◊ News, Events, Inspiration ◊

September 2025

Inside this issue: Back to class issue! Fall classes. Great Lakes Cup Show invited artists. Clay of the month sale. Yazhou pottery tradition. Ceramic bug houses? IMoDD Picnic exhibition. Plus more exhibition news, events, and informative videos.

Time to get your hands

on clay again

When it comes to pottery classes...

...we've got you covered. Whether you're interested in beginning, intermediate, or advanced wheel throwing; hand building; glazing techniques; different methods of firing; or independent study, our extensive calendar of classes gives you plenty of options to choose from.

But time is growing short. Classes begin forming as of September 2, so book your class (or classes) today.

Here's our fall class lineup.

New classes:

New! Crystalline Glaze Exploration

• Thu, Sep 11-Oct 16, 3:30-5:30 pm, with Savanah Conrad

New! Handbuilding With Slabs

• Sun, Sep 14-Oct 19, 1:00-3:00 pm, with Richard Boehnke

Introductory and continuing wheel:

Introductory and Continuing Wheel

• Mon, Sep 8-Oct 13, 3:30-5:30 pm, with Kevan Wilson
• Mon, Sep 8-Oct 13, 6:30-8:30 pm, with Kevan Wilson
• Thu, Sep 4-Oct 9, 10:00 am-12:00 pm, with Nancy Bulkley
• Thu, Sep 4-Oct 9, 6:30-8:30 pm, with Nick Glynos
• Sat, Sep 6-Oct 11, 9:45-11:45 am, with Kristina Greenstone
• Sun, Sep 7-Oct 12, 11:00 am-1:00 pm, with David Timm

Intermediate wheel:

Intermediate Wheel Throwing

• Thu, Sep 4-Oct 9, 12:30-2:30 pm, with Nancy Bulkley



Hand building:

Coffee and Clay (In studio or via Zoom)

• Wed, Sep 3-Oct 8, 10:00 am-12:00 pm, with Nancy Bulkley
• Sat, Sep 6-Oct 11, 9:30-11:30 am, with Nancy Bulkley

Hand Building

• Thu, Sep 4-Oct 9, 6:30-8:30 pm, with Elliott Kayser

Glazing:

Glaze Formulation Understood

• Fri, Sep 12-Oct 17, 10:00 am-12:00 pm, with Elliott Kayser

Raku firing:

Let's Do Raku

• Wed, Sep 3-Sep 24, 10:30 am-12:30 pm, with Kay Yourist
• Wed, Oct 8-Oct 29, 10:30 am-12:30 pm, with Kay Yourist

Soda firing:

Atmospheric Soda Firing

• Tue, Sep 2-Nov 4, 10:00 am-12:00 pm, with Kay Yourist

Atmospheric Soda Firing Independent Study

• Wed, Sep 3-Nov 5, 6:30-8:30 pm, with Kay Yourist

Advanced classes:

Advanced and Intermediate Clay

• Tue, Sep 2-Dec 2, 6:30-9:00 pm, with Elliott Kayser

Advanced / Intermediate Independent Study

• Wed, Sep 3-Dec 3, 6:30-9:00 pm, with Rose Gomez

Save my seat!

New fall classes

Next Try It class

Rx for relaxation and serenity: take a pottery class. Our Try It class is the perfect opportunity to get acquainted with the soothing nature of clay.

Try It Once on the Wheel

• Sat, Sep 20, 1:00-2:30 pm, with Laila Chalati

Register now.

Great Lakes Cup Show

August 31, the final date for accepting submissions to the Great Lakes Cup Show, is imminent. If you have an entry awaiting submission, please pass it along to us now. See the instructions here.

The next dates in the Cup Show calendar:

• Notification of Accepted Works: September 15
• Artwork Due to Gallery: October 14
• Exhibition and Sale: October 24 - November 15
• Opening Night Reception, October 24, 6:30-8:30 pm

We'll have more details about exhibition and sale in our October issue.

Meet the invited artists

These three outstanding potters from the Great Lakes area will join the Great Lakes Cup Show as invited artists.

Defeat dust

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 and becoming dust.

• 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. Wipe up all spills on the floor and glaze buckets.
• 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.

Pottery tool of the month

Job opportunity

Studio intern

We're interviewing potential studio interns for fall and winter 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.

Pottery pickup reminder

Once classes restart, our bisque and glazed ware shelves will begin filling up quickly, so we must remove earlier pieces to make room for the new ones. Here are our deadlines for picking up bisque and glazed ware on studio shelves:

• Glaze and bisque ware from July will be kept until September 13.
• Glaze and bisque ware from August will be kept until September 27.

