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Studio class schedule expands for fall
We have a full and exciting lineup of classes this fall, as new offerings join your old favorites on our schedule.
 New! Ready for new challenges in wheel throwing? Join teacher Sarah Gelsanliter in our Intermediate Wheel Throwing class, where you'll develop your throwing skills and refine your finishing techniques.
 New! Learn how to make ceramic beads and buttons that you can add to your jewelry, sewing, or knitting projects in our new Beads, Buttons, and Pendants class with Jeanine Center. She's already made all the mistakes so you don't have to.  New! Our Beginning/Continuing Wheel Throwing classes are so popular that we've added a new section that meets on Sunday afternoons with teacher Shannon Nelson. Back on the schedule! Coffee and Clay Weekdays returns to the schedule this fall, so you can explore hand building on Wednesday mornings with Nancy Bulkley.
Of course, you also have our customary class selection to choose from:
- Beginning/Continuing Wheel Throwing on Monday evenings with Kevan Wilson, Thursday afternoons with Inge Merlin, or Thursday evenings with Nancy Bulkley.
- Our 8-week Advanced Wheel class on Wednesday evenings with Sarah Gelsanliter.
- Coffee and Clay hand building on Saturday mornings with Nancy Bulkley.
- Kids Clay Class after school on Monday afternoons with Nancy Bulkley.
For details about these classes or to register, click here.
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Thom Bohnert exhibit opens August 26
 An exhibit of Thom Bohnert's drawings and sculpture opens at Yourist Studio Gallery on Monday, August 26 and runs through Friday, October 4, 2013, with an artist's reception on Friday, September 13, 2013 from 5 to 8 pm.
Bohnert brings a unique blend of engineering, poetry, and whimsy to his art, often combining wire armature, wet-looking clay fragments, and surfaces that reflect his deep understanding of clay and glaze chemistry. His evocative, archaeological forms will challenge you to expand your thinking about the possibilities of clay as medium.
Bohnert received an MFA from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1971 and has taught drawing and ceramics at Mott Community College in Flint for the past 40 years. His work is widely exhibited and published.
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Wabi whati?
Q. I hear the term wabi sabi in the studio a lot. What does it mean? Is it a polite way of saying messy or sloppy? A. Not at all. Wabi sabi (  ) is a fundamental Japanese aesthetic concept, one that influences the tea ceremony in particular. Because its roots rest in Zen Buddhism, wabi sabi is an elusive concept and difficult to define, although many people have tried. You might say that wabi sabi must be felt intuitively rather than understood intellectually. Perhaps the best way to get a sense of the meaning of wabi sabi is to look at objects that are recognized as being imbued with it. You'll see that they are natural, unpretentious, and artful in their lack of artifice. The famous Kizaemon Ido is a Japanese National Treasure. It was made by a Korean potter and used in the tea ceremony in 17th century Japan. The potter, who churned out rough, utilitarian wares for everyday use by ordinary people, would have been astonished to learn this bowl had achieved such an exalted status. Click on the image to see a larger version on the Web and read what Sōetsu Yanagi, author of The Unknown Craftsman: A Japanese Insight Into Beauty, had to say about this tea bowl.
The widely admired Unohanagaki tea bowl, made in the Shino style, is another Japanese National Treasure. It was made in 16th century Japan and is noted for its distorted shape, thick white glaze, and simple but powerful decoration. Click on the image to see a larger version. So, if someone refers to your work as wabi sabi, smile and thank them because they've just paid you a compliment. Readers, if you've got a pottery question for Kay, ask away. |
Seen on the Web
The secret of Korean cuisine is in the ceramics
Psst, want to know the secret behind Korean food staples like kim chi, doenjang, gochujang, and soy sauce? It's the Onggi pot, where these foods are stored while they ferment.
Potter Adam Field spent a year learning traditional Korean pottery-making from 6th generation Onggi master Kim Il Mahn at the Ohbuja Onggi in Inchon, South Korea. Field says that the Ohbuja Onggi is one of the last places in Korea where potters make Onggi "in the old style, by hand, from start to finish."
After eight months of study, Field made a time-lapse video of himself practicing what he had learned so far about making Onggi. It shows the process from wedging the clay with a mallet and rolling large coils for the pot to hand building, paddling, and shaping the pot on the wheel.
Haven't had your fill of Onggi pots yet? Related videos on Field's web site show how to make lids for Onggi pots, and how to glaze and fire the pots.
Kudos to Nancy Bulkley for suggesting this video. If you know of any web sites or videos of interest to ceramic enthusiasts, be sure to share them with us.
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Coming soon
Our Yourist Studio Gallery Resident Artists are hard at work preparing an online gallery, where their work can be admired and purchased. Watch for more details here.
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Studio calendar
First Sunday VideoSunday, August 4, 2013, at 4:00 pm.Daughters of the Anasazi. Watch as Acoma potter Lucy Lewis and her daughters make pottery inspired by their Anasazi and Mimbres ancestors.
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Cone ^10 Firing
To be announced. We'll fire as soon as we build up a sufficient supply of pieces. If you have bisqued pieces, the sooner you glaze them, the sooner we can fire. Stay tuned.
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2013 schedule of exhibits
Aug 26-Oct 4Thom Bohnert: Drawings and Sculpture. Artist reception on Sep 13. Oct 18-Dec 8Dinnerware. Set an inviting table. Artist reception on Oct 25. Dec 13-15Holiday Sale. Preview and artist reception on Dec 13.
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Fall class schedule
Learn, create, laugh, and share.
Beginning/Cont. Wheel Throwing
Sep 16-Oct 21
Mondays, 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Instructor: Kevan Wilson
Sep 19-Oct 24
Thursdays, 12:30 to 2:30 pm. Instructor: Inge Merlin
Thursdays, 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Instructor: Nancy Bulkley
Oct 6-Nov 10 Sundays, 1:00 to 3:00 pm. Instructor: Shannon Nelson Coffee & Clay
Sep 14-Oct 19
Saturdays, 9:30 to 11:30 am. Instructor: Nancy Bulkley
Back for Fall!
Sep 18-Oct 23
Wednesdays, 9:30 to 11:30 am. Instructor: Nancy Bulkley Kids Clay Class
Sep 30-Nov 4
Mondays, 4:00-5:00 pm. Instructor: Nancy Bulkley
New!
Intermediate Wheel Throwing
Sep 24-Nov 5
Sundays, 7:30-9:30 pm. Instructor: Sarah Gelsanliter
Advanced Wheel
Sep 11-Dec. 18
Wednesdays, 6:30-9:00 pm. Instructor: Sarah Gelsanliter
New!
Beads, Buttons, and Pendants
Oct 6-Nov 10
Sundays, 10:30 am-12:30 pm. Instructor: Jeanine Center
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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 youristpottery.com
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