VCPG April 2026 Newsletter
Program Meeting • April 27th • 7pm - Gathering 6:30pm
• Jane Dillon • Pots as Tableware
For Your Calendar:
April 14th ……....................Board Meeting @ 4:30pm
April 13th ……...................Gallery Committee meeting @ 7pm
April 18th ..........................Pottery Jam - Wiring Lamps and Fountains Basics with Mike Maki
April 20th ……....................Gallery Artists meeting @ 7pm
April 27th ……....................Program meeting @ 7pm • Gathering @6:30
Jane Dillon • Pots as Tableware
May 11th ……......................Happy Hour at Margaritavilla @ 5pm
May 12th ……......................Board Meeting @ 4:30pm
May 17th............................. Pit fire (in lieu of program meeting)
June 9th ……......................Board Meeting @ 4:30pm
June 8th …….....................Gallery Committee meeting @ 7pm
June 13th &14th …….........Ojai Pottery Market
June 15th ……....................2nd Jury critique
July 14th ……......................Board Meeting @ 4:30pm
July 20th …….....................Gallery Artists meeting @ 7pm
August 11th …….................Board Meeting @ 4:30pm
August 10th ……................Gallery Committee meeting @ 7pm
September 8th …….............Board Meeting @ 4:30pm
September 28th……............Program meeting @ 7pm • Gathering @6:30
October 13th ……...............Board Meeting @ 4:30pm
October 12th ……..............Gallery Committee meeting @ 7pm
October TBD ……..............Annual meeting -- potluck @ 2pm
November 10th……..............Board Meeting @ 4:30pm
November 21st …….............Beatrice Wood Show (thru Jan. 9th, 2027)
November 23rd……..............Program meeting @ 7pm • Gathering @6:30
December TBD ……............Holiday potluck @ 2pm (in place of the Dec meeting)
December 8th ……..............Board Meeting @ 4:30pm
December 14th ……............Gallery Committee meeting @ 7pm
The complete calendar is always listed on the home page. Log in to see everything.
You will find links to all Zoom meetings/events on the VCPG.ORG home page calendar. Just click on the meeting/event to find the Zoom link.
A Message from Your VCPG Board President • March 2026
Greetings VCPG Members,
Caling al Juried Plus Members •
Registration for the 2026 Ojai Pottery Market is avaiable onine this Friday thru May 22nd
The 2026 Ojai Pottery Market will be held at Libbey Park on June 13th from 10am to 6pm and June 14th from 8am to 5pm.
All juried Plus members are welcome to participate in the Guild’s premier outdoor sale. This is a great sales opportunity for returning and new artists alike. Sales are made under the Guild’s seller’s permit and the central cashier processes all payments; collects and pays sales tax and credit card fees. We do the paperwork for you!
Just log in to VCPG.org and click the Sell at Our Markets button. Then review the Shows and Sales Guidelines for the 2026 Ojai Pottery Market, the site map, and register and pay the participant fee. If you have any questions, please contact events@vcpg.org. There will be a Zoom training for participating artists in the first week of June.
The fee for a 10’x10” booth is $60 plus 20% commission on all sales. If you are interested in selling at the 2026 Ojai Pottery Market but you’re not sure you have enough inventory, consider reaching out to your juried, Plus friends in the Guild to share a booth.
Artists sharing a booth will only pay one $60 booth fee (not $60 per artist). There is a limit of three artists per booth.
If an artist wishes to have two booths, two applications must be submitted. However, if we have more applicants than booths available, only one booth per artist will be permitted and the second booth fee will be refunded.
We will have overnight security Saturday, June 13th so you can leave your booth set-up overnight - at your own risk.
If you did NOT receive an IRS Form - 1099 from the Guild for 2025, you will need to submit a W-9 electronically prior to the event. Send an email to treasurer@vcpg.org to complete this process.
The Ojai Pottery Market is a wonderful opportunity to provide service to the guild. Sale proceeds support Guild program member benefits and outreach during the year. Please consider lending a hand in making the sale a success. This event provides Plus members a date certain for you to complete your Team Service to the Guild during 2026. Click on the Team Service button on the member Home Page and you'll see the link to sign-up for the available opportunities. There will be a Zoom training for Cashiers the first week of June.
Announcing an opportunity to join the VCPG Boardas a Member-at-Large
Are you passionate about shaping the future of the VCPG Guild and ensuring its ongoing success?
We’re seeking a dedicated and enthusiastic individual to join our Board as a Member-at-Large. This is your chance to bring fresh ideas, new perspectives, and your unique expertise to the table, helping to plan impactful activities and strengthen our Guild’s sustainability for years to come.
Why apply?