If you have items on our shelves from July and August, 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.

Potters quick tip

Q. I'm struggling with inconsistent wall thickness on my wheel-thrown pieces. The walls are thicker in some places and thinner in others. What's the cure for this malady?

A. Potter Chris Landers, the Clay Doctor, has a diagnosis and prescription for you. Working with an intermediate student who is experiencing this ailment in her wheel-thrown work, Landers suggests and demonstrates possible causes and cures. Note: it's not a virus.

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

No machines, no shortcuts

The Yazhou pottery tradition

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 . . .

Making Her Mark. "...highlights the achievements of women ceramicists since the early 20th century." Flint Institute of Arts, Now–October 12. More . . .

Pottery perspectives

Opportunities to expand your knowledge of ceramics past and present.

Yazhou Pottery: Secrets in the Cracks of Clay. Traditional making of the "Buyi God," a spiritual symbol of the Buyi people of China. Seriously, do not miss viewing this astonishing video! More . . .

Force of Nature | The Art of Kate Malone. See the new geometric direction potter Kate Malone is taking in her work. More . . .

templatemaker.nl. Please remind me: where do I find that web site with the free resizable and downloadable templates I can use for hand building? Definitely a bookmark-worthy site! More . . .

And three from Colossal:

Architectural ceramic bug houses, by Raphaël Emine. More . . .

Impressive woven ceramic vessels by Xanthe Somers. More . . .

Punk style ceramics by twins Haylie and Sydnie Jimenez. More . . .

IMoDD's Sixth Biennial

National Juried and Invitational Exhibition

"Only one dining experience may be universally remembered and loved by all."

This exhibition by the International Museum of Dinnerware design celebrates the picnic with picnic ware and related works by US artists and designers in all media. New creations will be displayed alongside cherished historic and vintage picnic ware of bygone eras.

Exhibition schedule

September 6, 2025 - January 17, 2026

Opening Reception, Saturday, September 6, 1:00-4:00 pm

Artists Awards and Gallery Talk 2:00 pm

Although we may not be able to travel to Kingston, New York—the new location of the IMoDD—to see the exhibition in person, we won't miss out. The online exhibition catalogue will go live on the day of the opening, September 6, so mark that date on your calendar to visit the IMoDD website.

Congratulations, Robin!

Fellow clay artist Robin Mendenhall's submission has been selected for display in the Picnic exhibition. Robin realized the exhibition theme with a set of picnic toys, which include an ants' picnic tangram, a napkin ring doll, and a string puzzle. What fun! Robin signs her art pieces with her maiden name, Robin Wilt.

Splendid Settings: 100 years of Mottahedeh Design

The International Museum of Dinnerware Design resumes its free 2025 online lecture series with a talk about Mottahedeh and Company, the recognized leader in antique tableware reproductions and decorative ceramic objects. This distinguished ceramics company was founded a century ago by Mildred and Rafi Mottahedeh. Wendy Kvalheim, the owner and Design Director of Mottahedeh, makes the presentation.

Wednesday, September 10, 2025, 6:30 pm ET

Learn more here.

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.

Empty Bowls appeal

Throw and dart a spout

Master potter Bill van Gilder demonstrates his method of throwing and darting a teapot spout, a technique he believes is unique to him. Along the way van Gilder gives a clever tip on how to adapt a lid so it doesn't fall into the teacups, along with advice on spout shaping and placement.

Hand build a leafy dish

Potter Shirin Shabadar, of Ceramic Creation, leads you step-by-step through the process of creating this captivating leafy plate. Imagine making a set of these plates in the vivid autumnal colors of gold, orange, scarlet, russet, and bronze to grace your fall harvest table.

Open 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

Our open studio

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.

Sunday open studio hours for students continue through July 20 from 4:00 to 8:00 pm.

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.

Our pottery tool shop

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

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.

Stay healthy

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, flu, and other communicable respiratory diseases in Washtenaw county at this link:

Washtenaw County Health Department page

Our contributors

Contributors to this issue include Nancy Bulkley, Margaret Carney, Savanah Conrad, Joanne Daniels, Jess Krivan, and Robin Wilt Mendenhall. Thank you.

Yourist Studio Gallery

6087 Jackson Road

Ann Arbor, MI 48103

734-662-4914

www.youristpottery.com | Instagram

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