroughly before leaving.

We welcome all ceramics lovers and all area potters to shop with us for their pottery needs during our open studio hours. Students may purchase tools as needed during their classes as well.

To help us keep our studio safe and healthy for all students and members, please keep track of current advisories on the transmission risk and hospitalization numbers for COVID and other communicable respiratory diseases in Washtenaw county at this link:

Washtenaw County Health Department page

We have curbside delivery of clay, tools, and pottery during our regular hours. If you have a specific need, please call us at the studio, during regular hours, at 734-662-4914.

Yourist Studio Gallery

6087 Jackson Road

Ann Arbor, MI 48103

734-662-4914

www.youristpottery.com | Instagram

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