Summer is coming to an end but there is much to look forward to! Here are a few events to add to your calendar: 

A Culture of Pots

In May of each year, the Minnesota Potters of the Upper St. Croix River Valley host a colossal ceramics event. The St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour brings in a plethora of ceramists, shoppers, and sightseers to peruse wares, visit local potters, and enjoy the warming weather of spring. 

In honor of the Tour's twenty-fifth year, the Weisman Art Museum presents the exhibition A Culture of Pots: The 25th Anniversary of the St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour. The exhibition features art by the Tour's twelve host potters and by many guest artists who have participated in the event over the past quarter of a century. The artworks are representative of a legacy of craftsmanship and community built by the St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour over the years. The hospitality that enlivens the tour, and is markedly Minnesotan.

The exhibition which runs from June 17-September 10 will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue and will include an essay on the history and impact of the tour by Twin Cities art and craft critic Pamela Espeland.

Brooklyn Clay Tour 

More details coming soon. September 8-10. https://www.brooklynclaytour.com/

Hudson Valley Pottery Tour

Founded this year by six nationally and internationally recognized ceramic artists, the Hudson Valley Pottery Tour will take place on October 28-29. Anat Shiftan, Jeff Shapiro, Kathy Erteman, Tim Rowan, Bryan Czibesz and Doug Peltzman will be opening their studios to visitors from around the north east. Follow the tour on Facebook and Instagram to find out about the soon-to-be-announced list of guest artists. 

National Clay Week

This year marks the second annual National Clay Week. Consisting of daily activities coordinated at the local, regional, and national levels using word of mouth, print and social media, National Clay Week seeks to engage, connect and educate the clay community. This year will focus on the theme of “Community” and how it relates to ceramics. Each day will have a theme and a challenge, announced via social media, that engages, connects, and educates the clay community. There will be two separate contests to encourage participation; one prize will be awarded for a community outreach project and the other will be granted to the winner of a how-to video contest. National Clay Week runs from October 9-15. From their website:

Clay is material that exists in all facets of life ranging from the traditional tea bowl to tiles on a spaceship. It can be found all over the world, and plays a vital role in our cultural history while still motivating us as artists and designers in current times. This humble material has traveled far from its origins, yet it still manages to express the human condition and touch so many lives. Our vision is to celebrate the journey of clay: where it comes from and where it will take us in the future. Let’s unite our lives in a celebration of knowledge, experience, exploration, and joy of clay: the material we all know and love.

Have an event that you think we should cover? Email membership@studiopotter.org with the details.