VENTURA COUNTY POTTERS’ GUILD
November 2022 Newsletter
Members' Meeting 28th • @ 6:30pm/7:00pm Share your Thoughts and Ideas
For Your Calendar:
November 3rd...........Board Meeting @ 3:30pm
November 28.................... Members' Meeting @ 6:30pm
December 8th...........Board Meeting @ 3:30pm
December 12th...........Holiday Party on Zoom
January 5th...........Board Meeting @ 3:30pm
January 23rd...........Members’ Meeting @ 6:30pm
President’s message • November 2022
The #1 Asset your Guild needs
In the past our Treasurer was basically a bookkeeper for the Guild. Keeping track of income and expenses, providing monthly reports to the Board and annual reports to our accountant.
As we expand and deepen our services, we need an actual Treasurer to head a Finance Team. Someone who understands money, understands business finance, understands planning and using money strategically and safely. Someone who can guide us as we create and manage our master and sub-budgets. Who can work with our accountant strategically.
We need someone what can move us from our current financial management practices to structures and practices that have us ready for our probable expansion over the next few years into additional sales opportunities and a possible 2nd location with teaching, studio rental, retail and gallery functions.
I think that within our 180 members there may be people with this kind of experience.
We run as a non-profit. Our annual revenues exceed $250,000. Almost everything we do is the work of volunteers. Absent a Guild member who can take on this responsibility the Board will have to consider hiring a Treasurer. This action will require that we increase our income stream to cover the expense.
This would come from a combination of increasing income streams from membership dues and sales percentages.
If you have these skills and are willing to have a conversation about what the above looks like on the court, connect with me via
phone, text, or email. My contact info is below.
What we accomplished in 2022
At our October Member’s Meeting I gave a presentation about what we accomplished together this year — 2022.
Check it out. And pat yourself on the back. Give yourself a hug. Together we’re doing awesome work.
Our two biggest projects this year are Team Service and our migration to ClubExpress. I talk about this in some detail in the Year in Review presentation. The ClubExpress platform is the future home of our Membership, Team Service, Documents, Events, what we now do in MemberConnect, the Newsletter, and more. All behind one login.
At the December Member’s meeting we’ll be going through an early demo of ClubExpress. In late December we’ll be distributing How-To documents and videos that show how to login and renew your membership starting in January.
This is the YouTube link to the Year in Review.
(Or search YouTube for Oct 2022 Member’s Meeting)
https://youtu.be/t-CMWzSaZfg
Happy potting.
Wyn Matthews, VCPG President 50+ year potter
805.207.3122 me@wynmatthews.com
Members’ Meeting Program
November 28th
Share your Thoughts and Ideas.
The Board wants to hear from you.
We did not have time at the Annual Meeting last month to open the Breakout Rooms so join us at the November meeting. This is an opportunity not only to talk together about the Guild, what we are about, and where we are going but also a chance to meet other Guild members and learn a bit about who they are and their interests.
The meeting will be designed to allow you the opportunity to participate in two of the breakout rooms listed below. Topics for discussion include:
- 1) Member Meeting Program Ideas - What program on clay, glaze, firing, process, technique demonstration, history, etc. related to ceramics would you like to the Guild to offer at our monthly meetings?
- 2) Guild Feedback to Board of Directors - What are we doing well? What have we done that you disagree with? What can we improve? And, how?
- 3) Interest in the Big Sky Project - The Big Sky Project is the search for funding and creation of a 2nd space in our area that will accommodate studio spaces for rent, studio memberships, classes, workshops, meetings, a 2nd retail shop, a gallery space for member and non-member ceramic work. Would you be interested in renting private studio space? Being a member that works in communal studio space? Teaching and/or doing workshops? Sell in the retail space? Assist in raising money? Writing grants? Being on the committee working on forming a 501 (c)3 to accept tax deductible funds, grants and bequests?
- 4) Comments and ideas to improve our Jurying process - We currently have a 2-step jury process. Step one is the Pre-Jury—a critique of one’s work. This step fulfills our mission to be an educational organization—to be teaching our members and our public. If that process points out ways to improve one’s work and/or its presentation one has 2 months to implement some/all of the suggestions before the Final Jury. We’d like your feedback on your experience, considerations/thoughts, ideas for improvement.
VCPG is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: November Member's Meeting (Foz)
Time: Nov 28, 2022 06:30 PM Pacific Time Informal Chat - Meeting begins at 7 PM
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6267829270?pwd=UmR0NUpaRzFlQXZTM25pcUJtWmU0Zz09
Meeting ID: 626 782 9270
Passcode: 1957
The Ventura Pottery Gallery
announces its 3rd Annual Free Gift with $30 with Purchase
Customers who drop by the Ventura Pottery Gallery at the Harbor Village during Thanksgiving week starting November 19th will receive a free handmade piece of pottery with any $30 purchase or more. Please note, one gift per customer per day while supplies last.
