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Phoenix Wood Firing, Open Day

Kia ora folksThis week we’ve been madly planning the first WSP wood firing for the year and getting the word out about the upcoming Open Day. Find the details in this week’s newsletter....

Open Day, Annual Exhibition, New Mini-term Class

It’s been a watery week in the studio, with a broken tap and a leaking roof! But our fab landlords, Hamilton City Council, have us all patched up again, and we’re hopeful all remains calm over the weekend for Play with Clay and Sunday’s class....

There's lots happening at WSP - check out the latest...

Kia ora e te whānauThe sun is shining again, Diploma teaching has started, our second lot of Term 1 taster classes are starting, Phoenix wood firings are in the planning stage, and the indoor kilns are running hot – everything is right with the WSP world! Check out this week’s newsletter below and let us know if you have anything to include in next week’s....

More classes available, please give us your wood ash

The studio vibe this week has been particularly happy and energetic, it’s always such a joy to see your faces coming in the door and your excitement when you pick up your pieces. We had the lovely Craig firing the gas kiln this week and the pots are out on the shelves for you to collect. It was a great firing resulting in toasty clay bodies and nice reduction. Don’t forget, Raku Club is on tomorrow (Saturday) it’s always fun to watch, even if you’re not firing pots this time around....

Just a short newsletter this week

Kia ora pottery people! It’s been another hot one this week, we’ve been spraying the wet cupboards to keep the work in progress from drying out, and racing to get the recycled clay processed before it gets too hard! It’s also been fab seeing all the new faces and creations in the Term 1 classes. Just a short newsletter this week – check it out below…...

Clay reclaim, raku club, and more...

Classes are underway this week and it’s been great seeing the studio getting busier and welcoming new faces to our community. And with the increase in studio use the kilns are running hot! Margaret is (as ever) doing a marvellous job of getting all your work fired, especially with Kiln 1 down, so with the extra work coming in, everything is making its way through the process in the usual speedy manner....

New Manager, volunteer opportunities, Piece of the Month and more

Please join us in welcoming our new Manager, Josephine Hughes, who started with us this week.While Josephine has had some experience with clay, having gained a Certificate in Ceramics (with distinction!); her main focus in her career has been working in galleries and museums as an exhibitions designer. Having worked at the Robert McDougall Art Gallery, The Dowse Art Museum, Auckland Museum, Waikato Museum and MTG Hawke’s Bay, Josephine has an intense respect for objects, materials and their ma...

Classes, Raku Club, Clay Stocks, and lots more...

Kia ora! We've got a bumper issue this week, check out all the news and notices below....

Happy New Year!

We’re underway for the year and we’ve got the Term 1 classes to announce. But first up we have to give a shout out to all those who helped with our end of year working bee on the 22nd of December.We had tons of volunteers come long on the day, and many who couldn’t make it on the 22nd but made time to come and help out on other days. A massive thank you to you all! We know that time is a real commodity for everyone these days, so it was heart-warming to be shown that WSP means so much to y...

End of year wrap up

The Christmas party on Tuesday night was fab, and we had lots of members and friends in attendance, which made for an exciting “Stealing Secret Santa” event. A number of very popular pressies got stolen multiple times (including a kiwi (like the one above) made by Margaret Raine. Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate, share a kai and acknowledge the contribution of our volunteers, committee, staff, tutors and membership. It was a great evening....

We're in End of Year Mode

Libby here - with one whole week of training under my belt. Thanks so much to everyone for welcoming me into the role! And special thanks to Larissa, our ARs, Tess and our marvellous volunteers for helping me find my feet so far. We're in end of year mode at the moment, so here's a wrap up of our dates and reminders......

Friday Open Studio, Upcoming Workshops and Exhibitions

We are looking for volunteers to help with a deep clean of the studio on Friday 22nd of December. Help us put some love and TLC into our humble whare - the WSP <3 <3 Get in touch with Larissa if this is you info@waikatopotters.co.nz...

Important end of year dates, Waiclay exhibition and more...

Here are the current proposed end of year dates:202326 November – Last day for private kiln bookings for the year (excluding kiln 4- mini kiln) 4 December - last drop off day for pre-holiday bisque firing 11 December - last drop off day for pre-holiday glaze firing 19 December 5.30pm - Christmas Party bring a (preferably handmade) gift for the Secret Santa swap game 21 December – Last ‘Open Studio’ before holidays 22 December – Deep clean o...

Animal sculpture workshop, exhibition and gas kiln update.

