Rachel Colvin knew there were locals interested in getting their hands in some clay.
But she didn’t know that one Facebook post offering pottery classes would lead to those classes selling out in a day.
She has two ideas as to why this might be.
“It’s tactile,” she says of pottery. “There’s something about the tactile nature of it—getting their hands dirty. It’s really satisfying. That’s part of it. And the second part is just to get the opportunity to connect with other people.”
While those first sold-out classes took place last April in her Pemberton garage, Colvin has since moved over to Whistler’s Maury Young Arts Centre, brought on ceramicist Shannon Munro to help, and adopted the name “The Makery,” under which she hopes to host art workshops of all mediums with various teachers.
“I’m an arts teacher by trade—I teach at the Whistler Waldorf School—and at art school we were trained in everything; painting, drawing, creating things, weaving, a little bit of everything. My vision long-term is a variety of things could be taught.”
For now, though, The Makery is hosting hand-building pottery sessions every Thursday night at the Maury Young Arts Centre. Through trial-and-error, and a desire to make the classes accessible, they’ve been tweaking the details.
Potential potters will have to sign up for two two-hour classes in order to have enough time to make their creations then glaze them. (Though it’s slightly different for anyone who has already taken one class and has yet to sign up for a second glazing session.) This set-up has the added bonus of reuniting a group of strangers who may have made a friend connection during the event—something Colvin has been pleased to witness happening.
“I do get big groups booking in together, and I seat them together at a table, but I also get people who come by themselves,” she says. “What I love is throughout the evening hearing them chat and by the end of the evening, they’re exchanging phone numbers. That’s exactly what I wanted to happen. I wanted people to find their people,” she says.
Successful connections aside, she’s also been impressed at the range of creative pieces people make. There was a tattoo artist who made a bowl with layers that looked like seaweed, another girl who made a “bed” for her cellphone so she wouldn’t be tempted to check it at night (an idea borrowed from Pinterest), and the ever-popular “boob mugs.”
“It’s productive and there are so many cute things people are making—and practical things,” Colvin says. “Every night I’m impressed and blown away. They’re so creative, it’s amazing.”
While she has a full-time job—and three kids—with the addition of Munro to her team, Colvin is planning to add a Wednesday night to the mix, offer pottery sessions at private parties, and add theme nights (think screening Ghost at the Maury Young then hitting the pottery wheel), and collaborations.
“We’re totally open if people have ideas,” she says. “Maybe someone out there has something they’d like to come teach.”
You can reach Colvin at info@themakeryworkshops.ca. For more details about the pottery classes find them on Facebook at The Makery Workshops, on Instagram @themakerywhistler, or on eventbrite.ca.
