Pottery on display at Annual Holiday Show

Covering every surface at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church were dozens of handcrafted mugs, bowls, plates and other pottery pieces.

The Bloomington Local Clay Potters Guild played host to its 16th Annual Holiday Show and Sale at the church Friday and Saturday. 

Spearheading the event were Karen Green Stone and Kris Busch, president and treasurer of the potters guild, respectively.

Founded in 1997 by Stone, the potters guild has grown in the past few years.

“We first had the show at Harmony School,” Stone said. “And then it just grew from there, so we had to move.”

Both Busch and Stone said they love the new location and said the high windows in the church make the artwork look especially beautiful.

“A lot of effort goes into this show,” Busch said. “Advertising has to go out in advance, and the work keeps going up until the day of the show itself.”

The show featured pottery from 23 artists, and their work was scattered around the room.

“We didn’t want people to just see their favorite potters,” Stone said. “We wanted them to see everyone else’s work too.”

Both Stone and Busch had their artwork displayed at the show. Stone said she loves to make pottery because of its beauty.

“I know that the world can be a hard place,” Stone said. “So I love that I can bring something beautiful into the world.”

Attendees of the show also thought the pottery pieces were beautiful.

“I think that this is probably the best pottery show around,” Jean Parker, a Bloomington local, said. “In fact, I have bought so much from here before that I don’t have room to buy anymore.”

Parker said she loved the show so much she had her friend from Chicago drive down to see it.

“It’s so nice to have all of this wonderful artwork under one roof,” Char Eckroth, Parker’s friend from Chicago, said.

The show had a corner of the church reserved for larger gallery pieces as well as biographies on each of the artists.

“We live in an industrialized world,” Stone said. “And with this show, I want people to know that an artist from the community made each piece. Actual human hands crafted these works.”

Stone said each piece of pottery takes many hours to finish, and the amount of time in the kiln depends on what type of heat is used.

She also said a wood kiln could take up to 36 hours to fire.

“We have to be really careful when firing,” Stone said. “Or else the pot may crack.”

In addition to the actual firing of the pottery, each piece must be glazed beforehand and slowly cooled after being in the kiln before it is finished.

Based on the attendees’ reactions to the pottery and the overall attendance at the show, it seemed the hours of hard work were worth the effort.

“Being able to meet the artist who made an object in your home is so special,” Busch said. “Each time you pick it up, whether it be a mug or another piece, it always brings up a good memory for you.” 

­—Claire Waggoner