Pottery classes you'll fall for
 With its rich colors, heady scents, wild flavors, and crisp breezes, autumn gratifies every sense, inspires the artist in all of us, and sends us back to class . . . Come express your inner artist with clay at a Yourist Studio Gallery fall class.
Learn hand building, wheel throwing (or both!)
On the class lineup for fall 2012:
- Advanced Wheel
Go beyond the basics, explore various throwing techniques and forms, try new surface treatments, and get help developing your own ideas in clay.
Wednesdays 6:30-9:00 pm, 9/12-12/19/12
- Beginning/Continuing Wheel Throwing
Learn wheel throwing fundamentals or continue to develop your skills. We offer three sections of this popular class, so you are sure to find a time that will suit you.
Mondays, 7:30-9:30 pm, 9/24-10/29/12
Thursday, 12:30-2:30 pm, 9/20-10/25/12
Thursdays, 7:00-9:00 pm, 9/20-10/25/12
- Coffee & Clay
Get your weekend off to a good start with some Saturday morning fun by hand building clay vessels. You'll be surprised at just how much you can make without a wheel. The class camaraderie is great, and the coffee is hot. Saturdays, 9:30-11:30 am, 9/15-10/20/12
- Kids' Clay Class
Give your kids a chance to unwind and flex their creative muscles with this lively after-school clay class. Students will have the opportunity to try out both hand building and wheel throwing. Mondays, 4:30-5:30 pm, 9/25-10/22/12
For registration information, see the Yourist Studio Gallery class schedule.
Skilled, enthusiastic instructors
 Our instructors are well-trained, professional potters with years of experience teaching.
Nancy Bulkley teaches Saturday morning Coffee and Clay, Thursday evening Beginning/Continuing Wheel Throwing, and Monday afternoon Kids' Clay. Nancy has taught clay classes for kids and adults for 20 years. She studied ceramics at University of Michigan and at Alfred University in New York. She loves making functional as well as sculptural work.
Sarah Gelsanliter, who teaches the Advanced Wheel class on Wednesday evenings, spent 10 years as a production potter at Greenfield Village. She now operates a pottery and tile business with her husband Thomas, blending her thrown work with his as a tilemaker.
Inge Merlin, who teaches the Thursday afternoon Beginning/Continuing Wheel Throwing, has been working in clay for 23 years. Her interest has grown from making solid, functional pots to exploring hand building and tile work. Inge says teaching opens up creativity, and she enjoys interacting with students. Kevan Wilson teaches Beginning/Continuing Wheel Throwing on Monday evenings. He studied ceramics at Eastern Michigan University and has been a community member of Yourist Studio since 2004. Kevan enjoys making functional ceramic pieces that incorporate his skill with wood. His helpful teaching technique makes learning from him a delight.
--"I wanted to thank you for my recent experiences at your gallery. I have so enjoyed my many classes . . . Maybe it's my age or the fact that I now have time to reflect more deeply, but I found the learning experiences at your gallery to be unique . . . Thanks, Kay, for establishing a gallery that offers so much more than an introduction to pottery."
--Ina Wesenberg, Yourist Studio student
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"Eclectic Mud" ceramics exhibit opens at Henry Ford Community College
The Sisson Art Gallery at Henry Ford Community College in Dearborn ( map) has mounted "Eclectic Mud," an exhibition of the works of "Five artists that address clay in distinctly different manners." The exhibit is open now and runs through Thursday, September 20. You'll have the opportunity to meet the artists at the closing reception, which will take place on September 20 from 6 to 8 pm. The exhibition features these artists: - Frank James Fisher: Graphic design principles influence Fisher's work, which combines a unique blend of words and images.
- Jeff Garrett: The humor of puns, intentional misspellings, and visual/literal (mis)interpretations alter the meaning and/or context of objects and text in Garrett's work.
- John Leyland: Leyland creates larger hand-built sculptural forms based on neolithic artifacts and minimalist geometry.