Words from Tess (WSP president): Members participated in series of challenges including blind fold throwing , team throwing and blind folded hand building + the teapot challenge. All in the name of fun. Some came with the idea of watching and not participating, but seeing how everyone else was amongst the fun they soon joined.At kai time we all enjoyed a great spread put on by those who attended. It was great to see members korero with members that had not meet before and getting to know each o...

The Mighty Waikato Pottery Throwdown + come work with me...

The event will be kicking off from 10am-2pm tomorrow. The Throwdown is a fun/chill event with various activities and challenges for our pottery community to participate in and connect with one another (and get competitive if you’re into it).We are excited to have Diane Parker as our guest judge this year! Diane has an extensive history with the WSP and we’re sure she’ll be able to share a story or two. There will be a shared kai - if you have the capacity to bring a plate. Otherwise all yo...

'Open Studio' tonight, new class + term 4 classes go live

We will be having another evening of pottery tonight with Libby and Margaret volunteering. If you're keen to come along and hang out, we'd love to see you there....

We are recruiting - Manager (part-time)

We have an opportunity for the right person to join our team as manager at the Waikato Society of Potters in central Kirikiriroa/Hamilton. We are seeking someone with experience in operations management or office management to join our assistant manager, volunteers, and tutors in the smooth running of the studio.Position: Manager (part-time)Management: Waikato Society of Potters (Inc) CommitteeDirectly responsible to: The Chairperson of the CommitteeDescription: Part time – (26 hours) Neg...

Exhibition Awards, Scott Brough Workshop + Extra 'Open Studio' Sessions

Thank you to everyone who came and contributed to the exhibition last week and to all of those who helped make it happen! Yasmin did an amazing job presenting works with the help of Janet and Elsa. A special mention to our committee for helping on the night, our members for bringing plates and of course John Parker for taking on the challenge of judging this year. We were spoiled with tasty food and even tastier pottery.Pictured below: Pit Vase by Dianne Parker...

Invitation to our exhibition opening + car boot sale + studio access

If you haven't submitted your entry form for the exhibition and still want to have something in the show, please send the form in over the weekend. I will be submitting the list of works to ArtsPost on Monday morning. We would love to have a really full exhibition again this year so if you missed the deadline, you can still submit the form over the weekend.Our exhibition opening preview is next week, Thursday 17th August at 5.30pm. Please come along to celebrate our exhibitors and awards ceremon...

Countdown to the exhibition, New workshop and classes, & Raku club

We are counting on ALL our members, from new to experienced artists, to exhibit with us at our upcoming annual exhibition. It's about sharing the joy of ceramics with the community, although there are some great prizes to be won. This is all made possible by the generosity of our sponsors including Hamilton Creative Communities NZ, Macs Mud Clay Company, CCG, GR & CM Vowles, Yasmin and Mark Davis, and Jenni Taris.Download entry form and read the terms & conditions......

Exhibition reminder, Sales opportunity for artists and studio updates

Term 3 is underway with classes beginning this week. This evening's Introduction to Pottery class and Sunday's Wheel Throwing Taster and now sold out. Play with Clay is running tomorrow 10am until 1pm....

Mānawatia a Matariki, WSP Exhibition 2023, studio maintenance and reopening

The studio will be closed tomorrow to celebrate Matariki.Matariki is a time of reflection, celebration and preparation, although it has only just registered that our studio maintenance closure was timed perfectly.While cleaning and decluttering, we have come across boxes of old memorabilia including the sales book from the 1st Waikato Society of Potters members' exhibition in 1973. Here we are planning the 51st! In the coming months, we will, look through these boxes and share some of the memori...

Thank you volunteers! Studio hours + winter reminders...

Special mention to all our volunteers! There's a lot to get done in a day around here and we are feeling very supported. Shout out to Emma, Meg, Lisa, Burns, Craig, Lydia, Yasmin and Stephen who have offered extra support this week and of course all of our long time volunteers and committee members. We really appreciate it and see you <3...

Holiday schedule, an expo, workshops + exhibitions

Classes + workshops |  Studio maintenance  |   Volunteering  |  Welcoming Communities Expo  |  Holiday timetable  |  Exhibitions...

Term 3 classes, workshops, studio activities, costumes & more

Term 3 classes are now on EventsPronto and open for registrations. The evening classes are usually popular and so we recommend booking quickly to avoid disappointment.There have been a few changes to the class schedule for Term 3:Libby's Tuesday class has moved to a Thursday morning slot;Sylvia Sinel is back in Term 3 to tutor a special 4 week class combing wheel thrown pieces with sculptural techniques;Nicolette is taking a break with Yasmin stepping in to cover the Monday evening wheel throwin...