VCPG September 2024 Newsletter
Program Meeting :
For Your Calendar:
September 6th …….............Board Meeting @ 4:00pm
September 14th & 15th.......Mug Event
September 23rd ……...........Program Meeting on Zoom; 6:30pm Gathering, 7pm Meeting
DiamondCore Tools.
September 28th ……...........Beatrice Wood Show recepation @2pm
October 1st ……..............…Happy Hour @ Margaritavilla in Ventura Harbor @5pm
October 4th ……..............…Board Meeting @ 4:00pm
October 10th ……................Gallery Committee Meeting @3:30pm
October 20th ……................VCPG Annual Meeting @ 2:00pm • including our Summer Residents artists. Rancho Ventura Clubhouse, 1220 Johnson Drive
November 1st ……..............Board Meeting @ 4:00pm
November 9th-10th ……......Ventura Pottery Market and our Bowl of Thanks fundraiser
November 25th ……............Program Meeting @ 6:30pm Gathering, 7pm Meeting
December 6th ……............Board Meeting @ 4:00pm
December 12th .................Gallery Committee Meeting @3:30pm
December..........................VCPG Holiday Get Together
You will find the link to all Zoom meetings/events on the VCPG.ORG Home Page.
Just click on the meeting/event in the Guild Calendar for the Zoom link.
A Message from Your VCPG Board President • September 2024
Greetings VCPG Members –
It will be a busy Fall for VCPG members. Please take a look at the Guild Calendar on the VCPG.ORG Home Page. There you will find information about upcoming Monthly Programs, Pottery Jams, the Non-Traditional Teapots Show at the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts, and much more.
There are a couple of upcoming events that I’d like to highlight. One is our Annual Member Meeting. We’re doing it a little differently this year. Instead of a Zoom meeting on the 4th Monday, we’ve decided to hold an in-person potluck and business meeting on Sunday, October 20th. The meeting will begin at 2:00 pm and will be held at the Rancho Ventura
Clubhouse, 1220 Johnson Drive in Ventura.
As you know, at our Annual Member Meeting we elect officers to our Board of Directors. This year, we will be electing our Vice President and Treasurer. If you are interested serving in one of these Board positions, please email me at president@vcpg.org and I’ll answer your questions and get you on the ballot.
Our Bylaws state that we need to have 25% of our 173 members, or 44 people, cast a ballot for our election to be legit. I think 44 people sounds just about right for a party! But if we’re short, we will also be holding voting via email the following week. You can also choose to attend the meeting via Zoom. But I really encourage you to attend in person. In addition to seeing old and new friends and enjoying great food, we will also be asking for member feedback (in a fun way!), enjoying presentations by our Summer Residency Program participants, and holding a drawing for a door prize! So please plan to attend.
Another event is the 3rd Annual Ventura Pottery Market and our Bowl of Thanks fundraiser. This year we will be holding the event at the Ventura Harbor Village on November 9th –10th from 10am to 5pm. All juried, Plus Members are invited to sell at the market. Like the Ojai Pottery Market, there will be a booth fee of $60 and 20% of sales will go back to the Guild to cover expenses. We are still working out logistics with the Harbor, so look for more details and the booth application by October 1st at the latest.
The Bowl of Thanks event will be held at the same time. All Guild members are encouraged to donate bowls for the event. They will be sold to the public for $25 and all proceeds will benefit Food Share of Ventura County – an awesome non-profit that feeds 267,000 of our neighbors each year. Find out more about them at https://foodshare.com/. Several restaurants in the Ventura Habor Village are going to provide free food samples for anyone that purchases a bowl! This has been a very successful event for the Guild over the years and will attract buyers to the market. Stay tuned for more information on when and where to drop off your bowls.
The Ventura Pottery Market and Bowl of Thanks will also offer Team Service opportunities for any folks that still need to complete their service for 2024; and also for those of you – Regular and Plus members – that would like to help out with this fun event and hang out with your fellow
potters.
And speaking of Team Service, I would like to take this opportunity – on behalf of the Board and your fellow Guild members – to thank each and every one of you that has already completed their Team Service. We are so grateful that you have chosen to donate your precious time to make our creative community better.
