Without a doubt, pottery classes are our #1 requested workshop at Rivertown Community Arts Center. We have offered one pottery class a month since November 2024 and they fill up within an hour or so of posting them; plus, our waiting lists for each workshop have at least 10 people on them.

Since we don't have pottery wheels, all of the workshops so far have involved hand building or sculpting. We've had multiple requests for pottery wheels! We started off with kiln-fired clay that was fired off site, but this was not a sustainable solution, so we have switched to air dry clay (not as durable as kiln-fired clay and not food safe) until we can buy our own kiln.

We can't wait to provide a fully operational pottery studio to our community, but as we build up our membership and initiate various income streams, we aren't able to complete the outfitting the space by investing in the equipment we need, considering their relatively high cost.

But - we're part of the way there!

The family of locally renowned potter, Susan Gerard (1955-2023), has generously donated many supplies, tools, clay, glazes, forms, and furniture from her studio. As her husband Tom wrote in a letter of support for us, "Susan made many friends through her work and she loved nothing better than sharing her craft with people in her studio. Her only regret was that there were very few local artists and no center in the area for like minded individuals to gather and share ideas...The creation and start up of the Rivertown Community Arts Center is something that my wife would have fully supported. To honor her memory, my family donated much of my wife’s raw materials and equipment to help the pottery component and other disciplines get off the ground. This is a wonderful opportunity and fills a void that was sorely needed in the area."

We have also received a grant from the Fisher Charitable Foundation to help us purchase equipment and supplies.

We are now requesting support from our community to bring our dream of a fully operational pottery studio to reality!

A fully-outfitted pottery studio includes:

With $3,000 of donations from our community, we will be able to purchase a kiln, have it shipped, and buy some of the tools we'll need. We will continue writing grant proposals to raise the final $1,500 to purchase stools, more pottery wheels, and stock more clay and glazes.

Last summer, we ran a GoFundMe to help us buy art supplies for our painting studio, craft room, and Youth Studio, and the community showed up for us in a big way! We are so grateful for your generosity, and are committed to continuing in our mission of providing well-stocked studios, creative programming, and gathering space to people of the St. John Valley region.