Kia ora
We’ve had a great couple of weeks here. All the Open Day creations have been glazed and fired and are ready to collect. A huge thanks to our Artists in Residence and to Margaret in particular for their mahi in numbering and glazing everything and getting it through the kilns in less than 2 weeks. We think we’ve processed over 600 pieces in all! All items are now ready for collection, so if you came along and made something, or know anyone who did you can stop in and find them in the kitchen area.
Term 2 classes started this week as well and it’s great seeing new faces and feeling the creative energy ramping up in the studio.
It's a chokka newsletter this week, read all the happenings below...
Annual General Meeting – Tuesday 14th May, 6pm
A reminder that our AGM is at 6pm on Tuesday the 14th of May. Please come along and support your Committee and fellow members. Your attendance and korero helps us to pass motions and minutes, and financial accounts, all of which are essential to the running of our club. We make the meeting as short as we can, and we’ll share a kai! Bring a plate if you have the capacity.
Please have a think about joining the committee as well. It’s a voluntary position, but having enough committee members is crucial to keep our society up and running. Committee members meet once a month via Zoom to keep us on track, pay the bills, and just make sure you have a place to come and pot. If you’d like to give back in this way, have a chat with us before or at the AGM and we’ll give you more info.
Margaret’s Pick of the Month
This utterly delicious piece caught Margaret’s eye in April. Alison Stearn is the artist and she has been experimenting with various coloured clays to great affect. Congrats Alison!
Annual Exhibition Countdown
Get your clay fingers wiggling – we’re on the countdown to the WSP Annual Exhibition at ArtsPost! The exhibition is open to all our members, no matter where you’re at in your clay journey. This is where we show the community what a diverse group of creatives we have here at WSP. These are the dates you need to be working towards – and as we all know, in the pottery world it’s closer than it seems 😊
29 Days until entries open on the 1st of June
102 Days until entries close on the 13th of August
111 Days until the exhibition opens on the 22nd of August
Sponsored prizes are still to be announced, but we’ll have entry categories for:
Tiles
Mugs
Premiere clay artist
Emerging clay artist
Glazing
Mac’s Mud Clays
and more!
Upcoming workshops and events
Get Your Groove On
Linocut and tile workshop with Yasmin Davis
Day 1: Saturday 11th May 1.30-5.30pm – tile design and lino cutting
Day 2: Sunday 12th May 1.30-5.30pm – making tiles using the linocuts.
WSP members are encouraged to enter their tiles into the annual exhibition at Artspost in August. You could win the Tile Award!
Yasmin will also demonstrate water colour painting on bisqueware.
No experience with clay is required for you to enjoy this class. All materials are supplied, but firing is not included. More info and sign-ups here.
Raku Club
Saturday 25th of May, 10am – 1pm
The monthly Raku firing schedule continues. We had a whole lot of fun at the last firing and some fantastic results. Come and join us! Sign up here.
Phoenix Wood Firing with Duncan Shearer – only 2 places left!
Saturday 8 June: Prep day: organize wood, prep shelves and kiln
Saturday 15 June: packing kiln
Sunday 16 June: firing kiln
Saturday 22 June: unloading kiln
The wood will need to be collected, prep'd and stacked a month earlier (mid May) to ensure it is dry on the day.
A limited number of spaces are available to share the use of the kiln on this upcoming wood firing. There’s just two places left, so get online to put your name down.
Personal Pou
A Matariki themed workshop with Dave Austin
Saturday 22nd of June, 9.30am – 4.30pm.
Nau mai, tauti mai for this Matariki-themed workshop with local artist and WSP member, Dave Austin. Everyone is welcome, Māori and non-Māori, experienced clay workers and complete beginners, WSP-members and non-members.
In this workshop Dave will share the story of Matariki with us and talk about its significance to himself and what it is to feel Matariki as a Māori. He will then guide us in creating our own slab-built and sgraffito’d Pou that you will get to decorate in a way that holds personal significance to you. Find more information and sign-up here.
2 day workshop with renowned potter Greg Barron – 1 place left!
Saturday 13th July 9:30am - Sunday 14th July 2024 4:30pm
The workshop will discuss matters to do with wood firing: clays, glazes and some info specifically about shino types (Greg will bring some recipes), the importance of iron levels in clays and glazes. He will go into kiln design and firing pattern. During the making of pots he will show methods of construction especially of larger forms and techniques of decoration. Snaffle the last place in this workshop here.
Phoenix Wood Firing with Greg Barron
Saturday 3 August: Prep day: organize wood, prep props, shelves, wadding etc
Saturday 10 August: wadding and loading pots into kiln
Sunday 11 August: firing kiln
Saturday 17 August: unloading kiln
We are thrilled to have Greg Barron as firemaster for this event. Participants must glaze their pieces prior to 10th August so that they're ready to load. Find more info and enrol here.
Studio Schedule
Here’s what’s happening next week… Check the online calendar though just in case.
Saturday 4th of May
CLOSED for Liz Sharek Workshop
Sunday 5th of May
10am – 1pm, Class – Throwing Taster
Monday 6th of May
9.30am – 12.30pm, Class – Wheel Throwing
1pm – 4pm, Members’ Open Studio
6pm – 9pm, Class – Wheel Throwing
Tuesday 7th May
9.30am – 4pm, Members’ Open Studio
6pm – 9pm, Play with Clay – Thank you Margaret and Alicia!
Wednesday 8th of May
9.30am – 12.30pm, Play with Clay
1pm – 4pm, Members’ Open Studio
6pm – 9pm, Class – Wheel Throwing and Decorating
Thursday 9th of May
9.30am – 12.30pm, Class – Sculpture Skills
1pm – 4pm, Members’ Oen Studio
6pm – 9pm, Class – Hand Building
Friday 10th of May
9.30am – 4pm, CLOSED for Diploma
6pm – 1pm, Class – Intro to Pottery
Saturday 11th of May
10am – 1pm, Play with Clay - thanks Tim, Teresa and team!
1.30pm – 5.30pm, Workshop – Lino Cut Tiles
Sunday 12th of May
10am – 1pm, Class – Wheel Throwing Taster
1.30pm – 5.30pm, Workshop – Lino Cut Tiles
Memberships
Remember, it’s time to renew your membership! Our 2024-25 membership is underway now, so remember to sign-up online or in person to continue accessing the Members’ Open Studio sessions and getting all the good discounts etc.
Other clay stuff happening around and abouts…
Exhibition
Jenni Taris – Pottery Making for Forty Years
5 May – 2 June, Morrinsville Gallery
Opening event on Sunday the 5th of May 1pm – 3pm
Find more info here.
Portage Ceramic Awards – entries open
Entries open: 19 April 2024
Entries close: 10 June 2024, 12noon
Shortlisted entries notified: 2 August 2024
Shortlisted works received: 6 September 2024
Finalists announced: 7 October 2024
Awards Announced: 21 November 2024
Exhibition at Te Uru: 22 November 2024 – 12 January 2025
Find more info here.
Breaking Ground: Ceramics Symposium
6 June – 9 June, Object Space, Ponsonby
Including a day-long symposium followed by workshop and market days, Breaking Ground offers an opportunity to learn and connect across ceramics practice in Aotearoa. Key Note Lecture by Glenn Barkley.
Find more info here.
Winter Pottery Exhibition
Entries have been extended for this exhibition that is an inclusive event for Rotorua Potters Group, Bethlehem Pottery Club, Waikato Society of Potters and independent potters within these areas as well. You can enter by Wednesday the 8th of May by filling in the online form.