This role offers a unique opportunity to:
• Contribute to the growth and vibrancy of the Guild.
• Collaborate with a team of like-minded individuals who share your enthusiasm for our mission.
• Play an active role in enhancing the experiences of Guild members and the broader community.
The Member-At-Large is a member who:
• Has been a Guild member for more than one year
• Shows an active interest in being part of the Guild community
• Is available to attend monthly Board meetings and review meeting agendas, reports and minutes and ask for clarification in advance if necessary.
• Is available to participate in ad hoc meetings on program topics related to the Guild and board planning decisions
• Is comfortable expressing their opinions and applying their expertise in discussions related to the Guild moving forward.
• Takes on these responsibilities as a Team Service to the Guild.
• The Member At Large position is for a two-year term.
Interested? Here's How to Apply:
Tell us a little about yourself by answering these two questions:
1. What excites you about joining the VCPG Board as a Member-at-Large?
2. What personal quality or experience will you bring to enrich this role?
Please email your responses to president@vcpg.org by May 10, 2026.
Reminders & Updates
We are now taking applications for the Guild’s Studio Residency Program. Do you know an emerging student artist who needs a studio and guidance over the summer months?
Then send them here: Studio Residency Application.
Also, attached please find a flyer for the residency. If you hang out with student potters, please post it where permitted.
We have conducted extensive outreach at local colleges and universities over the last several weeks and are looking forward to a bumper crop of applicants.
The VCPG Board of Directors now meets the 2nd Tuesday of the month, 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 Secretary on the Contact Us page if you would like to receive the Agenda Packet in advance of the Board of Directors Meeting.
Please pull out your calendars and schedule your Team Service commitment early.
Did you work the Ojai or Ventura Pottery Markets last year? The Pit Fire? Was it fun? Then sign up now. I cannot stress how much this will help the teams that are planning the events. We also have range of TS commitments that can be completed from home and/or via Zoom meetings.
All Plus tier members are required to complete one Team Service commitment each year. If you have questions or need assistance, email teamservice@vcpg.org.
Please note the change of dates; The annual show at the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts (BWCA) will be November 21st through January 9th with the opening reception on November 21st .
The theme of the show is Dining in Style.
Participants will be able to submit place settings of three or more items (the idea is that you can eat or drink with them). And you can submit up to two different settings! The deadline for entries is October 25th and the dates to drop off your work at the BWCA are November 13th – 15th.
You do not need to be juried or a Plus Tier member to participate in this event.
That’s it for now. Keep making stuff.
Stacy Rowe
Guild President
president@vcpg.org
Program Meeting • April 27th • 6:30 Gathering time
NEW • Website Tips • Q & A • @ 6:45 PM •
Overview of How to Get Events, Exhibits, Classes and Sales Posted for members and the public to see.
7:00 PM: Business and Program
Jane Dillon • Pots as Tableware
Jane Dillon currently serves as Assistant Professor at Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, RI. Jane is a potter, textile worker and draftsperson. She will share her work and the sources of inspiration from ceramic history that inspire and inform her work.
Balancing teaching, research, and cretive production, Jane has traveled extensively and taught at many schools and universities, including Penland, Arrowmount, Mendocino Art Center, Anderson Ranch Art Center, the University of Colorado, theAppalachian Center for Crafts, and the University of Georgia Studies Abroad Program in Italy.
Jane Maintains a studio with colleagues in the Vlley Arts District, a rejuvenated industrial district along the Woonasquatucket River in Providence, RI.
https://janedillonart.com
https://janedillonart.com
We hope you can attend and get inspired about the possibilities of table wares for the upcoming Guild dinnerware exhibition at the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts!
We will also be introducing you to the International Dinnerware Museum and briefly explore the PICNIC exhibition online.
International Dinnerware Museum
Picnic: The International Museum of Dinnerware
Design’s Sixth Biennial Juried Exhibition
We will view a variety of tableware included in the exhibtioin Picnic: The International Museum of Dinnerware Design’s Sixth Biennial Juried Exhibition.
We will also have a presentation by a potter that is passionate about the celebratory space of the table.
Let’s get inspired for the Guild’s upcoming Tableware juried exhibition at the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts in Ojai.
Julianne Harvey
Under the Hood, 2025
porcelain
12″ x 7″ x 8″
Beth Lo
Chi-not Series: Picnic, 2025
porcelain
9″ x 12″ x 1″
Charlie Smith
Lunchtime for Lonely Joe, 2025
lowfire mixed stoneware ceramics, custom decals
8.5″ x 8.5″ x 0.5″
Picnic-The Dinnerware Museum
Ventura Pottery Gallery’s 6th Annual Mother’s Day Market
Celebrate the incredible women who shape our lives with love, care, and unwavering support.
