Hi everyone
We’ve got lots of juicy tid-bits for you this week! There’s an update on the WSP Exhibition entries (including the prize categories!) plus an announcement regarding an upcoming studio closure, and lots of other news. Dive into it all below.
Studio Closure, 14th July – 27th July
Hamilton City Council are replacing the roof over the whole Ward Park Arts Centre complex, and so we and our neighbours will need to close our workshops for two weeks for this to happen.
The closure will begin on Monday the 14th of July and we will re-open on Monday the 28th of July. Scaffolding will start to be installed around the building on Saturday the 12th of July, but we can remain open for our usual Play with Clay and Members’ Open Studio sessions on this day.
The closure will impact our Open Studio and Play with Clay sessions, and also the start of our Term 3 class dates. The term will still run for 8-weeks, but classes will start during the week of the 28th of July, ending on the week commencing 15th of September.
Open Studio, Play with Clay, and Kids’ Play with Clay sessions will resume on the week of the 28th of July. The Kids’ Play with Clay term will run for 6-weeks during term 3, instead of the usual 8-weeks.
Fresh Baked – WSP Annual Members’ Exhibition
We’re excited to start putting together another glorious annual exhibition of your creations, and we can now confirm the entry and prize categories – take a look and get some inspiration – and get making!
And remember, our annual exhibition is a celebration of all our members and their work, no matter what level of their pottery journey they are at! Everyone is guaranteed to have at least one entry selected, you can enter up to four separate works, and there is no entry fee 😊
Entry categories:
Entry category 1: An open category – make anything you want!
Entry category 2: An open category – make anything you want!
One of the above two entries may be a set of up to 6 pieces maximum, priced as a set.Tile category: This piece must be able to be hung on the wall and be no more than 25 x 25 centimetres. Tiles don’t have to be flat – 3D is encouraged.
Mug category: Mugs must be functional and have a handle.
Awards categories:
Open Awards open to all
WSP Premier Award $1000
Bot Pots Merit Awards (x 3) $500 vouchers
Kiwi Underglaze Surface Decoration Award $250 voucher
Tile Challenge: $150 sponsored by Yasmin and Mark Davis
Best Mug Award: $50 sponsored by Jenni Taris.
People's Choice Award: $150 sponsored by Chris Jones, announced at the close of the exhibition
Special Category Awards
CCG Emerging Artist Award $250 voucher, open to those with less than 3 years pottery experience
Kiwi Underglaze Young Artist Award: $250 voucher, open to those under 16 years of age on 15 August 2025
President’s Award: A term’s class at WSP, open to those whose main making space is Open Studio or Play with Clay.
Key dates:
1st June - Entries open
3rd August – Entries close
4th August - 9th August – Delivery of works to WSP studio
14th August, 5.30pm - Opening preview and awards evening
15th August - 14 September – Exhibition runs
16th September - 23rd September – Collection of unsold pieces from WSP studio
We are delighted to announce the judge for Fresh Baked is Richard Fahey.
Richard Fahey is a senior lecturer within the School of Creative Industries, Unitec, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. His research activity has largely focused on material culture within Aotearoa via the historical and institutional contexts of education, collection and exhibition. These activities take the form of writing, curating and active participation in the visual arts sector as a teacher, speaker, assessor and advocate.
Raku Firing – 5th July
Alternative Firing: Raku
Saturday 5th July, 10am – 2pm
Members and non-members welcome.
We’re raku-ing again! Get involved in this awesome, fast-firing process! Our raku expert, David Kenny, will run this event providing you with an opportunity to fire a few items each.
If you haven’t been part of a raku firing before, they are fun, dramatic, and yield unpredictable but breathtaking results.
Mac’s Mud Clays
You have no doubt heard the news that our fabulous friends at Mac’s Mud, Dylan and Sonja, are closing their clay production operation and will be concentrating on their Kiwi Underglaze business. We have been blessed to work with Dylan, Sonja and their staff for many years on supplying their awesome range of clays for you to purchase here in the studio - they have been a magic team and such a joy to work with. We wish them all the very best in their future endeavours and we will continue to purchase their stains for use in our underglaze and raku recipes.
This does mean that for a little while we will be out of stock of the Mac’s Mud clay range here in the studio (although we’ve still got a bit of Studio White and Weekender in the clay cupboard – get in quick!). We are in contact with Potters Clays in Nelson, who are taking over the production of much of the Mac’s range, and hope to still be able to stock most of these great clays for you in future.
We are also on the lookout for other clay brands to fill the gap, and are working with BotPots to bring some gorgeous Keane’s clays into the studio for you as well.
