VCPG April 2025 Newsletter
Program Meeting on April 28th • • info below
For Your Calendar:
April 21st ……....................Gallery Artists meeting @ 7:00pm
April 28th ……....................Members Program @ 7:00pm • Gathering @6:30
May 20th ……......................Board Meeting @ 4:30pm
May 4th ……......................Beatrice Wood Submission deadline
May 18th ……....................Annual Pit Fire at Arroyo Verde Park
May 24th - July 6th............Small Treasures Show at Beatrice Wood
June 7th & 8th ……............Ojai Show Sale
June 9th ……......................Gallery Committee meeting @ 7pm
July 21st ……....................Gallery Artists meeting @ 7:00pm
August 5th …….................Board Meeting @ 4:30pm
August 11th ……...............Gallery Committee meeting @ 7pm
September 2nd ……...........Board Meeting @ 4:30pm
October 7th ……................Board Meeting @ 4:30pm
October 13th ……...............Gallery Committee meeting @ 7pm
October 20th ……...............Gallery Artists meeting @ 7:00pm
November 4th……..............Board Meeting @ 4:30pm
December 2nd ……..............Board Meeting @ 4:30pm
December 8th …..…...........Gallery Committee meeting @ 7pm
You will find the link to all Zoom meetings/events on the VCPG.ORG Home Page.
Just click on the meeting/event in the Guild Calendar for the Zoom link.
A Message from Your VCPG Board President • March 2025
Greetings VCPG Members – Remember last month I told you about all the things that
We were planning for May and June? Well, we are almost there and things have launched!
Registration for the 2025 Ojai Pottery Market is available online now through May 15th!
The 2025 Ojai Pottery Market will be held at Libbey Park on June 7th from 10am to 6pm and June 8th from 10am to 5pm.
All juried Plus members are welcome to participate in the Guild’s premier outdoor sale. Sales are made under the Guild’s seller’s permit and the central cashier processes all payments and collects and pays sales tax and credit card fees. We do the paperwork for you!
This year we will be welcoming ceramic students from CSUCI to sell their wares and provide
assistance to our members!
Registrations have been coming in fast and it looks like it will be a full house! While returning artists have first priority for the space they occupied last year, please sign up now so we can begin to map things out. First timers, remaining spaces are on a first-come, first-served basis so apply as soon as possible.
The fee for a 10’x10” booth is $60 plus 20% commission on all sales. Juried, Plus members are invited to share a booth. Artists sharing a booth will only pay one $60 booth fee (not $60 per artist). There is a limit of three artists per booth.
Just log in to VCPG.org Home and click the Sell at Ojai button. There, and on the application form, you will find important information about the show. Please review it carefully. If you have any questions, please contact events@vcpg.org. There will be a Zoom training for participating artists in May.
The Ojai Pottery Market provides Plus members with a date certain for you to complete your Team Service to the Guild during 2025. Click on the Team Service button on the member Home Page and you'll see the link to sign-up for the available opportunities. In particular, we are looking for Cashiers for all shifts. Those of you who have cashiered before, please consider signing up again. This is a super-fun event and as a Cashier, you are at the heart of the action. There will be a Zoom training for Cashiers the first week of June.
Mother's Day at the Gallery - Our Marketing and Events Teams are providing another opportunity for all juried, Plus members to sell their wares at the Gallery. A special event is planned for Mother’s Day weekend, May 10th and 11th. There is still space available for artists. This is an opportunity for Gallery Members and Consignment Artists to fulfill their Special Event Shift for 2025. When these Special
Events are held at the Gallery, sales increase significantly – everybody benefits. We need Gallery Artists to step up and help with these special events for them to continue. Please contact Jody Cooper at events@vcpg.org ASAP if you are interested in selling or helping.
