May 2023 Newsletter
General club notes & updates
Potter in Residence - Chris Dunn, starting 9 May
We are pleased to share that Chris Dunn will be joining us for the first of two potter in residency positions this year.
Chris doesn’t really need an introduction, he will be familiar to many of you, he has been a member since 2014, a tutor, a committee member and more recently was the selector for Ceramicus 2021.
Chris’ residency will start on Tuesday 9 May, where we will welcome him at our weekly club morning tea. His residency will run through to early August (our next potter in residence will start in mid-August).
During his residency Chris plans to work on hand-building and slip-casting and we are hoping to arrange pit firing and slip casting workshops for WPA members to learn and share in Chris’ residency.
Volunteering at WPA
WPA runs on the passion we all have for creating and sharing ideas. It also runs on the commitment of volunteers who make glazes, recycle clay, fire your masterpieces, and keep the space going.
We’re thinking differently about how you can volunteer at WPA. We know you’re busy people with different demands, so we want to tailor the volunteer opportunities so that there’s something everyone can do.
We also know that many of you will have ticked a box (or more) when you became a member, indicating what you can do to help. We haven’t yet been clear about what happens next or how you can get involved in specific volunteer opportunities but we’re working on it. We’re hoping to make things easier to see what volunteering options there are and how you can participate in coming weeks!
Building off the great concept of the fortnightly Glaze Club, we’ll be reviewing our clubs, teams, committees and so on at WPA. We want these groups to be spaces where you can learn some of the broader aspects of being a potter, as well as being part of a dedicated group that is vital to keep the various parts of the club running. For those who have less time, we’ll be ensuring there are a range of one-off opportunities that you can commit to (such as our upcoming working-bee - perfect for newbies who need some guidance or people that find it easier to make a one-off contribution). We hope to have more info about how you can get involved with these activities in the next newsletter and ensure there’s something for everyone to take part in.
In the meantime, the single most useful thing you can do is to embrace the concept of a ‘plus-one’ (+1). The idea is every time you visit the club, on top of tidying up your space, do one extra thing for the community.
This can be as simple as: doing some leftover dishes, washing a dirty bat someone forgot to do, wiping the lunch table or the coffee table in the library, emptying the kitchen compost into the top carpark compost bin, bringing forgotten items from kiln / glaze rooms back upstairs, putting away the dry bats, bringing in dry washing, topping up kitchen supplies from under the sink or the white pantry, and so on and so on…
If we all do our +1 bit to help, the club will be a great space for everyone to enjoy. We’ll be talking more about +1 in different ways and sharing different ways you can do this, in forthcoming newsletters and you may see suggestions for +1’s in the workspaces.
Let’s all do our +1 to ensure WPA continues to be a thriving space for everyone to enjoy.
Cubby renewal - invoices in May
It is that time of year, the current cubby rental period ends on 31 May. Here are the key dates:
From Friday 12 May to Sunday 14 May - invoices sent
Friday 26 May - payment due
We have a waitlist of people waiting for cubbies, so any unpaid cubbies will be emptied 3-4 June.
If you do not wish to continue your cubby rental email Kate at wellingtonpotters.cubbies@gmail.com before 12 May please (so you don’t receive an invoice)
FYI cubby pricing:
Glaze cubbies - $100 per year
Large upstairs cubbies - $80 per year
Small upstairs cubbies - $60 per year
Extra small upstairs cubbies - $30 per year
In line with our Assisted Membership Policy, if finances are tight and you would like to pay in installments email Kate at wellingtonpotters.cubbies@gmail.com before Friday 12 May.
Mezzanine space ballot
If you would like to go in to the ballot to rent a space on the mezzanine floor, please email wellingtonpotters.cubbies@gmail.com by 31 May.
The ballot will be drawn in June. The rental year will run from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024.
There are 7 desks available. The rate is $60 per month, paid one month in advance. Preference will be given to members who are not currently renting a space.
Kiln replacement project update
As advised by email recently, there are no club firings at present as we prepare for the arrival, installation and testing of our three new kilns.
FE2, The Brick and Cob have all found new homes and were picked up from 5-7 May. We had a successful Kiln Room working bee on 7 May to rearrange the space. New kilns are arriving this week and then the kiln team begins the testing phase.
Just because the kilns are in place doesn’t mean the work is done though. The team still needs to develop firing schedules, new and simplified signage, training for private firings and refresher training, the bookings module for HelloClub, content of the Operations manual and Guide to the Use of the Rooms, and more! Thanks so much to the team for their hard work behind the scenes.
Important dates (subject to change):
Fri 5 May to Fri 19 May: NO FIRINGS
Sat 20 May: Private firings in Woodrow and FE5 can resume from Saturday 20 May, unless notified otherwise.
Mon 5 June: Expect club firings to resume (this is TO BE CONFIRMED following kiln testing).
Please BE KIND to the kiln team volunteers. They work hard to fire your work and keep our kilns running. If you have any questions or concerns please raise them with Martin, Ingrid or Kate Mac or by email to wellingtonpotters.info@gmail.com. The Committee is aware of and will talk to members who are taking their frustrations out on the kiln team.
Kiln naming competition - starts today!
Do you have a great name for a kiln? Our four Nabertherm kilns need names, ideally something a bit more advanced than Nab 1, Nab 2 and Nab 3.