A couple of housekeeping issues:
Just a reminder that the Web Team has added a new Community Calendar to VCPG.org that is viewable by both members and the public. It is a space where members can submit non-Guild-sponsored ceramic events. They can be your personal studio sales, workshops or events at your studio or elsewhere in the area, etc. More details were provided in the August
Newsletter which you can always access in Forums!
IMPORTANT: It has come to our attention that people have been having trouble using the Zoom meeting links in the Newsletter. As a result, we have removed those links from the Newsletter. Instead you will find the link to Zoom meetings/events on the VCPG.ORG Home Page. Just click on the meeting/event in the Guild Calendar for the Zoom link and we’ll see you on Zoom!!
That’s it for now! More next month. Take care and make those bowls!!!!
Stacy Rowe
VCPG Board President
president@vcpg.org
August Program Meeting • September 23rd • 6:30 Gathering Time • 7:00 Meeting Start
Join us for a presentation featuring DiamondCore Tools.
They heard about our December Clay Challenge – Luminaries!
This online session will highlight how to carve ceramic luminaries, a seasonal favorite during the winter months. Led by Nicholai Busch, DiamondCore’s in-house artist, the presentation will provide tips and techniques for carving translucent grooves and other designs into your
pottery.
Whether using a classic P1 clay carver, the X1 fluting tool or a relief-carver like the P27, Nicholai will show how easy it is to create delicate details that will let light shine through. Bring your questions and get some bright ideas for luminary carving during this interactive workshop featuring DiamondCore Tools.
Link for program meetings can always be found on the Guild’s Home Page. Click the appropriate calendar date and the zoom link and other key info will load. Click on the
link (in blue) and you should be taken to our Zoom Room.
Program Team message
Help the Program Team make our 2025 Guild program offerings the best they can be!
We're looking for your quick feedback on what's been offered in the past - and what you'd like to see in 2025.
Here's your opportunity to tell us what you like and what else you'd like to see!
Please - take a couple of minutes (guaranteed, this is a short, anonymous survey) - and share your thoughts.
The Program Team will greatly appreciate it - and it'll help us build amazing offerings for 2025! Survey is OPEN for responses now and will close at the end of the month, so don't delay in giving us your feedback.
Thank you!
https://s.surveyplanet.com/844pmk3d
Pottery Jams
Anyone willing to open their studio for a Pottery Jam or who would like to offer a skills session or host a general gathering time for members in another member’s studio space, please contact Foz at programs@vcpg.org.
Many of you have great skills that can be shared with a small group of 10-12 members. The weather may be improving so it could be the time to offer to host an outdoor event?
Beatrice Wood Center Show
The annual show is scheduled for September 28 - November 16.
The theme this year is “Non Traditional Teapots”.
Reception: Saturday, September 28, 2 pm.
Please consider donating
a Bowl for Foodshare's yearly fundraiser
We have started discussions with the FoodShare organization regarding tying in with the VCPG’s upcoming Bowl of Thanks event at the Harbor Village this fall.
They are having their yearly fundraiser September 21st and have asked if the VCPG could donate 20 ceramic bowls to their event. This would be a great opportunity for the VCPG to start a relationship with this wonderful organization.
Please contact me if you can donate a bowl for this event. They have made no size requirements. Please place donated bowls on the back table of the gallery or contact me for pickup by August 23rd.
Jody Cooper 805 701-7797 or jcooperceramics23@gmail.com
The VCPG Library
Looking for artistic inspiration, or trying to solve a glazing or firing issue?
VCPG’s Library offers members an abundance of practical information, as well as being a great source of artistic inspiration. Our collection currently contains 42 DVDs and over 140 books. There is something for everyone, so please take advantage of this amazing resource!
Browse the collection by visiting the Library page under the Member Menu on VCPG.org. Click on Check Out Item to complete the check out request form. Items will be shipped at no cost to you. You can return items via mail (at your cost) or to the gallery.