Applications for the residency program are being accepted now through May 7th - During COVID, the Guild began offering 3-month Summer Residencies to emerging artists and ceramic students. It was such a success we have offered it every summer since. If you are, or know, a dedicated ceramic student who would be interested in applying, please go to VCPG.org (no need to sign-in) and click the “Residency” button on the Home Page for more information and a link to the application. In addition to studio access, Residents are paired with a mentor to work on specific goals. Residents’ presentations of their work and experiences are a highlight of our Annual Members’ Meeting in October.
We are also looking for someone to choose the Residency Coordinator as their Team Service for 2025. Contact Stacy at president@vcpg.org for more information. We anticipate 2-4 residencies will be awarded for summer 2025.
Reframe Ventura County - On April 6th several VCPG artists, including yours truly, attended ReFrame Ventura County – An Arts and Culture Summit for individual artists and arts organizations which was held at Studio Channel Islands. I’d guess 100-120 folks attended representing a diversity of disciplines, perspectives and practices. I am happy to report that, despite these challenging times, the County of Ventura, local cities (particularly Oxnard and Thousand Oaks) and arts organizations are committed to developing a long-range cultural arts plan, including support for individual artists. Check out the Artist Incubator at TOArts which will launch in August: https://toarts.org/programs/artist-incubator/. The bottom line is that the future holds many potential opportunities for the Guild to collaborate across disciplines and the
region. We’re in the loop so stay tuned for updates.
Reminders & Updates
Gallery: Juried Plus artists can apply for the Gallery Waiting List and Gallery members can pay for their dues online. Incoming members can now come into the Gallery in either a Small/Half or Large/Full space – you can be on both waiting lists at the same time. Sign in to VCPG.org and go to Gallery Artists under “Members”.
Show and Sales: Our annual show at Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts opens May 24th with a theme of Small Treasures. The deadline for submissions is May 4th. See the Guild Calendar on the Home Page (sign in first) for more information.
Bulk Clay Order: scheduled to open May 5th. Look for the Announcement by our own Clay Guru – Shawn Felts or go to the Clay Orders page under Members on VCPG.org (sign in first).
Bowl of Thanks 2025: It’s not too early to start making bowls for the 2025 Bowl of Thanks which is scheduled for November 8th – 9th along with the Guild’s Ventura Pottery Market at the Ventura Harbor Village. Last year we raised over $16,000 to support Food Share. They are so appreciative they are holding a party for us!! (See below). For now just hang on to your pots, more information about the event will be forthcoming in early Summer (after Ojai!).
Whew - that’s in for now. More next month. Keep on making and keep on helping!
Stacy Rowe
Guild President
president@vcpg.org
Program Meeting • April 28th • Program: 7:00pm • Gathering: 6:30
Get ready for an exciting April Program!
Josh De Weese, Professor of Art teaching Ceramics at Montana State University, will present Wild Clay Research: Sourcing Local Materials.
DeWeese served as Resident Director of the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts in Helena, Montana from 1992-2006. He holds an MFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred, and a BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute. DeWeese has exhibited and taught workshops nationally and internationally and his work is included in numerous public and private collections. Together with artist Dean Adams he has co founded the International Wild Clay Research Project, studying the use of indigenous ceramic materials and processes around the world, traveling to China, Korea, Japan, Thailand, Chile, Brazil, and Italy.
Josh will discuss ideas about using local materials, descriptions of the processing, and examples of the work produced. He will suggest ways people can begin to incorporate using local materials in the work they make and why it is relevant in our world today.
Links:
Josh Deweese
Archie Bray Foundation
Food Share Hosts Special Event for Ventura County Potters
Food Share is excited to invite our members of the Ventura County Potters to a special evening of cocktails and a guided tour of their facility, led by President & CEO Monica White.
Join us on April 23 from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM at their Oxnard location to see firsthand what it takes to feed more than 250,000 food-insecure people each year.
We'll also hear the incredible impact of our Bowl of Thanks event held last November, which helped provide much-needed support for our community.
Space is limited to 25 guests, so RSVP as soon as possible! If the event is full, you can email mhatch@foodshare.com to be added to the waitlist (or to an additional event).
