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From straw basket mold
to beautiful clay basket
by Preetha Kesari
4 days left...
...to receive our Early Bird Discount on tuition for our upcoming wheel classes. The discount expires after October 2, so register now and save.

Here's the complete class lineup for next term:

Introductory and Continuing Wheel
  • Mon, Nov 1-Dec 6, 6:30-8:30 pm, with Kevan Wilson
  • Thurs, Oct 21-Dec 2, 10:00 am-12:00 pm, with Nancy Bulkley
  • Thurs, Oct 21-Dec 2, 12:30-2:30 pm, with Nancy Bulkley
  • Thurs, Oct 21-Dec 2, 4:30-6:30 pm, with Kay Yourist
  • Thurs, Oct 21-Dec 2, 6:30-8:30 pm, with Kay Yourist
Early Bird Discount valid for these classes through October 2.

Introductory Wheel Saturdays
  • Sat, Oct 23-Dec 4, 9:30-11:30 am, with Laila Chalati/Kristina Checuti
Early Bird Discount valid through October 2.

Introductory Wheel Sundays
  • Sun, Oct 31-Dec 5, 11:00 am-1:00 pm, with Felix Nicol
Early Bird Discount valid through October 2.

Continuing Wheel Sundays
  • Sun, Oct 31-Dec 5, 1:30-3:30 pm, with Aaron Cole
Early Bird Discount valid through October 2.

Coffee and Clay (In studio or via Zoom)
  • Wed, Oct 20-Dec 1, 10:00 am-12:00 pm, with Nancy Bulkley
  • Sat, Oct 23-Dec 4, 9:30-11:30 am, with Nancy Bulkley

Our Try It Once class for October:

Try It Once on the Wheel
  • Sat, Oct 16, 1:00-2:30 pm, with Kay Yourist

Studio life
Our new mirrors in use
Pieces giving new meaning
to the phrase "Lend a hand"
Act fast!

On October 1, we will remove all bisque ware and glaze ware that has been accumulating on the shelves since 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.

Regrettably, any unclaimed bisque ware and glazed pieces remaining after that date must be discarded to make room for new work. (And you know we hate doing that!)
Mask Reminder

In compliance with CDC and Washtenaw County Health Department guidance, we are asking everyone, including those who are fully vaccinated, to resume wearing masks in the studio. We thank you for helping us keep our studio safe, healthy, and welcoming for all students and members and we hope this precaution will be short-term.
Potter's quick tip
Q. When I paddle a pinch pot to shape it, the pot looks like I've been playing whack-a-mole with it. Do I need a softer touch to get the shape I want?

A. Here's a quick tutorial on paddling pinch pots from potter and teacher Karan Witham-Walsh. Her advice: Pull the paddle in the direction you want the clay to go, never paddle straight in.

Visit Witham-Walsh's Instagram page here.

This video is part of our continuing series for beginners.
Clay lover's events
All Thing Sweet and Painful Exhibition
Ronit Baranga
Beinart Gallery, Australia
On-site exhibitions

Area art museums are beginning to open again. We'll let you know when new ceramics exhibitions are on display. Add these to your calendar.

Steeped in Tradition. Flint Institute of Art. October 23, 2021-March 20, 2022. Teaware exhibition. More . . .

Colorful California Dinnerware. International Museum of Dinnerware Design. Gifts of Art Gallery, Taubman Health Center. Now-December 3. (Note: this exhibition limited to Michigan Medicine patients and their visitors.) More . . . To visit virtually, click here.

Art Nouveau Innovation: Danish Porcelain from an American Collector. Flint Institute of Arts. Now-November 27. More . . .
Virtual tours and videos

Here's a selection of pottery events, exhibitions, and museum tours that you can visit and enjoy online. Lots of tasty ceramic eye candy!

All Things Sweet and Painful. You'll never look at dessert the same way again after viewing this exhibition by potter Ronit Baranga. More . . .

The Secrets Of Ceramics: One Of The Oldest Forms Of Art In Human Record. A trip to the Gardiner Museum of Ceramics in Toronto. More . . .

Expositie "Kleistof" Textiele kunst van keramiek. Is it textile or ceramic? It's certainly amazing. More . . .

Ken Matsuzaki Ceramics Exhibition Walkthrough. An exhibition of famed Japanese potter Matsuzaki's innovative tōkaiseki pieces. More . .
Call for participants

The International Museum of Dinnerware Design has issued a call for participants in its online wedding china exhibition, which will go live on December 21 on the museum's web site. Learn more here about submitting photos of wedding china you own for this exhibition.
Resources for potters
Create more complex pieces...
...by throwing closed forms and altering them. Potter Anne Ruel demonstrates her top ten tips for making closed-form pottery and illustrates altering them with three projects: a vase, a round box, and a cream/sauce pourer. Hand builders, how would you make these projects?

Oh, and did you know that potters have a gang sign? You'll want to catch the sign when Ruel flashes it during the video. So, do potters really need a gang sign? Or do the daubs of clay and glaze we're usually covered with give us away?

See Ruel's article, "Adding Dimension to Stenciled Imagery on Pottery," at Ceramic Arts Network.
Is it glaze, or is it...
Yum, I vote for chocolate sauce! In any case, here's one delicious dipping video from Old Forge Creations. Note the use of a car dent puller for dipping.

Learn more about Old Forge Creations here.
First potters?
From Wild Britain comes this short video showing how potter wasps build their nests by finding clay, moistening it, rolling it in a ball, and forming a vessel. Does a big part of this process seem familiar? Fortunately, we part ways when it comes to the wasp larva's diet.

Thanks to Nancy Bulkley for this entomological tip.
Studio and Gallery hours
Here are our current open studio hours for 2021:

  • Tuesday, 12:00-6:00 pm
  • Wednesday, 12:00-6:00 pm
  • Friday, 12:00-6:00 pm
  • Saturday, 12:00-6:00 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.

Yourist Studio Gallery
6087 Jackson Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
734-662-4914 | www.youristpottery.com

•Classes and workshops
•Community studio workspace
•Pottery tools for sale
•Exhibit gallery