By Phil McLachlan
Free Press Staff
The Fernie Potters Guild recently hosted an open house, selling their handcrafted pieces in order to keep the program running.
By the end of the night, the group raised $875 through pottery sales, much more than they expected they would.
Their hope was to sell a table full of pottery, which ranged in price from two dollars to 25 each. As the evening came to a close, the large table full of ceramic ware; cups, bowls and accessories had been cleared to only a few pieces left.
“What we purchase, that’s what we sell,” said long time Fernie Potters Guild member, Marie-Claude Lemire. “We have tools that we want to have available for everybody that comes. With the money we purchase tools and equipment to make it possible.”
This was the group’s first fundraiser in a while, the last being the Soup Bowl in February, where the group made soup and sold it in the bowls that came with the food. Sixty-five people attended. This will happen again next February.
Through money raised from the soup bowl fundraiser, as well as some grant funding, the group purchased a large new kiln to fire their work.
Chris Stockey is the president of the Fernie Potters Guild, which has been running for close to 40 years. She started making pottery in university 40 years ago, but left it alone for years as life took her abroad. Coming to Fernie 15 years ago, she was drawn back to her love for the art form, and picked up pottery again.
“It’s a nice way to be creative, without having to conform to anybody’s ideas of what’s great or good. You make something, and you appreciate it for what you’ve created. It can be very freeing,” said Stockey.
Run by a dedicated group of volunteers, the guild is 35-40 members strong, and is continually growing. Anytime The Arts Station is open, the basement is filled with a few individuals at the wheel, working away at a new piece of pottery.
Everyone meets on members’ night, which is every Tuesday evening from 7 to 9 p.m.
Clay is purchased by the guild through ceramics Canada, and paid for by members through their annual membership fee. The group also makes their own glazes.
The Fernie Potters Guild hosts classes, as well as other events. For more information, email cstockey@gmail.com.