VCPG July 2025 Newsletter
Program Meeting • No meeting this month
For Your Calendar:
July 1st ……......................No Board Meeting
July 28th ……....................Gallery Artists meeting @ 7:00pm
August 5th …….................Board Meeting @ 4:30pm
August 11th ……...............Gallery Committee meeting @ 7pm
August 25th……................Program Meeting @ 7pm • Gathering @ 6:30
September 2nd ……...........Board Meeting @ 4:30pm
September 22nd……..........Program Meeting @ 7pm
October 5th ……................Annual Members Meeting, 2pm at Rancho Clubhouse
October 7th ……................Board Meeting @ 4:30pm
October 13th ……..............Gallery Committee meeting @ 7pm
October 20th ……..............Gallery Artists meeting @ 7:00pm
October 27th……...............Program Meeting @ 7pm
November 4th……..............Board Meeting @ 4:30pm
November 8th&9th……......Bowl of Thanks and Ventura Pottery Market
November 24th……............Program Meeting @ 7pm
December 2nd ……............Board Meeting @ 4:30pm
December 8th …..…...........Gallery Committee meeting @ 7pm
December 13th ……............Annual Holiday Party, 2pm at at Rancho Clubhouse
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 • July 2025
Greetings VCPG Members –
I hope everyone is enjoying the summer so far and that we are out and about finding inspiration for our creative endeavors. I myself am in-between trips, so my message this month is short and sweet!
Paid parking begins at the Harbor Village, July 11th, the Ventura Port District began a paid parking program at the Ventura Harbor Village Fridays through Sundays and major holidays. Attached please find two FAQs – one for the public (and us when not working a shift at the Gallery or a Guild-sponsored event) and one for Guild members while working.
You can also find a link to a Guild Member meeting that explains the new parking procedures here: Paid Parking Meeting.
A special shout out to Terry Wilson and Lori Lester who worked hard to get us ready for the roll out.
Parking FAQ - Public.pdf
Parking FAQ - Guild.pdf
The 2025 Bowl of Thanks and Ventura Pottery Market • November 8th – 9th at the Ventura Harbor Village. Last year we raised over $16,000 to support Ventura Food Share – providing much needed food support to our Ventura neighbors. And sixteen Guild artists sold an additional $16,000 in pottery over the two days. This year we are asking the Harbor for space for more Guild artists to participate in the Pottery Market.
Stay tuned for more information for those juried, Plus members who’d like to sell.
It’s not too early to start making pots for the Bowl of Thanks, which will again benefit Food Share.
For those of you who may be unfamiliar, the Guild accepts quality bowls (about 2 lbs or so) donated by our members, local potters, pottery studios, and local schools and colleges. These bowls are sold for $25, which is then donated to our partner non-profit, Food Share. In addition to a bowl, customers receive a punch card to take to harbor restaurants to receive free tastings. It’s really a lot of fun and we have customers that come every year.
Thank you Ellen Wohlstadter and the Program Team for holding Pottery Jams to provide our members with the opportunity to make slab bowls to contribute to the Bowl of Thanks. This makes it easier for folks who may not have studio access at the moment, to participate. Plus it’s always fun to get together! The July 19th Jam is full (there is a waitlist) but there are still a couple of spaces left for the August 2nd Jam! Sign up now.
Team service sign up for the Bowl of Thanks/Ventura Pottery Market now open.
The Bowl of Thanks/Ventura Pottery Market is the most labor- intensive of all our sales and shows – and therefore will require many of our members to help. We have already begun our planning and marketing. But we will need to ascertain if we have enough person-power for the event. If not, the Ventura Pottery Market may need to be scaled back. This event was very successful last year and we believe it has real potential for growth – benefiting both our members and our non-profit partners – but it takes a village.
Team Service opportunities for this event are already posted. Please take a look and see how you can help. Remember, Regular members can and do sign up for Team Service even though it’s not required and many Plus members sign up for more than one opportunity. We will be making a decision about the extent of the Ventura Pottery Market in late August, so please don’t wait – sign up as soon as you can. Some folks have signed up already, thank you!
Looking forward, Reminders and Updates
Mark your Calendars for the Annual Members Meeting and Potluck on October 5th from 2pm to 4:30 at Rancho Ventura Clubhouse, 1220 Johnson Drive, Ventura (Our new favorite meeting place. Thank you Terry Wilson). In addition to presentations by our 2025 Residents, we will be approving changes to the Bylaws and electing officers, so it is important that folks attend in person or via Zoom for voting. This year we do have candidates for both offices up for election – President and Secretary - but if you would like to nominate yourself or another member for these positions, please let our Treasurer, Wyn Matthews know at treasurer@vcpg.org.