Date: April 23, 2025
Location: Food Share, Oxnard
Time: 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Cost: Free
Register Here
If you have tableware you'd like to donate as an auction item for Food Share’s Serving Hope Auction at their FED UP fundraiser on September 20, you're welcome to bring it with you. Donations will be accepted until September 4.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Team Service
We are extremely happy to report that the Team Service button on the Guild's website home page is now active. You will find this bright orange button in the lower right corner when looking at the 9 buttons.
When you click on it it will take you to the Team Service web page. Here you will find basic info. At the bottom of the text is a button, this will take you to the NEW Team Service sign-up page.
Please note that nearly all service opportunities are identified with the date of 11/15/2025. This is due to a limitation within the Club Express software. You will coordinate with your team lead on the actual commitment. AND, if you choose a SHIFT at a Pottery Market or plan to work on a specific day and time at an event you will see a discreet date and time.
The title of the sign-up page is: Team Service Sign-up opportunities. You can Expand (at the left margin) the information and see all the service spots or simply click on the three small dots at the far side of any opportunity and find a list and description of opportunities.
Make sure you look at both Page 1 and Page 2.
When you find something that interests you or the spot you are already filling, click on the Green Volunteer button. You will then see a list of jobs. Find your job and place a check mark in the box to the right of the job title.
Now scroll to the bottom of the page.
Click on Add Volunteer Button. A new page will load and your name should be pre-entered. Make sure you select your preferred phone number.
Now scroll to the bottom of the page and select the button that reads I'm done adding volunteers. Another new page will load.
You must click the complete/save Button.
You have now finished your sign-up. Phew!!! and Thank you!!
Important (maybe TMI): If you are active in providing a variety of services to our Guild, you may during the sign-up process get a message that reads what you are signing up for is in conflict with another team service job. Please just ignore it. This is a hiccup tied to our need to
list most team service spots with the 11/15/2025 date.
You will receive an email confirming your sign-up. The team lead will also receive an email indicating you have signed up.
We understand this might seem complicated, and truthfully it is and isn't. Please follow the directions found in this email and what you read on the website. Many members have already signed up for service opportunities.
If you are struggling or have questions, please drop a quick email to teamservice@vcpg.org and one of us will follow-up with you.
P.S. – Sign Ups for the Ojai Pottery Market are now listed for sign-up.
Foz and Diane Hedding
Team Service Team
Guild Programs
Annual Pit Fire
Is your greenware ready to bisque fire for the May 18th ANNUAL Guild Pit FIre Gathering at Arroyo Verde Park??
Resources for Pit Fire resources can be accessed on the Guild’s website under
TALK>FORUMS>PROGRAM>WORKSHOPS>Find the post by Terry Wilson –
Pit Firing Resources
Registration is open now.
Day's Schedule:
7:30am -- Unloading and stacking wood. Ready Fire & Breakfast Potluck
8:00-8:30 -- Assemble Pots
8:45-9:15 -- Light Fires
Mini-Workshops throughout the day
Noonish Lunch Potluck
3 pm -- Pot Reveal
4 pm -- Clean-up
Day Use parking is $3.00. You might plan on carpooling? Another great way to meet members who live near you!
Separate workshops on Saturday, May 17th will be held in Ojai and in Ventura for those who want help or company putting their pots, should be bisque fired, "into potion filled saggers." This will be an opportunity for those members who have prepared pots (no larger than 6" X 6" and no more than three (3)) to prepare them for the fire!
Separate registration is required for a prep session and to participate in the pit fire event.
The number of pieces we can fire will depend on participation.
Genie Thomsen, our Pit Fire Guru, will be leading this event.
Please see the calendar on the home page for sign-ups.
And of course food, there will be a breakfast and lunch potluck. It was quite fun last year. We are collecting $15 with your registration to cover the cost of wood and materials. Payment is non-refundable.
