VCPG June 2025 Newsletter
Program Meeting on June 23rd • The Stamp it Challenge!
For Your Calendar:
June 3rd ……......................Board Meeting was combined with May's
June 7th & 8th ……............Ojai Show Sale
June 9th ……......................Gallery Committee meeting @ 7pm
June 23rd ……....................Program Meeting @ 7pm • Gathering @ 6:30
Clay Challenge • Stamp it!
July 1st ……......................No Board Meeting
July 21st ……....................Gallery Artists meeting @ 7:00pm
August 5th …….................Board Meeting @ 4:30pm
August 11th ……...............Gallery Committee meeting @ 7pm
August 25th……................Program Meeting @ 7pm • Gathering @ 6:30
September 2nd ……...........Board Meeting @ 4:30pm
September 22nd……..........Program Meeting @ 7pm
October 7th ……................Board Meeting @ 4:30pm
October 13th ……..............Gallery Committee meeting @ 7pm
October 20th ……..............Gallery Artists meeting @ 7:00pm
October 27th……...............Program Meeting @ 7pm
November 4th……..............Board Meeting @ 4:30pm
November 24th……............Program Meeting @ 7pm
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 –
May and June have been very busy months for our Guild. I want to give a shoutout to the Program Team, our Pit Boss Genie Thomsen, and all the folks who worked so hard to make our Pit Fire a great event again this year. The food and friendship were excellent as always, we had some live music, and the pots were amazing.
Our annual show at Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts runs through July 6th with a theme of Small Treasures. The Center is open Friday – Sunday from 11am to 5pm. This year we are happy to welcome students from Ventura High School – see article below. Thank you, Genie Thomsen, for organizing (she’s been busy).
The summer resident program is under way. Three students have been selected and will be mentored by Wyn Matthews. Two will be working at the Vita Arts Studio and one at Stacy Rowe Pottery Studio.
Residents’ presentations of their work and experiences are a highlight of our Annual Members’ Meeting in October.
2025 Ojai Pottery Market - Our Showcase was held at Libbey Park on June 7th and June 8th. This was a record breaker in many ways.
First, we had (what I think was) a record number of artists signing up. Thirty-seven artists in 32 booths – and 8 of those artists were new to the Ojai Pottery Market!
Secondly, we had record sales. I don’t want to get ahead of the Cashier’s final report which takes a bit, but I can confidently say we made sales of over $55,000 during the weekend. It takes a lot of hands to make this happen; Jody Cooper, Roe Estep and the Shows & Events Team have been working for months, as have Ellen Wohlstadter and her Marketing Team. Last but not least are Gloria Sills, Randy Au and our Cashier Team and ALL who did Team Service before, during and after the event. There were challenges along the way, but everyone worked together to sort it out and make the market a success. I think the beautiful weather helped too.
I also want to thank the students from CSUCI who assisted our members in many ways during the show. I received so many compliments from our artists about the students, and the feeling is mutual. I previously circulated an email we received from one of lead students, and below is a statement from Marianne McGrath, Chair of the Department of Art and Art History:
“I cannot thank you enough for giving our students this opportunity – they learned so much, worked so hard, and your and the Guild's faith in them brings them more validation and inspiration than I could ever provide! And I am so grateful for VCPG and I look forward to our continued collaboration! Thank you for all you and the Guild continue to do for our students and community!”
Do you have some pieces left over from the Ojai Sale? Consider posting them on venturapotteryonline.com! It doesn’t cost you anything (unless you sell something - the commission is 15%). All we need is some information about and photos of your work. You can post 1 to 25 pieces. Everything you need to know is here: Online Store Information. You will need to sign into vcpg.org first. Contact venturapotteryonline@vcpg.org if you have any questions. Need assistance with photos? The Guild provides Plus members with a photo box and assistance. Contact Terry Wilson at webservices@vcpg.org to use the photo box.
Looking Forward - Our Fall also looks to be busy. Mark your Calendars for the Annual Members Meeting & Potluck on October 5 th from 2pm to 4:30 at Rancho Ventura Clubhouse, 1220 Johnson Drive, Ventura (Our new favorite meeting place. Thank you Terry Wilson).
In addition to presentations by our 2025 Residents, we will be approving changes to the Bylaws and electing officers, so it is important that folks attend in person or via Zoom for voting. This year we do have candidates for both offices up for election – President and Secretary - but if you would like to nominate yourself or another member for these positions, please let our Treasurer, Wyn Matthews know at treasurer@vcpg.org.
And our Annual Holiday Party & Potluck is December 13th from 2pm to 4:30pm,
also at the Rancho Ventura Clubhouse. This is always a very fun event – more details will follow.
Team Service opportunities for these events will be published on vcpg.org soon. But by far, our biggest upcoming event is the 2025 Bowl of Thanks and Ventura Pottery Market, November 8th – 9th at the Ventura Harbor Village. Last year we raised over $16,000 to support Food Share; and sixteen Guild artists sold an additional $16,000 in pottery over the two days. This year we are asking the Harbor for space for more Guild artists to participate in the Pottery Market. Stay tuned for more information for those juried, Plus members who’d like to sell.
