To Teach, To Learn, To Share

Summer Clay & Play Camp!

We are filling up fast for our popular Summer Clay & Play Camp.  Our facility is air conditioned and open, giving your children comfort and a safe place to breathe in these smokey and hot summer days.  If your child is interested in the arts, our week long day camp is for them.  Ages 7-12 (we do have a Teen week in August for those 13-17), running from 9 a.m to 4 p.m Monday-Friday, we spend most of the week playing with clay.  Please visit our Camp page for more details or don’t hesitate to contact us via email or phone: 705-742-4979. 

One of our week 1 campers building her castle shaped candle holder
One of our first week campers making a castle shaped candle holder.

Teen working on finishing a hand built mug

Campers displaying finished projects for parents
Campers displaying finished projects

Empty Bowls 2023 Update

This event helps fund YWCA’s Nourish Program, this year 270 pottery bowls plus 19 wooden bowls sold, raising $33,104.00. Nourish combines dignified access to nutritious food, gardening and cooking skills along with programming designed to empower individuals to advocate for themselves and others and grow a just food system for all. By harnessing the power of food, Nourish brings people together to build a collective sense of belonging, while working towards the systemic changes required to end food insecurity and poverty. 

Celebrate Ceramics 2023!

deep bowl in cobalt blue with carving in a mandala pattern through to the white clay below

We had such a pile of fun at Celebrate Ceramics last year that we’ve decided to hold it again this year.  The date will be the evening of Friday June 2nd and again we will hold it at the Lion’s Club in East City, Peterborough.  Tickets will be on sale, in the Pottery Shop only, beginning March 1st. 

It promises to be a fun evening with live music, delicious appetizers and of course, the main attraction, beautiful pottery and every Guest Ticket holder will leave the event with a piece of pottery valued at more than $80.00.  Monies raised from this event enables the Guild to provide ceramic arts education for all ages and supports the continued advancement of ceramic arts.  
 
Mark the date on your calendar so you don’t miss out on this fabulous event! 
Guest Tickets are $80.00 + HST and Friend Tickets for $25.00 + HST. 
 
Here is a sneak peak of some of the items that will be available.
 
black and white bowl with legs and face of cat. on opposite side is a long tail raised above the dishBlue pitcher with single dark blue floral design on side of body
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
white bowl with painted bunches of cherries and painted calligraphy text "life is just a bowl of cherries"

Special Sculpture/Mural Class!

We are in the fortunate position of being able to run a pilot project to investigate teaching remotely through on-line avenues. We are looking for new and experienced hand building students to learn from a teacher outside of our community and give us feedback about the online learning experience. This is a great opportunity to help our Guild and learn from an experienced teacher you might not otherwise have an opportunity to engage with.

The E-Clay Project, in partnership with The Kawartha Potters Guild is working with a team of teachers and eight Guilds/ Not -for- Profit studios to develop ways to teach online, interactive pottery courses. Each course is being taught by an experienced teacher who is part of the team developing the best ways to teach pottery online in an interactive and dynamic way. As a student, you too will be part of this exciting project offering your insights and experience about your experiences of taking this course. When you complete the session and the evaluation you will be given a $100 rebate. We value your input and hope you forgive any hiccups we may encounter.

An 8 week Hand-building pilot project session is being offered at our Guild location, February 10 – March 31 from 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. by Aitak Sorahitalab. (Please note date change).

Aitak Sorahitalab is a contemporary ceramic and mural artist, an art educator, also a public art researcher. Her sculptures and installations narrate societal and political challenges drawn from personal and collective incidents and observations. Using background knowledge, Aitak incorporates elements of Iranian and Mesopotamian epics, artifacts and motifs as part of her practice through creating surrealist figurines and compositions. In her work, aesthetic discourse is in equal importance with methods and the process undergoing.

Aitak has more than two decades of experience in art education, specifically ceramic, working with art organizations and institutes such as Gardiner Museum, Good Sheppard Creative Studio, ArtStarts, and Etc.

As a doctoral candidate at York University’s Environmental and Urban Change, Aitak is investigating the position of public art in contemporary culture and its connection to the right to freedom of expression.

If you, or someone you know might be interested in this course, please pass this information along.

To register and review the course information and requirements please visit our classes page or contact our Administrator. For more information about the e-Clay Project , please go to https://www.e-claylearning.ca/

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts. 