VCPG Library Book Review
The Potter's Guide to Ceramic Surfaces by Jo Connell is a comprehensive handbook covering over 60 surface decoration techniques. Full-color photographs, step-by-step instructions and helpful tips are used to illuminate each technique and concept. Connell features the work of prominent ceramic artists in order to provide inspiration and to demonstrate the wide range of possibilities. The author encourages readers to think critically about their work and how they can continue to improve through experimentation with new methods of decoration. Ceramic artists looking to develop a personal visual language while expanding their technical skills will find this an indispensable resource.
Our Summer Resident artists
The artists will present their work during our October 20th Program Meeting, please make sure to join or tune in and support them.
We are seeking a coordinator for Team Service option to reach out to entities holding events.
The Team Service position is listed in Web Services. Here is the description:
Community Calendar Coordinator
This person will research, identify and communicate with entities holding pottery events to be posted on our community calendar, and keep in touch with them if they have ongoing events. We're looking for workshops, classes, pop-up sales, lectures, markets, exhibitions and any other pottery-related activity. It could be an individual or an entity such as the Ojai Clay School or Ventura College. Web Services will add the events to our separate community calendar. Your job is to identify events, field inquiries and submit appropriate items to Web Services via our submission form; also to initially reach out to regional studios, schools and other pottery event organizers, then keep in touch as appropriate.
We will ask guild members to submit their own events through our submission form. You may be asked to assist some members with completing the submission form.
Program and Workshop Team needs members
Do you want to be part of identifying, selecting and introducing programs for our monthly meetings?
Please consider joining the Programs and Workshops Team.
A few creative and enthusiastic members are being sought to join the effort of bringing great program offerings to our members.
We try to meet once a month until the year’s program and workshop calendar is scheduled. Then, in small groups or individually, members shepherd their program or workshop. Mentoring and coaching will be offered.
If you are interested in joining this team, please reach out to Foz at programs@vcpg.org and we can at least talk.
Patrick Crabb host
Ojai Pottery and Clay School Offers New Class for Novice Throwers
Have you ever been mesmerized by a potter shaping a piece on a potter’s wheel, or marveled at the variety of shapes and colors that are possible? Have you ever wanted to try your hand at throwing pottery yourself?
The Ojai Pottery and Clay School (OPCS) invites the community to discover the joy of creating lovely, functional pottery with your own hands in a beginner-friendly class. Students will learn techniques to craft dinnerware, vases, and jars with a potter's wheel. The 10-session class takes place weekly on Fridays beginning September 27 (no class the week of Thanksgiving).
“Now in our second decade, we’ve been very fortunate to see our school’s community of potters grow in size as well as in skills,” said Bette Schneider, OPCS president. “As happy as we are with this growth, we are also committed to giving beginners a vibrant and supportive place to discover ceramics. So we are very pleased to be welcoming novices and newer potters with this new class taught by two very capable and creative instructors, Katja Gabriel and Debra Rose.”
Katya will teach the first 5 weeks of the session, Debra the final 5.
Born, raised, and educated in Germany, Katja worked for many years in graphic design before discovering clay as a form of expression through classes at OPCS. Ten years later, with her own studio in Ojai, Katja feels “excited and grateful to work and create every day in such a special field and to be able to share that knowledge of technical skill and creativity with my students. It is such a pleasure to watch students develop and blossom with their own unique style.”
Debra's love of pottery started as a teenager and has continued through her experiences teaching ceramics at Oak Grove School in Ojai and at OPCS. Her clay interests are diverse, ranging from the high-fired porcelain she learned from Frank Massarella to the earthenware Majolica taught by Linda Arbuckle. Her specialties are tea bowls and mugs, carved decorations, painted surfaces, and small sculptures. "I love the endurance and narrative of pottery,” says Debra, “that a clay pot from 5000 years ago tells a story from the culture and the artist's imagination."
One need not have such a long time horizon in mind to get started on the wheel. The important thing to know is that our spaces are filling fast and the first class will take place on Friday, September 27. To learn more and to register for the beginning throwing class, visit www.ojaipottery.com.
About Ojai Pottery and Clay School
OPCS (www.ojaipottery.com) is a non-profit educational corporation, located at 212 Fox St., whose mission is to create a welcoming and sharing community of artists devoted to advancing and promoting ceramics in Ojai. We offer classes throughout the year at all levels of experience–from beginner to advanced–as well as occasional workshops by visiting potters.