- Chris Sneed: A childhood spent playing in the woods and the books of Dr. Seuss inspire the textures and color palette of Sneed's work and give them an almost animated feel.
- Kay Yourist: Yourist throws and alters classic functional wares, then finishes them with atmospheric glazes that emphasize the organic and timeless nature of clay.
See examples of their work in the column to the right. The Sisson Art Gallery is located near the east (main) entrance of the MacKenzie Fine Arts and Fitness building. During exhibition weeks the gallery is open Monday through Thursday from 10 am to 6 pm and Friday from 10 am to 3 pm. You can get more information from Steve Glazer, Director of Exhibitions, by email or at 313-845-6485.  |
Potter's quick tip from Kay
Making bowls? The best way to dry them in preparation for bisque firing is upside down, resting on their rims. This way, air gets to the bottom first, which is the hardest part of the bowl to dry.
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We're restocking tools
Check out our supply of new and restocked potter's tools. We've got
- Michael Sherrill's Drag Tool for fluting and carving
- Michael Sherrill's Mudshark needle tool and fettling knife in one
- Stainless steel tile cutters in 2, 4, and 6-inch sizes
- A big selection of MKM wooden stamps
- High temperature wire
- More Xiem tools, including large and mini texture rollers, slip trailers, adjustable clay cutters, flexible rulers, clay bag ties, and art studio bags
And much more.
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More new clays to try
We had a great response to our new clay bodies, including Tom Coleman Porcelain, Russian River, paper clay, and Tecate Gold Sculpture clay.
If you have an interest in trying these clays or ordering more, call the studio with your order by October 1.
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Cone 10 firing planned for September 7
A cone 10 reduction firing is scheduled for Friday, September 7. Wares for the firing will be loaded on Thursday, September 6, so if you have cone 10 glazing to do, now is the time.
Community studio members and advanced students, sign up for a shift firing the gas kiln on September 7 and learn the secrets of gas kilns and reduction firing. Please let Kay know if you can lend a hand.
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Studio calendar
First Sunday Video
Sunday, September 9, 2012, at 4:00 pm. Val Cushing: A Life of Clay. Master potter Cushing is Professor Emeritus at Alfred University and has been a dedicated teacher and ceramic artist for more than 40 years. Click here to learn more about Cushing and see a gallery of his work.
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Cone 10 firing
Friday, September 7
^10 reduction firing. Wares will be loaded Thursday, September 6. Volunteers needed! For details, read the Potters' pipeline in this issue.
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Save the dates December 7-9 for the Yourist Community Studio Holiday Sale.
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Potters to know
Frans Wildenhain
If you're planning to be in Rochester, New York, in September, you might want to stop by Rochester Institute of Technology to take in the exhibit of Frans
Wildenhain ceramics on display at both the Bevier Gallery and Dyer Arts Center from August 20 to October 2, 2012.
Wildenhain was born in Leipzig, Germany, in February, 1924, and educated at the Bauhaus where he met his future wife, Marguerite Friedlaender, who also became a noted potter. After the couple married, they were uprooted when the Nazis seized power, first fleeing to Holland and later enduring a separation of 7 years.
Wildenhain finally rejoined his wife in the United States, where he worked at Pond Farm Workshops in Northern California. He later joined the faculty of the School of American Craftsmen (now School for American Crafts) at the Rochester Institute of Technology and taught there for 20 years. He received numerous awards for his work. Learn more about Wildenhain's exhibit and see examples of his work here:
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"Eclectic Mud"
Artists Gallery
 | | Frank James Fisher bottle |
 | | Jeff Garrett "Bone China" bowl |
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Yourist Studio Gallery
Inspiring classes and workshops for new and experienced students
Bright, modern, fully equipped community studio workspace Comprehensive selection of pottery tools for sale Gallery exhibiting the works of celebrated artists
1133 Broadway Ann Arbor, MI 734.662.4914 |
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