VCPG’s Contribution to the Bowl of Thanks
On 11/4-11/5 VCPG worked with the City of Ventura to host a Bowl of Thanks at our first Ventura Pottery Market.
Our members were very generous and contributed over 350 handmade bowls to the event. Customers purchase the bowls and receive a ticket to go to local restaurants and get a sample of the food in their bowl.
All the monies raised by our Bowl of Thanks were donated to the Downtown Ventura Family Reconnections. Kevin Clerici who runs the charity wrote to us:
"The Bowl of Thanks event was incredible. I am so grateful to each of you for your help. And the timing couldn’t have been better. With the rain and cold weather the last two days, we did 2 successful reconnections since Monday. We sent a woman to her family in San Bernardino, and this morning we helped a guy get back to Newport Beach. He was cold and hungry and wet. And we got him fed and back with his sister by sundown."
Our next clay challenge is Sgraffito
This literally translates to “scratched”.
For some inspiration, do a Google Image search for Mata Ortiz Pottery https://www.mataortiz.com for Mexican sgraffito pottery, and just “sgraffito" for examples from many, many fine contemporary potters.
After you follow the links deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole, surely you’ll come away excited to work in this versatile but simple technique.
For sgraffito, you apply a contrasting layer over your primary form and scratch through it. You can use a variety of scratching tools, and your top layer can be a slip of a contrasting color clay, clay colored with stains, engobe, underglaze, stains, or anything else you can come up with. Have some fun!
Online Sales Opportunity for All Juried Members!
Been thinking about trying out VenturaPotteryOnline.com? Well, here’s your opportunity!
From December 1st through December 11th, we are going to have a Holiday Flash Sale on the Online Store.
Any juried member can submit up to 3 photos of the of their piece(s) (square format with a single color or gradient background please) and attach the Item Submission Form between now and November 30th (the sooner the better). The number of artists is limited - priority will be given to Plus members who have a limit of 20 pieces. Regular juried members will be included based on the date submitted and will have a limit of 10 pieces (Note: if you sell a piece you can replace it with another).
Current Online Store Members – You can send me the Item Number of any currently posted pieces you’d like to feature in the Flash Sale. Flash Sale items will not count toward your 20-piece limit for your ongoing page.
Holiday Flash Sale pieces will be featured on the Online Store for the 11-day sale period which will be heavily promoted. Pieces can be offered for shipping, in Gallery pickup, or both. If you are offering shipping AND Gallery pickup, please include your shipping and handling cost in your price. You can then offer a 20% discount for Gallery pickup if you like (up to you). If you are offering Gallery pick up ONLY, no need to include shipping in the price, although some people include packing/transportation costs.
Please be prepared to ship or deliver to the Gallery within 3-days of purchase so folks can be assured they will receive their purchase in time for the holidays. I will notify you of any purchases and fulfillment instructions via email.
That’s it. Easy-peasy. If you have questions – contact me at via the website’s contact form.
But first you might watch Online Store 101 at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmaN9_XmMcM&t=68s.
For Current Online Store Members - The Online Holiday Market will be open from November 12th through December 31st . Be sure to submit your holiday-themed pieces for inclusion. These pieces don’t count towards your 20-piece limit for your ongoing page.
Thanks,
Stacy Rowe
Online Store Manager
The American Ceramic Society of Southern California
presents The Presidents’ Show
November 12, 2022 - January 7, 2023
Opening Reception: Saturday, November 12, 2022 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Closing Reception: Saturday, January 7, 2023 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts 8585 Ojai-Santa Paula Road, Ojai, CA 93023
The Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts is housed in the former home and studio of famed artist, author and potter Beatrice Wood in Ojai. The Center is Open to the Public Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. More information can be found on their website at www.beatricewood.com
Calling all who might be interested in a volunteer job for
VCPG!
I am stepping down as the librarian after a very enjoyable 2 years and looking for a new person to take it on.
- I will help you get up to speed - it’s easy!
- - everything can be done from home!
- - you can serve our members in an important way
- - the main jobs are: storing the books/DVDs (collection fits on one bookshelf), shipping out books to members who check out, picking up returned books from Gallery (or from someone kind enough to get them from Gallery :)), and doing intake on new/donated items occasionally.
- - there are helpers to assist with advertising and acquiring new books.
Please contact the Librarian via the website’s contact form.
The VCPG Library
Check out a book from the VCPG library • over 50 new items available!
To see the updated list of items available for check out, go to the VCPG website Membership page, and look under Library.
To check out an item, fill out the form at the bottom of the page. http://venturapottersguild.org/membership/