An exciting new program at the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre (MJCC) offers amateur potters a place to drop in and work on their own projects using the wheels and kilns in the centre's pottery studios, and the pilot/trial run has already attracted enthusiastic interest.
"So, one of my priorities as executive director was to open the Cultural Centre up to the community, or invite the community in, rather," explained Sarah Simison, "and this is one of the projects I'm excited to see get off the ground."
Simison took the head job in June, 2022, and has since gathered several community groups into the building, including the River Street Potters, Moose Jaw Community Players theatre troupe, youth art classes with Erin Zimmerman, and the Wakamow Aboriginal Community Association.
Now, potters in Moose Jaw who have received some starting instruction and are looking to keep working on their own have a place to do so, with the lowest possible cost.
"We've actually purchased some used equipment, so now we have three pottery wheels and two kilns," Simison explained. "There's no instruction, so the people who come are expected to know a little bit about what they're doing, and can come in to hone their skills. It's an open studio time, you bring most of your own supplies, although clay needs to be purchased through the Cultural Centre.
"Some clays have more volatile ingredients in them and could damage our kilns, so we do need to control what products are used."
The idea started up as a low-key pilot project over the winter and spring and proved instantly popular. It turns out there's a demand for rentable studio time, and the MJCC is happy to provide the location.
The price of membership, tax included, is $157.50 for the period of Sept. 6 to Dec. 9. Lockers are available to rent for $31.50 for the same period. Clay blocks cost around $50 apiece from the MJCC box office, which also sells glazes and tools. A pottery assistant takes care of loading and unloading the kilns, for safety reasons and because pieces can break more easily when they're being removed after glazing and firing.
Pottery drop-in club members can access the workspace on Mondays from 5 to 9 p.m., Wednesdays from 12 to 9 p.m., and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
"Almost every person who signed up for the pilot project has signed up again," Simison said. "It's really popular, it's a great program so far.
"A lot of them are really very dedicated to the art. Several of them have been practicing at home over the summer, because of [August's maintenance closure], and they've already been in to purchase supplies and make sure they're on the list."
There are around 15 spaces available in the club. Contact the MJCC box office at (306) 693-4700 to grab a spot!
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