It is with tremendous joy that I share this exciting update on our recovery and reopening at The Village Potters Clay Center. Life here is shifting beautifully from rebuilding to making, sharing ideas, forming deeper connections, and feeling the powerful momentum of our mission: sharing our passion for clay, supporting one another, and sharing dreams.
We received our final Certificate of Occupancy on January 21st, and since that day we have been in a vibrant and very busy soft opening. The energy in here is incredible! Pots are being made, kilns are firing, as we prepare with great anticipation for our Grand Reopening Celebration on Saturday, April 11th, 2–7pm.
Gallery display of work by Julia Mann, resident potter, instructor, and studio manager
Our Gallery is transforming into a true ceramic paradise, a breathtaking haven overflowing with extraordinary ceramic art and beautifully crafted functional pots. We are coming alive with form, texture, and glaze, and the energy in the space is electric. It’s quickly becoming a clay lover’s dream, a place where artistry and function meet in the most inspiring way!
The road back from total devastation has required steady focus, resilience, and teamwork. Every member of our staff has stayed in their lane with dedication and heart. Because of this extraordinary team, and because of supporters like you, our greater village, we are not simply reopening, we are rising up and beginning to fly.
Our classes are filled, and students are once again getting their hands in clay, discovering new skills, and finding inspiration in both the material and their instructors.
Our classes are filled, and students are once again getting their hands in clay, discovering new skills, and finding inspiration in both the material and their instructors.
Our Advanced Studies Program is full, and these emerging potters are settling into their new creative home, making meaningful work and building lasting community.
We hosted our very first workshop in the new center, and it was a tremendous success! We have two more workshops this month, and registrations are steadily coming for workshops throughout the year. The excitement is real and we are excited to be fully in a new season with rebuilding behind us and creating our future together.
Elfy Kornfeld (above left) and Emma Ponder (above right), two of our Advanced Studies potters
Our first workshop in our new center!
Palettes of clay have been moved out of our temporary warehouse location and are now distributed from our permanent studio home at Westgate
Potter Kristen Rust, at work in her professional studio
The word is out! We are now official distributors of Laguna Clay Company, Standard Ceramic Supply Company, Kentucky Mudworks. We are proud to be a one-stop shop for potters in Western North Carolina, offering clay, AMACO glazes and glaze materials, a large variety of tools including Mudtools, Dirty Girl and Garrity tools and more arriving soon.
Our studios are nearly full, creating a vibrant hub of community while supporting ceramic artists who lost their studios in the flood. Watching artists reclaim their practice in this space has been deeply moving. We are forever bonded by our resilience and ability to overcome adversity.
To our amazing board and to each of you who supported us, thank you!
We are confident that not only are we back, but we are stepping into a thriving new chapter. Together we will continue making beautiful work, meeting the needs of our pottery community, and nurturing the next generation of ceramic artists.
With deep gratitude and excitement for what’s ahead.
Sarah Wells Rolland
Executive Director, Sarah Wells Rolland