Our four kilns are:
The biggest (replacing FE2) - 440L
Mid-size (replacing the Cob) - 200L
Mid-size (replacing the Brick) - 150L
‘Baby Nab’ Test kiln (replacing FE4) - 70L
Here’s how the competition will run:
Monday 8 May to Saturday 13 May - submit your names through this online form
Sunday 14 May to Saturday 20 May - all members can vote on their preferred names
Sunday 21 May - winning names announced
In addition to fame & infamy, the winning nomenclators* will receive a bag of clay.
(*nomenclator = a person who names who invents names for things)
The kiln loading team (Briar, Caren & Holly) will use these names to inspire kiln gods to sit atop our new kilns.
Being a good club member
We’ve had a couple of incidents in the Glaze Room where those using the spray booth and kitchen bench haven’t cleaned surfaces properly or followed the obvious signs. Remember to take several passes with clean water and rinse your sponges between wipes - it’s so easy to think you’ve done a good job, UNTIL the water dries and proves you wrong.
We’ve also recently had a spate of 'misappropriations' - items going missing from members' cubbies, toolboxes and mezzanine spaces. Please - if it's not your space or equipment, don't help yourself, even if you intend to put it back later.
A reminder too that unless you are renting a mezzanine space, you should not be working in or using that area. Likewise, if you are firing your own pots, in your own kiln, you should NOT be using our precious club glazes.
These rules apply to everyone, no matter how long you've been a member or if you think you're an exception to the rule.
Upcoming WPA Events
Working Bee -
Sunday 21st May, 10am - 2pm
This is the perfect way for new or time-poor members to make a volunteer contribution to the running of the club. When you arrive, you will be assigned to a task and then have the chance to get to know your fellow members while you work.
Some jobs can be done in advance and these will be written on the whiteboard for those who can't make it on the Sunday.
Volunteering your time or expertise is part and parcel of being a Full member of WPA. Come join us for all or part of the session and contribute to getting the club looking tip top!
Anagama wood stacking -
Wednesday 24 May 10AM - 2PM
We are preparing for our 18th anagama firing, scheduled for late September 2023.
Here's your chance to contribute to the volunteer activities required for a successful event. People who volunteer in advance of the firing are able to submit an additional pot or two. We need 6 people to help stack firewood from 10am until 2pm on Wednesday 24th may.
You will need gardening or leather gloves to withstand stacking firewood, shoes that can cope in mud and protect your toes from injury, sunhat or raincoat or both, water, snacks, and something to share for lunch.
Wellington Potters’ Throwdown -
Saturday 17 June
Are you a potter in search of glory? Feel you have the skills to battle the best? Can you throw blindfolded?
Join us for an event like none other!! The Wellington potters association will be hosting their first ever Pottery Throw Down. Across the evening we will host a series of competitions aimed to test pottery skills and ability. There will prizes and glory for those throwing it down.
Alongside the event we will have a potluck and a BYO. So please come along, bring some kai and drink, meet some of your fellow potters and cheer on those throwing it down!!
Events:
The Blind Bowl
The Two headed potter
Towering Cylinder of Chaos
Can you handle it? I can handle it. I don’t think you can handle it.
The Potters Dash Relay
If you are interested in supporting with the running of the event or would like to donate a prize please contact James Dickman jdw.dickman@gmail.com
Ceramicus update
Feedback on last year
Thank you to the 34 people that took the time to provide feedback via the online survey earlier this year. Some of the key themes that emerged from responses were:
We heard that promoting ceramics in Wellington is really important to you.
It would be great to have more members involved with and submitting work for Ceramicus.
A desire to explore different venue options.
Ceramicus 2023 - mark your calendars!
We are excited to announce this year's exhibition will be held at the Begonia House at the Botanic Gardens, from Tuesday 3 to Sunday 15 October.
We are really excited about this venue - it’s a very busy place, t1he cafe and gardens are very busy and tour buses often visit. There’s also scope to run demonstrations, artist talks, workshops, and an outdoor market.
The team is working to confirm the guest selector, award categories and sponsorship.
If you are willing and able to help with any of the above please get in touch with Kate at wellingtonpotters.info@gmail.com.
Upcoming members classes
While HelloClub has been great for many aspects of membership management, we’ve received feedback that it can be hard to see the number of days and dates of our workshops and other events. To make this easier, we have added a new page to our website: https://www.wellingtonpotters.org.nz/upcoming-events to provide an overview of our events. Clicking on the event you are interested in will take you to HelloClub to sign up and pay your ticket fee as usual (if required).
Places are still available on the following courses:
Mocha diffusion with Vivian - Friday 2, 9, 16 June
Wax resist with Vivian - Friday 23, 30 June + 7 July
Making underglazes, engobes and coloured clays with Vivian - Weds 12, 19, 26 July
Note we received lots of interest in the upcoming beginners throwing class with Chris Dunn and the Introduction to Glazing course with Hedy. We plan to continue to offer these classes to WPA members.
April Highlights
School holiday boredom buster
What a great event. We had 13 kids and their parents join us for this morning holiday session. We provided the space and the parents supplied the rest. The kids all had a go at hand building and wheel throwing. There were lots of smiles and some amazing work being made.