But it’s not too early to start making pots for the Bowl of Thanks. For those of you who may be unfamiliar, the Guild accepts quality bowls (about 2 lbs or so) donated by our members, local potters, pottery studios, and local schools and colleges. These bowls are sold for $25, which is then donated to our partner non-profit, Food Share. In addition to a bowl, customers receive a punch card to take to harbor restaurants to receive free tastings. It’s really a lot of fun and we have customers that come every year.
But all this fun doesn’t just happen. The Bowl of Thanks/Ventura Pottery Market is the most labor-intensive of all our sales and shows – and therefore will require many of our members to help. We have already begun our planning and marketing. But we will need to ascertain if we have enough person-power for the event. If not, it may need to be scaled back. This event was very successful last year and we believe it has real potential for growth – benefiting both our members and our non-profit partners – but it takes a village. So look for the Team Service opportunities for this event to be posted soon. And remember, Regular members can and do sign up for Team Service even though it’s not required. Plus members may sign up for more than one opportunity.
Reminders & Updates:
Board Meeting Schedule: All Guild members are invited to attend the monthly VCPG Board of Directors Meetings. The July meeting has been canceled (as we do most summers), so the next Board Meeting will be Tuesday, August 5th at 4:30pm via Zoom.
The link to Board meetings can be found on the Guild Calendar on the VCPG.org Home page. You can contact the Secretary on the Contact Us page if you would like to receive the Agenda Packet in advance of the Board of Directors Meeting.
That’s it for now. I hope you enjoy your summer. Let’s stay safe and support one another. And keep making stuff – it helps in so many ways!
Stacy Rowe
Guild President
president@vcpg.org
Program Meeting • June 23rd • The Stamp it Challenge
The Clay Challenge is a twice a year opportunity for members to explore new ideas.
These challenges are intended to be fun, spark your imagination, generate conversation and encourage you to investigate new techniques.
The deadline for submitting photos of your work is today, Sunday, June 15th .
Please email the photos of your work to programs@vcpg.org.
Photos will be put into a slideshow that will be played during the Monday, June 23rd Program Meeting. Members submitting work will have an opportunity to share their inspiration, technique and respond to questions raised by those in attendance.
We have seen amazing work from our members in the past and look forward to what you have created for us for this Clay Challenge.
Those attending the June 23rd meeting will also have the chance to participate in a poll selecting the theme for the December Clay Challenge. See you there!
Questions, please send an email to programs@vpg.org
No Program Meeting in July. Enjoy the summer break and happy potting!
Small Treasures • The Beatrice Wood show
May 24 -July 6
Bowl Of Thanks Event November 8/9
Never too early to start making bowls.
School Outreach Project
Shout-Out to Megan McKee, Sculptural Arts Teacher at Ventura High School!
Congratulations to VCPG member Megan McKee and her Sculptural Arts students at Ventura High School. Fourteen beautiful examples of students' tiny ceramic furniture are now on display at the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts in Ojai as part of the Ventura County Potters' Guild exhibition.
Megan and teaching assistant, Cindy Olson, attended the Opening Reception on May 24th and have extended invitations to participating students and families to visit between now and July 6th. This is the first time that high school students' work has been included in the VCPG exhibition.
Ideas are already being shared about future opportunities. Special thanks to Stacy, Foz, Genie and Vera for helping to make this happen.
Gallery Members, we need your help!
September 13 & 14 • 11-6
The Marvelous Mug Sale at the gallery is one of the biggest events we have outside the gallery.
It seems to draw in lots of people because it coincides with the Chalk Festival at the Harbor.
Please sign up to fulfill your gallery commitment for one special event (we need eight volunteers for this event).
The sign up is on the Gallery Member page in the calendar section.
Special Event - Marvelous Mug - 9/13/2025
The VCPG Library
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
Team Service
Just a reminder to Plus Tier members, at the time of membership renewal or joining you made a commitment to offer a service back to the Guild sometime during the calendar year. There are a variety of opportunities open. Please take time to visit the Team Service Opportunities posted.
You can find this page on the website, under Guild/Team Service.
Team Service Sign Up
A separate email will be sent out when the Team Service opportunities for the November 8-9 Ventura Pottery Market are opened for sign-up.
For questions about Team Service please email teamservice@vcpg.org.
Joke of the month
In front of a delicatessen, an art connoisseur noticed a little kitten lapping up milk from a saucer. The saucer, he realized, was a rare and precious piece of pottery. He strolled into the store and offered two dollars for the cat.
“It’s not for sale,” said the proprietor.
“Look,” said the collector, “that cat is dirty and undesirable, but I’m eccentric. I like cats that way. I’ll raise my offer to ten dollars.”
“It’s a deal,” said the proprietor, and pocketed the ten on the spot.
“For that sum I’m sure you won’t mind throwing in the saucer,” said the connoisseur.
“The kitten seems so happy drinking from it.”
“Nothing doing,” said the proprietor firmly. “That’s my lucky saucer. From that saucer, so far this week I’ve sold 34 cats.”