We know that clay shortages can be a bit stressful when you have a favourite, but we’re doing our best to keep the cupboard full for you! <3
Pit Firing Greenware Shelves
If you’re taking part in the Matariki Pit Firing on the 28th of June, we’ve got some shelves set aside for you to store your greenware. You’ll find these down the end of the studio, near the wet cupboards – pic above.
Anything you put here will go through a special, low-temp bisque firing the week before we fire, in hopes that they’ll be a little more porous and will take on a good amount of the trademark pit fired smoky, earthy goodness!
And remember, for any pots you're putting into the pit firing, you only need to pay for bisque firing, so 40% of the cost calculated using the firing tables in-studio.
If you haven’t signed up for the pit-firing, party or Matariki feast yet, there’s more info and a link to that below…
Term 2B Classes
The second round of these 4-week classes are starting soon and enrolments are up online for you to get into…
Term 2B Introduction to Pottery with David Kenny
Fridays, 6pm - 9pm for 4-weeks, starting 6th June
Find more info and enrol here.
Term 2B Wheel Throwing Taster with Sarah Steed
Sundays, 10am-1pm for 4-weeks, starting 8th June
Find more info and enrol here.
Inaugural WSP Matariki Celebration
Nau mai e hoa mā!
Join us for this Matariki shin-dig, with optional pit firing and catered hāngī
Saturday 28th June 2025
2pm for the loading of the pit fire
5.30pm onwards for the karakia, hāngī and hooley
Caroline Hamilton's Property, 988 Tuhikaramea Road, Ngāhinapōuri
We're getting together to celebrate Matariki at Caroline Hamilton's property in Tuhikaramea, where we can share a kai, good company and convo, and a pit firing. We'd love for all our WSP friends to join us. Partners and children welcome too.
Kai
For the feast, we're organising a catered hāngī, provided by Heavenly Hāngī in Ngāruawāhia. If you're keen to get some of this kai in your belly, you can purchase a ticket using the options on this event listing. Each plate is $25 and includes 3 meats, potato, kumara, pumpkin, stuffing, and fried bread. There's also a vegetarian option, which omits the meat and loads up on the veges and stuffing. We'll need to confirm numbers by the 20th of June, so make sure to buy your hāngī tickets before then. Purchasing a hāngī plate is entirely optional, so if you're not feeling it, bring along your own kai and join in the feast and festivities.
Pit Firing
We're also keen to set up a pit-firing for everyone to take part in. It's optional as well, but this type of alternative firing isn't something we've had the opportunity to organise for a good while, so jump in and grab a ticket if you're keen! The $5 cost of tickets for this firing will help cover the cost of consumables like copper carbonate, cobalt carbonate and tinfoil etc. Bring a bunch of pots and let's see how many we can fit into the pit!
Mighty Waikato Pottery Throwdown – Save the Date
With more clout than Clay Gulgong and more prestige than Portage, the most hotly contested pottery event of the year is just around the corner! It’s the WSP’s own Mighty Waikato Pottery Throwdown. This year’s event will take place on Saturday the 23rd of August, and will be as fun, frivolous, and FREE, as always.
More details to come, but save the date!
Talisman Wheel for Sale
One owner only. $800. Pick up Ngāruawāhia. Please contact Tess directly on 027 430 4339.
Studio Schedule
Here’s how things are looking for the coming week, but as always, check the online calendar before you come in 😊
Friday 30th May
9.30am – 4pm, CLOSED for Diploma
6pm – 9pm, Intro to Pottery Class
Saturday 31st May
10am – 1pm, Play with Clay – Thanks Teresa! xx
1pm – 4pm, Members’ Open Studio – thanks Lydia and Shelley! xx
Sunday 1st June
CLOSED for King’s Birthday Weekend
Monday 2nd June
CLOSED for King’s Birthday Weekend
Tuesday 3rd June
9.30am – 12.30pm, Wheel Throwing Class
1pm – 4pm, Members’ Open Studio
6pm – 9pm, Play with Clay – thanks Margaret and Stacey! xx
Wednesday 4th June
9.30am – 12.30pm, Play with Clay - thanks Yasmin, Sade, Kristen, Silke and Mark! xx
1pm – 4pm, Members’ Open Studio
4pm – 5.30pm, Kids’ Play with Clay
6pm – 9pm, Wheel Throwing Class
Thursday 5th June
9.30am – 12.30pm, Sculpture Skills Class
1pm – 4pm, Members’ Open Studio
6pm – 9pm, Wheel Throwing Class
Friday 6th June
9.30am – 4pm, Members’ Open Studio
6pm – 9pm, Intro to Pottery Class
Saturday 7th June
10am – 1pm, Play with Clay – thanks Teresa! xx
1pm – 4pm, Members’ Open Studio
Sunday 8th June
10am – 1pm, Wheel Throwing Class
