Yourist Studio Gallery March 2024 News, Events, Inspiration

News, Events, Inspiration ◊ March 2024

Inside this issue: Two new classes forming. More opportunities for learning at the studio. New glazes and underglazes in our shop. Florian Gadsby video on finishing pots. Do you know what SOLA is? Find out here. Plus more exhibitions, events, and informative videos.

Student teamwork: Brandi Josephs lends support

as Shu-Jean Chen assembles her tall planter

Our second-term classes...

...are getting underway now, but there's still time to sign up for classes that have not yet started. Check our schedule for available classes and act quickly to register.

Find classes

Have you seen the news...

...about the two new classes we've added to our lineup? They offer you the opportunity to grow your pottery-making proficiency with advanced techniques in creating and decorating your pieces.

Expand your surface design skills in our new class, Silkscreening on Clay. Instructor Darcy Bowden will lead you through the A to Z of this process, from preparing your own designs to making your silkscreens and printing them on clay. Basic to advanced pottery making experience is required for this class.

Silkscreening on Clay

Mon, Apr 8-May 13,

6:30-8:30 pm,

with Darcy Bowden

Early Bird discount in effect

through March 10.

Complement your cuisine with attractive serving pieces for your dinner table. In our new Serving Pieces class with instructor Kristina Greenstone, you will concentrate on refining skills and creating exquisite serving dishes like elegant platters, nesting bowls, serving bowls, casserole dishes, and more. Intermediate wheel-throwing experience is required.

Serving Pieces

Tue, Mar 26-Apr 30,

10:00 am-12:00 pm,

with Kristina Greenstone

Reserve your seat.

April Try It

Our Try It Once classes have been filling up almost as soon as we announce them. So we encourage you to register promptly for your opportunity to sit behind the pottery wheel.

Try It Once on the Wheel

Sat, April 13, 1:00-2:30 pm, with Laila Chalati.

Studio life

ICYMI

Speedball glazes and underglazes now available

Our pottery shop is now stocked with the full selection of Speedball's exciting new line of glazes, plus all of Speedball's economical underglazes.

The new Speedball glazes have been formulated to "create magical mottling and reduction-like effects fired at Cone 5/6." Get more information about these new glazes and take a look at them here.

Thrifty Speedball underglazes allow you to save by adjusting their consistency with water without compromising color. Learn more about Speedball underglazes here.

Our shop also carries a wide selection of pottery tools and Aardvark clay bodies for purchase.

Did you know...

...that we offer both Try-It group events and One-on-One instruction with our expert teachers?

We've hosted lively Try-It group events for employee team building and appreciation, birthday parties, bridal showers, and gatherings of family and friends. These events are perfect for any group that wants to get together and have some creative fun. You can book this Try-It class at a convenient time for you and your party and even bring drinks and snacks. Our instructors will guide you and your companions through throwing on the pottery wheel or hand building. Get the details about our Try-It group events here.

Celebrating a bridal shower

at a Try-It group event

If you're looking for personalized attention, our One-on-One instruction is available to individuals who want to hone their developing skills or to try wheel-throwing or hand-building for the first time. You can arrange for an hour-long session of private guidance from one of our instructors. Find out more about our One-on-One instruction here.

Come and get 'em

To make space for new work, we must remove all bisque and glaze pieces that have accumulated on the shelves in February.

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 March 30 must be discarded to free up room on our shelves.

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.

Potters quick tip

Q. I make pots for my family and friends so of course I want to give them a perfect finish. Which features of my pots should I pay particular attention to when finishing them?

A. Let's ask master potter Florian Gadsby for his thoughts. Gadsby advises that "Every vessel has a top and bottom and how you choose to throw and trim these areas can have a great impact on how the pot functions once glazed and fired." He characterizes the rim as "in some ways the most important part of any pot" and demonstrates the four most common ways to finish rims, including his ideal rim. He also explains why he bevels the bases of his pots for both practical and aesthetic purposes.

Cuteness alert: Gadsby's adorable pup makes a cameo appearance at the beginning of this video.

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

Clay lover's events

Profile of potter Carol Gouthrou,

SOLA (Support of Old Lady Artists) award winner

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.

Pewabic: Detroit's Pottery: documents the pottery's past while celebrating the present. Pewabic Pottery. Ongoing. 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 14, 2024. More . . .

Spotlight—Magdalene Odundo: A Dialogue with Objects. The largest ever presentation of Odundo's work in North America. Gardiner Museum, Toronto. October 19, 2023–April 21, 2024. More . . .

Fragile Bodies: The Figure in Glass and Clay. "Illustrate[s] the human form’s powerful symbolic potential to embody an idea, to express an ideal, or to embrace that which is vulnerable and human." Flint Institute of Arts. October 21, 2023–June 16, 2024. More . . .

From Earth to Sky: Ancient Art of the Americas. Ancient ceramic sculptures from Mexico and Costa Rica (200 BCE–200 CE) offer a glimpse into the lives of people more than 2,000 years ago. Flint Institute of Arts. May 11–August 25, 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. September 22, 2024–January 5, 2025. More . . .

Pottery perspectives

Opportunities to expand your knowledge of ceramics past and present.

Carol Gouthro SOLA Spotlight. "SOLA [Support of Old Lady Artists] supports accomplished women artists in Washington State with cash awards, professional development and further recognition for their perseverance and dedication. Potter Carol Gouthro received a SOLA Award in 2020." More . . .

A Potters Patience. A potter from Vume, Volta, Ghana, an area known for its pottery, shares his experience and the life lessons he has learned from making pottery. More . . .

The February unforgettable dinnerware on-line lecture from the International Museum of Dinnerware Design is now available as a video: Bespoke pottery for dining with David T. Kim. More . . .

And three from Colossal:

Cross-stitch embroidered porcelain vases by Caroline Harrius. More . . .

Thousands of porcelain pieces form colorful wings by Rebecca Manson. More . . .

Striking ceramic sculptures celebrate individuality and diversity by Sydnie Jimenez. More . . .

Other events

Mid-Century Hostess Carafes: My Accidental Collection

The International Museum of Dinnerware Design on-line lecture features avid dinnerware collector Scott Hamblen giving a "retrospective and brief primer on an unintentional accumulation."

Wednesday, March 13, 6:30 pm

Details here.

2024 NCECA

"Coalescence is the power, presence, and innovation that occurs through our work with clay and communities."

NCECA’s 58th Annual Conference: Coalescence

Richmond, Virginia,

March 20-23, 2024