Spotted on the shelves...
Kia ora koutou
It's a slightly quieter time here at WSP with term break underway — but we have lots of Members' Open Studio sessions running, which makes for a lovely stretch of extra studio time for you. Just a heads up though, we do have some closures coming up around our School Holiday Workshops and a private booking, so please check the online calendar before you head in.
Exciting news for tomorrow (Saturday 26th) — the Phoenix wood kiln is being opened up! If you're in for PWC or MOS, pop over to the corner of the carpark for a nosy — it's always exciting to see what's coming out.
A big thank you to this week's PWC and Members' Open Studio volunteers: Tim Edwards, Lydia Farrell, Kelly Lowen, Margaret Raine, Trudie & John Mackintosh, and Yasmin Davis — you're all utterly beautiful people and we love you dearly!
As always, check the online studio calendar before you head in.
Read on for all the latest news...
Margaret's 80th Birthday Celebration!
A wee reminder — Margaret Raine, our brilliant volunteer kiln loader and Play With Clay facilitator, is turning 80!
We're celebrating with a pot-luck kai at Play With Clay on Tuesday 29 September, 6pm — bring a plate to share and come help us give Margaret a huge happy birthday!
Save the Date - Open Day 2026
We're running our Big Day of Clay again this year, on Saturday 7th November, 10am - 2pm. More to come on the event for visitors, but in the meantime we're hoping to find some beautiful volunteers to help us run the day, and members who'd like to have a market stall to sell their wares - see below...
Open Day Volunteers
We're doing it again! On the 7th of November we'll be opening up the studio and running lots of potty activities for anyone and everyone who wants to come and take a gander, make a few pieces, and see how good working with clay is.
And of course, we can't run this awesome day without the contribution of our beautiful volunteers! If you're keen to help us show the world how fab our club is, we'd be stoked to have you with us. If you can help for a couple of hours in the morning, or in the afternoon, or even for the whole day, there'll be a range of activities running, so there will be something everyone can help with, no matter your pottery skill level. Things like:
Selling activity tickets
Selling raffle tickets
Helping people underglaze their paint-a-pots
Showing people how to make and decorate pinch pots
Helping glaze the raku pots
Helping smoke the raku pots
Showing people how to make a wheel-thrown pot
Slippery dip helpers
If this sounds like a bit of you, sign-up for a time slot here, or on the register in the studio.
Thanks lovelies! 🤗xx
Members' Pottery and Art Market at Open Day
As part of Open Day we'd love to offer our members the opportunity to sell their pottery, or other hand-made arts and crafts on the day. And we've specially timed it later in the year, in the hopes of catching those Chritsmas shoppers!
We will have 10 spaces set aside in the carpark in front of the studio so you can either bring a gazebo and table (please make sure you provide adequate weighting/anchoring for your gazebo in case it's windy), or set up your stall from the boot of your car.
If you don't think you have enough wares for a stall by yourself, you could even get together with your pottery mates and set up a stall together.
There is no charge for the space, and we are not taking a commission on sales! However, you will need to manage your own cash float for sales and/or have your own EFTPOS facilities.
Maximum of 10 spaces, first in best dressed, register here.
Calling All Trailer & Towing Vehicle Owners...
Exciting news — WSP has been gifted a generous donation of clay, raw materials and equipment, and we need some help getting it all here from Cambridge next week!
We're aiming to head out Friday 2 October, around 10am — we'll need two trailers & vehicles with towing capacity, or utes, plus a few willing hands to help load and unload.
If you can spare some time and have a trailer or suitable vehicle, we'd really appreciate the help 🙏❤️
Please get in touch with Libby at manager@waikatopotters.co.nz if you're able to lend a hand xx
Exhibition Pack Down & Collection of Unsold Pieces
It's a big weekend ahead as we pack down Shared Earth!
We've got a few lovely volunteers who will be ever so carefully packing all your pieces up and transporting them back to the WSP studios on Sunday. Then on Tuesday, Libby will be in touch with everyone who exhibited to let you know what's sold and what's ready for collection.
When you come to collect your unsold pieces, there'll be a register for collections at the studio — please make sure you sign it off as you take your pieces.
Payments for sold work will be processed once ArtsPost has paid WSP, which should be around 20 October.
A huge thank you to everyone who entered and exhibited this year, and to all the volunteers who made Shared Earth possible — you're the reason it runs so smoothly! Congratulations to everyone who sold work and to our award winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors and to Aaron Scythe for judging.
We'll have the People's Choice votes to count next week as well, with the winner announced in next week's newsletter — watch this space!
Term 4 Classes — Enrolments Open!
Our Term 4 classes are open for enrolment — whether you're picking up clay for the first time or building on skills you already have, there's a class for you. A few have sold out already, so if you're thinking about enrolling — don't wait!
Monday Morning Wheel Throwing — Sarah Steed *3 PLACES LEFT
Starts 12 Oct, 9.30am–12.30pm
Enrol hereMonday Evening Hand Building — Yasmin Davis *1 PLACE LEFT
starts 12 Oct, 6pm–9pm
Enrol hereTuesday Morning Wheel Throwing — Sarah Steed
Starts 13 Oct, 9.30am–12.30pm
Enrol hereWednesday Evening Wheel Throwing — Emily Eales *SOLD OUT
Starts 14 Oct, 6pm–9pm
Join the waitlist hereThursday Morning Sculpture Skills — Emily Eales *1 PLACE LEFT
Starts 15 Oct, 9.30am–12.30pm
Enrol hereThe Half and Half (Wheel & Hand Building) — Brogan Houghton *SOLD OUT
Starts 15 Oct, 6pm–9pm
Join the waitlist hereFriday Introduction to Pottery (Term 4A) — David Kenny
Starts 16 Oct, 6pm–9pm
Enrol hereSunday Wheel Throwing Taster (Term 4A) — Sarah Steed
Starts 18 Oct, 10am–1pm
Enrol here
Cubby Storage — New Rental Term Starts 1st October
Our cubby storage trial has been going well, and a new 3-month rental term kicks off on 1st October!
A quick recap on how it works:
$20 per 3-month term
28 cubbies available, allocated first-in first-served rather than by specific location
If all cubbies are taken, you're welcome to join the waitlist and we'll be in touch as spaces come up
A few reminders:
Items are stored at your own risk
Cubbies can't be locked or modified, but you're welcome to use a small lockable container inside
At the end of each term, cubbies must be renewed or cleared
Libby will be in touch directly with current renters to check whether you'd like to renew for another term. If you don't currently have a cubby and would like one, email Libby at manager@waikatopotters.co.nz.
Found Clay Processing & Clay Modifications Workshop
Fancy connecting to your work and your environment in the most hands-on way possible? Rahu Road Pottery in Paeroa are running a one-day workshop all about finding, testing and processing local clays — working out their characteristics, troubleshooting the technical quirks of using local resources, and experimenting with mixing clays and additives to improve your mix. Bring along your own found clay to test on the day!
Saturday 17 October, 9am–4pm
Rahu Road Pottery, 142 Rahu Road, RD4, Paeroa
$230 (includes refreshments and lunch)
Limited to 6 students
Bookings open 26 September, 9am
This is an external workshop run by Rahu Road Pottery — for more info check their website .
Phew - that was a big one, well done if you made it this far ❤️
Mā te wā
More pieces spotted on the shelves...