This special event features handcrafted pottery from over 40 talented local ceramic artists.
As a special treat, the first 20 customers on Saturday and Sunday will receive a FREE ceramic Sugar Saver that will keep your brown sugar fresh, soft, and scoopable every time!
Saturday, May 9 and Sunday May 10, 11 AM - 6 PM
MOTHER’S DAY GIVEAWAY
Register inside the gallery from May 1st - 8th, for a chance to win a beautiful one of a kind hand painted vase created by gallery artist Genie Thomsen.
No purchase necessary and no need to be present to win!
GALLERY ARTIST DEMOS
Saturday, May 9th
11-3
Annual PITFIRE Gathering – Get Registered!
We are just about a month away for this annual event. It is a wonderful day long gathering of members in a shady park setting that is filled with foil wrapped ceramics, a very hot fire and lots of food and conversation.
We will enjoy time together with a mini workshop, clay swap meet - free and priced items, and of course a breakfast and lunch pot lucks!
Sunday, May 17th – 7:30am – 4:30pm at Arroyo Verde Park, Redwood Glen in Ventura.
Here is a look at last year’s event!
- Register for the event. – Detailed info can be found on this page of the website.
- A $15 fee is collected to help with the cost of wood and supplies.
- Plan on bringing a potluck dish that would work for one of the following breakfast, brunch or lunch. We wind up snacking and munching before and after lunch!
- Come at 7:30 but be there no later than 8 AM because that is when the last pots go in the fire.
If you plan on joining the gathering but are not going to fire any work, there is no need to register just bring a potluck dish!
Do not forget to register for one of the option prep sessions either in Ojai or in Ventura on Saturday, May 16. Check the Guild Calendar for times and locations.
Clay Challenge Theme – June Program Meeting – BIRDS!
We understand that birds are making nests and baby birds are being born!
What is happening in your studio?? Is there chirping??
The June Program Meeting will be our first Clay Challenge of 2026.
Clay Challenges are an opportunity for you to explore new ideas, techniques and a chance to try your hand at something new or push your current work. It is a chance to spark your imagination, generate conversation and encourage you to investigate new techniques.
In June you will be invited to submit digital images of your BIRD(s). These images will be put into a slide presentation that will be shown at the June program meeting. There will be an opportunity for each submitting artist to speak to the zoom group about their piece and answer questions about construction and finishing. These sharing are always a great opportunity to learn more about each other, our interests and knowledge bases.
Looking forward to your creations! Information of submitting your images will be posted in early June.
Save the Date! • Field Trip to Scripps College
Fred Marer Collection of Contemporary Ceramics and AMOCA
Saturday, September 26
The Program Team is excited to invite you to an exciting day of ceramics viewing and a hands-on opportunity to explore pieces in the Fred Marer Collection of contemporary ceramics.
This collection includes an international collection of contemporary ceramics, including American, British, Japanese, Korean, and Mexican work. The special focus of the Marer collection is post-war American ceramics, centered on the Otis group of Peter Voulkos and his colleagues Billy Al Benston, Michael and Magdelena Frimkiss, John Mason, Ken Price, Jerry Rothmen, Paul Soldner, Janice Roosevelt, and Harry Takemoto.
We will meet at the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery and view the Faculty and Alumni Art Exhibition and then have a docent tour of some of the highlights of the Fred Marer Collection. There will be an opportunity to pull pieces from the vast collection for closer inspection. Art viewing builds an appetite so there will be a break for lunch.
At AMOCA, we will view the Fractured Foundations: 250 years of American History, the smaller gallery space and possibly tour the studio.
This is an exceptional opportunity and worth putting on your calendar!
Tentative Schedule
9:00-9:15 Leave Ventura
11-11:30 Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery, Faculty/Alumni Exhibition & Marer Collection Scripps College, Claremont, CA
1:00 Lunch on your own/brown bag encouraged
2:30 AMOCA, Fractured Foundations: 250 Years of American History, possible vault and studio tour
Stay tuned for more information and registration for this meet up. Members will be encouraged to carpool, as it’s a long drive out to Claremont-Pomona. You may want to spend the entire day viewing art or simply enjoy the collection at Scripps College and then head off to enjoy lunch together and head back home.
There is no fee for the Scripps College portion of the trip. There will be a $15 admission fee for AMOCA unless you are a member.
See below for more information on these exciting venues.
Marer Collection of Ceramics at Scripps College, Claremont,CA
Paul Soldner
Pedestal Piece (907), 1990
Low Fire Salt Fuming
27 in. x 30 in. x 11 in.
