News, Events, Inspiration ◊ September 2023

Inside this issue: Back to the studio. Class spotlight. Sneak peek at future classes. In the studio. Aardvark clay sample sale. Area pottery exhibitions and events. Videos on marbling, making fish plates, and rolling casserole rims.

Here's how

you sculpt a cow

Our Back to the Studio...

... class term is right around the corner, with new classes beginning on September 5. We hope you're already enrolled and eager to get your hands in clay again. If not, you still have time to sign up for the class (or classes) of your choice. If you are an advanced or intermediate student, or even a practicing potter, we recommend that you take advantage of the opportunity to learn with Elliott Kayser in our Advanced and Intermediate Clay Class.

Here's our Back to the Studio class schedule:

Introductory and Continuing Wheel

• Mon, Sep 11-Oct 16, 3:30-5:30 pm, with Kevan Wilson
• Mon, Sep 11-Oct 16, 6:30-8:30 pm, with Kevan Wilson
• Wed, Sep 6-Oct 11, 10:00 am-12:00 pm, with Kay Yourist
• Thu, Sep 7-Oct 12, 10:00 am-12:00 pm, with Nancy Bulkley
• Thu, Sep 7-Oct 12, 12:30-2:30 pm, with Nancy Bulkley
• Thu, Sep 7-Oct 12, 4:30-6:30 pm, with Kay Yourist
• Thu, Sep 7-Oct 12, 6:30-8:30 pm, with Nick Glynos
• Sat, Sep 9-Oct 14, 9:30-11:30 am, with Kristina Greenstone
• Sun, Sep 10-Oct 15, 11:00 am-1:00 pm, with Jenneva Kayser
• Sun, Sep 10-Oct 15, 1:30-3:30 pm, with Jenneva Kayser

Coffee and Clay (In studio or via Zoom)

• Wed, Sep 6-Oct 11, 10:00 am-12:00 pm, with Nancy Bulkley
• Sat, Sep 9-Oct 14, 9:30-11:30 am, with Nancy Bulkley

Hand Building

• Thu, Sep 7-Oct 12, 6:30-8:30 pm, with Meg Gizzi

Design Your Clay Surface

• Mon, Sep 18-Nov 20, 6:30-8:30 pm, with Darcy Bowden

Spotlight—Advanced and Intermediate Clay

• Tue, Sep 5-Dec 5, 6:30-9:00 pm, with Elliot Kayser

Advanced / Intermediate Independent Study

• Wed, Sep 6-Dec 6, 6:30-9:00 pm, with Rose Gomez

Reserve your seat today.

Fall class spotlight

Sneak peek...

...at two future classes. We've added a couple of great new six-week classes to our late fall schedule, starting in mid-October:

Introductory / Continuing Wheel Fridays

• Fri, Oct 13-Nov 17, 6:30-8:30 pm, with Kristina (Chetcuti) Greenstone

Our Introductory / Continuing Wheel Fridays class returns. After a busy and perhaps stressful week, what better way is there to relax and unwind on Friday evening than making pottery at the wheel?

Teapots on the Pottery Wheel

• Tue, Oct 17-Nov 21, 10:00 am-12:00 pm, with Kristina (Chetcuti) Greenstone

Throwing teapots on the wheel requires thoughtfulness and planning. If you have basic throwing skills and are ready to take on the teapot challenge, this intermediate class is right for you.

These classes are open for registration now.

You'll find descriptions of our Aardvark clays here.

Clean up thoroughly

using plenty of water

Scrub-a-dub

We revisit this reminder once a year because a clean studio is a healthy studio. As a community of clay artists, it's up to us to keep the studio clean and welcoming.

We expect all students and members to be conscientious about cleanup and courtesy. Remember to use plenty of water to prevent clay or glaze from drying out on any surface in the studio.

• Clean your work area and always leave it better than you found it.
• After throwing, mop the floor around your wheel and clean your mirror.
• Clean every table surface that you have worked on.
• After using the glaze area, clean off the table surface and surrounding floor.
• Put all slip and clay in slip bucket and scrap bowl next to the slip bucket. Never, ever put clay or slip in the sink.
• After you finish cleaning, wipe out your sink.
• If you receive phone calls, please step out of the work area to talk and do not use speaker phone.

Thank you for doing your part to keep the studio clean, healthy, and user friendly for all.

Job opportunity

Studio intern

We're interviewing potential studio interns for fall 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. Please send a letter of interest, including your pottery studio experience, to Kay Yourist.

COVID-19 update

While the federal COVID-19 pandemic health emergency has ended, the Washtenaw County Health Department advises us to "...remember that COVID-19 is still present and will be part of our lives for a while, perhaps even indefinitely."

Please check the following links for current advisories on COVID transmission risk and hospitalization numbers in Washtenaw county:

CDC COVID By County page

Washtenaw County Health Department page

CDC currently updates its advisory weekly, as does the WCHD.

The studio will operate in accordance with the latest CDC and WCHD advisories. Thank you for helping us keep our studio safe and healthy for all students and members.