Questions should be directed to programs@vcpg.org
Come join us for all or part of the day. Join us even if you are not planning to pit fire work. We will have mini-workshops throughout the day, and people raid their studios for a clay swap meet - free and priced items. Please join us for the amazing event.
Small Treasures • The Beatrice Wood show
May 24 -July 6
Beatrice Wood's deadline is almost here.
Entries due online with images sent to Genie Thomsen by May 4th.
You can submit up to three pieces that measure within an 8” cube.
Enter online through the vcpg.org website and send quality jpeg photos to geniethomsen@gmail.com. or geniethomsen@att.net.
The opening reception is May 24th
Clay Challenge – June Program Meeting • Monday, June 23rd
Theme: STAMP IT!
What does "Stamp It" look like to you?
stamp /stamp/ - intransitive verb
1. To bring down (the foot) forcibly.
2. To bring the foot down onto (an object or surface) forcibly.
3. To cause to be dislodged by stomping the feet.
4. To subdue, destroy, or eliminate.
5. To crush or grind with a heavy instrument.
6. To form or cut out by application of a mold, form, or die.
7. To imprint or impress with a mark, design, or seal.
8. To impress forcibly or permanently.
9. To affix an adhesive stamp to (an envelope, for example).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Use your imagination and create. Be ready to submit pictures of your work by Sunday evening June 15th.
Watch for an email from Programs/Workshops closer to mid-June for photo submittal info.
Program Planning:
Pottery Jams… Have an idea for a topic or a skill that you would like to discuss or share with other Guild members? Have a topic you would like to learn more about? Please drop the Program Team an email and we will see what we might do about putting a Jam together around that interest.
Email programs@vcpg.org and one of us will follow-up with you.
We have found a wonderful location to host future workshops at Buena HS. Lots of space, good equipment and an accessible restroom! We are working on the formal details for use. Stay tuned for future offerings.
The Program Team for 2025 includes Meredith Linden, Vera McGuire, Janet Neuwalder, Maureen Schultz and Foz. Feel free to reach out to any of us to explore an idea.
The VCPG Library •
Potters,
Where do we get our inspiration from?
Pinterest? Galleries? Books?
Books!
Ventura Potter’s Guild has books!
See the Mexican tomb objects of the Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima potters, 200 BCE to ACE 500, in
LACMA’s Sculpture of Ancient West Mexico.
Take a journey to three mountains on the planet that bring us porcelain in Edmund De Waal’s
The White Road. Learn how porcelain links the suffering workers of Jingdezhen China 1,000
years ago, to the survival of the few lucky artisans at Dachau concentration camp.
Geek out with Ruth Duckworth Modernist Sculptor, over her four-hundred-square-foot clay
mural adorning four walls of the Geophysical Sciences Building at the U of C. Learn how she
convinced the chairman of the department to give her the commission, only later admitting she
"had never made a mural before, had hardly looked at any.”
Visit the library! Please email and make an appointment with me to come see the books we
have to offer and grab them off the shelf! They are at your disposal. They must be enjoyed.
Nancy Currey
VCPG Librarian
Please consider Volunteering - Team Service Positions
The Marketing Department is looking for three positions to help promote the wonderful work of the VCPG GUILD and THE GALLERY. These positions can be completed at home on your own schedule and there is plenty of advance notice for each project/event.
Researcher: Someone who can help update our current PR mailing list. We can give you direction and guidance. Short term position.
Writer: Someone who can write approximately 6 press releases per year for various gallery and guild events. We have past press releases of events and ChatGPT is also a helpful tool. We need someone to join our team. We will train if needed.
Email Distribution: We are looking for someone who can distribute the finished press releases to our PR list of newspapers & magazines via email distribution.
WE REALLY NEED YOUR HELP!
Rebecca Catteral has been doing these positions for many years and can give you guidance. She has moved on to other responsibilities in the organization.
PLEASE CONSIDER VOLUNTEERING.
Thank you
Contact: Ellen Wohlstadter 818-321-8706
Joke of the month
Pottery isn’t just an art; it could also be wheel-y good source of puns!