Our Annual Holiday Party and Potluck is December 13th from 2pm to 4:30pm,
also at the Rancho Ventura Clubhouse. This is always a very fun event – more details will follow.
Team Service opportunities for these two events are posted on vcpg.org. These two meetings, and the Bowl of Thanks/Ventura Pottery Market, are some of the last opportunities for Plus Members to fulfill their Team Service commitment for 2025. It is super helpful for our planning process if folks sign up as early as possible. Thanks!
The next Board Meeting will be Tuesday, August 5th at 4:30pm via Zoom. All members are welcome to attend. The link to Board meetings can be found on the Guild Calendar on the VCPG.org Home page. You can contact the Secretary on the Contact Us page if you would like to receive the Agenda Packet in advance of the Board of Directors Meeting.
That’s it for now. I hope you enjoy your summer. Let’s stay safe and support one another. And keep making stuff – it helps in so many ways!
Stacy Rowe
Guild President
president@vcpg.org
Program Meeting •
No Program Meeting in July. Enjoy the summer break and happy potting!
Pottery Jams
Two Pottery Jams are scheduled, one in July and another in August. Meredith Linden and Ellen Wohlstader will be offering a Slab Bowl Making Jam.
It is an opportunity to learn the art of slab bowl construction while making a contribution to this year’s Bowl of Thanks Event. Check out the details and register for these fun “in support of community” Jams by clicking on the event listed on the Calendar/Guild’s Home Page.
The first session on Saturday July 19th is full, you could join the waiting list. As of this writing, a second session is scheduled for August 2nd and there are two spots still available.
Questions should be directed to Meredith Linden merelinden@gmail.com
Several Jams for later this year are in the early planning stage.
We hope to offer Jams with themes like: Powering Up – a how-to on adding electric connections to your designs, How to Conceptualize /Plan your Selling Space and Market Your Work and a demo on Bottles and Flasks.
We are always open to work with members in conceptualizing and promoting a Jam. Stay tuned!!
Thinking about offering your studio, patio or home to a small group of potters from our community. Host a time, just a couple of hours, to hangout, share work, questions and/or expertise with each other. We have learned that at our Jams people are very happy sitting down, chatting with each other and sharing their work, knowledge they have and many use the time to just bounce ideas off one another!
If you have ideas for a Jam, are willing to host one or have a space where a Jam can be hosted, please reach out to programs@vcpg.org
Workshops
Watch for a formal announcement in early September!
We have a commitment from Natasha Dikarova to offer a two-day workshop for our Guild on Thursday and Friday, May 28th and 29th.
The workshop will focus on sculpting water and ocean themed work.
You can learn more about Natasha and see her work at these sites:
https://www.dikarevart.com
https://www.wmur.com/article/nh-chronicle-ukrainian-artist-natasha-dikareva-holds-her-
homeland-in-her-heart-and-her-art/42126450
https://www.instagram.com/natashadikarevart/
Marvelous Mug Event needs volunteers
We still need volunteers for Sunday September 14th for the Marvelous Mug Event.
Sign up for your special event by heading to the Gallery Member's page and click on the top event on the calendar. Any questions, please contact Jody Cooper at events@vcpg.org
Team Service Page
The Team Service page is updated with all the volunteer positions available for the Bowl of Thanks and Ventura Pottery Market November 8th and 9th.
Please sign up and show your support for this important event. Bowls are being accepted now to be stored with Brenda Burgess.
We look forward to receiving your donations!
Gallery Members, we need your help!
September 13 & 14 • 11-6
The Marvelous Mug Sale at the gallery is one of the biggest events we have outside the gallery.
It seems to draw in lots of people because it coincides with the Chalk Festival at the Harbor.
Please sign up to fulfill your gallery commitment for one special event (we need eight volunteers for this event).
The sign up is on the Gallery Member page in the calendar section.
Special Event - Marvelous Mug - 9/13/2025
The VCPG Library
Visit the library! Please email and make an appointment with me to come see the books we have to offer and grab them off the shelf! They are at your disposal. They must be enjoyed.
Nancy Currey
VCPG Librarian
Team Service
Just a reminder to Plus Tier members, at the time of membership renewal or joining you made a commitment to offer a service back to the Guild sometime during the calendar year. There are a variety of opportunities open. Please take time to visit the Team Service Opportunities posted.
You can find this page on the website, under Guild/Team Service.
Team Service Sign Up
A separate email will be sent out when the Team Service opportunities for the November 8-9 Ventura Pottery Market are opened for sign-up.
For questions about Team Service please email teamservice@vcpg.org.
Joke of the month
How can you tell if you’re boring a potter?
His eyes will glaze over it