Potters quick tip

Q. I'd like to marble the surface of my pieces with underglazes. How might I go about doing this?

A. Although there are a number of possibilities for producing a marbled surface on pottery, it's often worthwhile to look for inspiration at methods used by artists working in other media. In this video, Marie of Pottery Crafters uses a split cup method she learned from acrylic paint pouring to apply a combination of underglazes to the surfaces of her mugs.

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

Recovery from addiction

through creativity with clay

On-site exhibitions

We'll let you know when new ceramics exhibitions are on display and open to the public. Before you go to an on-site exhibition, be sure to check the art museum's web site for any current health precautions.

Around the World in Blue and White. Selections from the William C. Weese Collection of Chinese Ceramics. University of Michigan Museum of Art. Ongoing. More . . .

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

Motawi Tileworks: A Celebration of 30 Years. Gifts of Art Gallery, Rogel Cancer Center. Now-December. This exhibition is limited to Michigan Medicine patients and their visitors. A link on the exhibition page will allow you to visit virtually. More . . .

Spotlight—Hear Me Now: The Black Potters of Old Edgefield, South Carolina. More than 60 works by African American potters in the decades surrounding the Civil War. University of Michigan Museum of Art. August 26, 2023-January 7, 2024. More . . .

State Plates: Ceramics from the International Museum of Dinnerware Design. Commemorative earthenware state plates. Gifts of Art Gallery, Taubman Health Center. September 5-December 1. This exhibition is limited to Michigan Medicine patients and their visitors. A link on the exhibition page will allow you to visit virtually. More . . .

Embracing Transformation: Ceramics by Kristin Kowalski. Sculptures reflecting the artist's appreciation for nature and its beauty. Gifts of Art Gallery, Taubman Health Center. September 5-December 1. This exhibition is limited to Michigan Medicine patients and their visitors. A link on the exhibition page will allow you to visit virtually. More . . .

Decorative by Design: 250 Years of Japanese Objects. Illustrating the Japanese concept of kazari, or the art of decoration and ornamentation. Flint Institute of Arts. September 23, 2023-April 23, 2024. More . . .

Underneath Everything: Humility and Grandeur in Contemporary Ceramics. "Clay is the humblest of materials, often overlooked and more readily associated with a morning cup of coffee than with the international art world. But it is underneath everything." Theaster Gates. Grand Rapids Art Museum. October 7, 2023-January 13, 2024. More . . .

Dining with the Sultan: The Fine Art of Feasting. Paintings of elaborate feasts, sumptuous vessels for food and drink, and historical cookbooks. Detroit Institute of Arts. November 10, 2024–February 2, 2025. More . . .

Pottery perspectives

Opportunities to expand your knowledge of ceramics past and present.

Recast Film 2023. Moving film from the British Ceramics Biennial about how people recovering from addiction got a new lease on life by making pottery. More . . .

Stories of Chinese Ceramics: Chapter V—Color it up! Vibrant Hues. Innovations in monochrome and polychrome glazes and techniques. And more dragons! The Shanghai Museum. More . . .

The Pottery Maker. A 19th century pottery melodrama, dramatized and filmed by The Met. This short from 1926 is one of the first films ever made by the Met. More . . .

And three from Colossal:

Ceramic art? Toys? Or both? by Luciano Polverigiani. More . . .

Exuberant "Mexican Zodiac" in Clay by George Rodriguez. More . . .

Kiss Me Ceramic Pieces by Tatiana Cardona. More . . .

IMODD Fall Series Premier

The Cracked Pot Studio Tour

From East Lansing to Williamston, visit the annual Cracked Pot Studio Tour of mid-Michigan potters.

Start the tour on Friday at a friendly throw-down competition among tour potters. Then spend Saturday and Sunday in a leisurely tour of 10 studios with demonstrations and more than 40 guest ceramic artists.

Friday, September 15

Cracked Pot Throw Down, 6:00 to 10:00 pm

Saturday and Sunday, September 16-17

Self-guided Studio Tour, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

Full tour details and map here...

Just for the halibut...

...fish plate, that is. Fish are always a popular subject in the studio. Here potter Tiffinie Helmer of Hobble Creek Pottery demonstrates how she hand builds her alluring halibut and salmon plates.

Sorry about the fishy puns. I couldn't resist.

Put big, bold rims...

...on your casseroles. Join potter Mary Fox in her Creation Room as she shows you how, and why, she puts big rolled rims on her casseroles. Fox's casseroles are part of the stunning line of work she calls her "peasant ware," which is left unglazed on the outside and given a creamy yellow glaze on the inside and lids.

Visit a portfolio of Fox's work here.

Here are our open studio hours for 2023:

• Tuesday, 12:00-6:00 pm
• Wednesday, 12:00-9:00 pm
• Friday, 12:00-6:00 pm
• Saturday, 12:00-6:00 pm
• Sunday, 4:00-8:00 pm

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 and sign out when you leave. And make sure to clean your work area thoroughly before leaving.

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.