Choosing to be a potter requires a creative spirit, a strong work ethic, long hours, and a wild capacity to dream. The Village Potters have created an environment that fosters these qualities.
In conjunction with American Craft Week, Oct. 6-15, The Village Potters will celebrate their craft and ongoing mission to nurture creative exploration through education, experience, relationships, and community with a one-day event to raise funds for their Scholarship Program.
Through designated scholarship fund sales on pottery and direct donations, The Village Potters has offered up to $12,000 in financial assistance to students and emerging potters. The Village Potters invites the art-supporting public to partner with them to nurture a crafted life for an emerging potter by helping them to raise $20,000 for scholarships in 2018.
In an all-day event on Saturday, October 14, Sarah Wells Rolland will offer large-scale work fired in the downdraft reduction kiln, and the wood ash Kazegama kiln. These significant pieces will be a beautiful addition to any home, and ongoing collectors of her work will find sought-after forms that she usually produces only in small batches, along with new and unique forms created just for this event. In addition to these exquisite pieces, Judi Harwood will be firing work made by her and other members of The Village Potters in traditional Raku and Horsehair firings. Every piece of pottery will be unique and created specifically for this event, and fired on site throughout the day.
All profits from this sale will benefit the Scholarship Fund for the Independent Study and Mentoring Program, which allows students to pursue their creative dreams that might be out of reach without financial assistance. The Independent Study and Mentoring Program offers a directed mentorship program for the developing potter, and is specifically designed to offer a non-traditional, relational experience to help both the emerging and seasoned potters hone skills, develop new skills, and develop a thorough understanding of what it takes to run a creative business.
The Village Potters are Sarah Wells Rolland, Judi Harwood, Melanie Robertson, Lori Theriault, and Karen Dubois. They comprise an intentional Collective of potters who share a commitment to inspire a passion for ceramic art and nurture creative exploration through education, experience, relationships, and community. The Village Potters includes three showrooms, a Teaching Center offering ongoing classes for adults, an Independent Study and Mentoring Program, and scheduled demonstration and hands-on workshops. The Village Potters is an official distributor for Laguna Clays.
The Village Potters is located in Riverview Station, in Asheville’s historic River Arts District at 191 Lyman Street, #180.