AMOCA American Museum of Ceramic Art, Pomona, CA
AMOCA American Museum of Ceramic Art, Pomona, CA
"Dinning in Style" at Beatrice Wood Center
"Dinning in Style" is the theme for the Beatrice Wood show this year from Nov. 21st to Jan. 9th, 2027.
You can submit two entries.
Reception in on Nov. 21st, 2-4
Each entry must include a dinner plate plus two or more items that you can eat or drink out of.
Entries will be due by October 25th.
The application will be on the website sometime in June.
This show is open to all membership levels.
So get your creative juices flowing and create some unique entries.
The VCPG Library
New Books for the Guild Library
Brenda Burgess has gifted four new titles for our VCPG Library!
Amazing Glaze: Techniques, Recipes, Finishing, and Firing, 2018, by Gabriel Kline, is a comprehensive guide for potters, with basic and advanced techniques, over 60 tested recipes for different temperatures, inspiration and tricks from contemporary artists. Offers a new perspective for those in the “I hate glazing” camp.
From a Slab of Clay, 2012, by Daryl E. Baird, teaches basic to architecturally advanced projects. The book highlights interesting surface techniques and how to do things right (drying technique) to avoid cracking pieces. It is suitable for beginners to intermediate artists.
Sustainable Ceramics, 2013, by Robert Harrison covers all the factors when going green, from fuels and alt firing technology to energy saving methods. He highlights practitioners who reclaim, reuse and recycle in their work, making very cool, often monutmental outdoor designs.
Terra Sigillata Contemporary Techniques, by Rhonda Willers, 2020, is a comprehensive guide to making, mixing, and applying terra sigillata in modern ceramics, blending historical context with current artistic practices of making, mixing, applying and finishing. With artist profiles and techniques in layering, varying surfaces, carving and firing, it is a great resource for beginners and experienced potters.
Thank you, Brenda, for your generosity!
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
Pottery Jams Updat
We are always interested in hearing from members about an idea, a Jam host or the offer to open up a studio or home for a ceramic focused hangout with other Guild members.
The Program Team spends time each month working on ideas and plans for our Jams.
Let’s keep the Jams happening.
We need your assistance in scheduling for the balance of 2026 and into 2027.
What are you interested in learning more about?
What might you be willing to teach or facilitate?
Please use this form to share your ideas and/or interest with us: Pottery Jam Proposals & Ideas
“Tapping our Finest” Workshops
“Tapping our Finest” Workshops are led by an experienced local ceramic artist and focus on a particular set of skills or techniques, i.e. Advanced Throwing/Large Forms, Sgraffito, Use of Oxides and Underglazes, Hand-built Boxes.
We are looking to offer a few half-day workshops during the summer and fall. We would like to support the talent of our members and local ceramic artists by inviting you all to submit your idea for a workshop you would like to offer. The Program Team will do all the work to publicize it, handle registration, assist with locating a site and providing support on the day of the workshop. Workshop instructors will be compensated for their time. Workshops will be offered to our members for a fee that covers instructor compensation, facility rental and non-participant provided supplies/materials.
Workshops typically have 10-20 participants.
If you are interested in being one of our instructor’s please email Foz at programs@vcpg.org and she will give you a call and/or, complete the Workshop Proposal Form . If you have a suggestion for a workshop or a local artist who would be great at presenting an interesting workshop, use the same link and drop down to the LAST question and fill in the info.
Who is a fan of The Great Pottery Throw Down?
Have you ever wondered what competing might be like? To take part in the TV series you must be a UK resident. So, what if we had one here? Would you be interested?
The Program Team is exploring the idea of pulling together a Pottery Throw Down for our members and students from schools we partner with through our Outreach Program. If you think you would like to be a participant sign-up here.
In order to move this idea from concept to reality we need at least four more people to join our planning and delivery team. If you would like to be part of bringing a Pottery Throwdown to our Guild community sign-up here! You CAN sign-up in both places! Stay tuned.
"Arts 'n Crafts Tour of Mexico" with Patrick Crabb (Nov. 3-15)
This tour will be a cultural delight in the crafts of pottery/textiles/wood along with museums. Several workshops/lectures with artisans in weaving and pit firing pottery. We will visit Mexico City and Oaxaca ("Santa Fe" of Mexico). Learn the archaeology history of the Aztecs/Toltecs/Zapotecs. Shopping galore! Enrolling now. Cost: $3990/dbl occ Contact: pscrabb@cox.net "
patrick crabb/host
For Sale
A 17” wide 1968 electric cress kiln with a kilnsitter that is free to anyone that wants to pick it up. It goes to cone 5. Pictures and more information upon request.
Bethany Anderson
Residency Flyer is also attached