 

Happy Holidays and Thank You

As another year of Covid comes to a close, we would very much like to thank our customers and students who have continued to support us, even as the cost of living spikes.  We try very hard to keep our costs down in order to share the knowledge of clay.  Your patronage of our store and sales supports both the Guild and our independent artisans and we thank you.  

As Chair of the Board, I also wish to thank our amazing Admin and Tech who do so many things to keep our Guild running smoothly.  Our members and volunteers are definitely our backbone, and I extend my thanks to you for all you do to help us accomplish our goals.  Thanks also to our Board who work hard to keep moving our Guild forward.  

We will be closed December 24 – January 2, 2023.  We do try to check orders and messages, but please allow for delays as our staff celebrate the Holidays with their families.  

May you have a wonderful and healthy Holiday season and a Happy New Year.  We look forward to seeing you in 2023.

Guild holiday tree with pottery, gourd and wooden ornaments

Holiday Shopping Hours!

Mug wall showing examples of all mugs we have in stock

Did you miss our Holiday sale, or found someone else on your list that loves pottery?  Worry not!  We are open the following hours up until Christmas.  

Thurs, Dec. 15 – 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Fri, Dec. 16 – 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m
Saturday, Dec. 17 – 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Tues, Dec. 20 – 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Wed, Dec. 21 – 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Thurs, Dec. 22 – 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Fri, Dec. 23 – 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

AGM Reminder – September 18, 2022

Our AGM will be on September 18th (Sunday afternoon) and will be held by Zoom. We are asking that you attend this meeting as the board has been discussing some very important matters that will affect the future of our Guild and we need your input. You will receive by email (info will also be made available for download via the members’ side of the Guild website) 2 weeks before the meeting, some documents that will provide background information regarding the topics being discussed at the meeting. Reading these beforehand will be helpful to the running of the meeting.

Any questions can be directed to Karina –

First KPG Fundraiser- A Sold Out Success!

Thank you for those involved with KPG's Celebrate Ceramics Fundraiser
The Kawartha Potters Guild’s first ever fundraiser, Celebrate Ceramics, was an outstanding success! This sold out event featured 68 pieces of pottery donated from members of our guild and from potters across Ontario. All these pieces are now residing in the homes of those who attended. In addition to the pottery, there was live music provided by Rob Phillips and outstanding appetizers! So many compliments on this event were received from those attending, with everyone smiling!  
 
 
Holding an event such as this requires a lot of support and it would not have been the success it was without the help of so many volunteers! Many people were involved and all their efforts are greatly appreciated!  Thank you to all the guild volunteers who helped with organizing the event, setting up, preparing and serving the delicious appetizers.  
 
 
A special Thank You is extended to our community sponsors who with their support allowed the guild to host this fundraiser in the manner the committee had intended creating a truly memorable evening!  
 
The funds raised through this event will help the Kawartha Potters Guild to continue to bring the beauty of ceramic arts to the community while supporting ceramic artists of all kinds from beginners to budding artists to seasoned potters! 
 
Thanks again for supporting the Kawartha Potters Guild!!!

Celebrate Ceramics – Sold Out!

We are ecstatic to announce that we have officially sold out for our first fundraiser.  If you missed out, we do intend to do this again, and certainly you can visit our Pottery Shop at 993 Talwood Dr. any time throughout the year.  Just check our main page for current shop hours.  

Celebrate Ceramics is only one week away now, on Friday April 8 from 7-9 p.m. at the Lions Centre in Peterborough.  Live entertainment for the evening will be provided by jazz pianist Rob Phillips.  

Don’t forget to bring cash. There will be a raffle which you don’t want to miss out on!!! Also, please note that additional beverages (after your complimentary drink) can be purchased at the bar.

We haven’t been able to show you everyone who has donated to Celebrate Ceramics, so please enjoy this sneak peak.

Blue and white carved plate in mandala design - Karina Bates
Karina Bates
Raku fired blue, black and white vase and bowl - Allison Brannen
Allison Brannen
textured bowls to look like reed baskets with handles, in a light amber glaze - Heather Brooks
Heather Brooks
casserole, with lid, popcorn popper in greens and greys - Wayne Cardinalli
Wayne Cardinalli
Black polished pit fired vase - with angled leaf carving - Dan Ferguson
Dan Ferguson
triptych set of tiles carved and imprinted with plants and found items - John Marris
John Marris
Pair of mugs with carved and painted mountains at base, speckled clay, white glaze - Natalie Miller
Natalie Miller
Pierced bowl in black and a pair of blue mugs with black interior - Maureen Reed
Maureen Reed
Kawartha Potters' Guild