COLUMBIA

President's Message

I'm not quite sure exactly when I joined the Potters Guild. It was 1996 or maybe 1997. I had been a member of the Pottery Club at the West End Community Centre and I always looked forward to the guild newsletter that was posted on the notice board. It was the newsletter that drew me in when I finally reached a point where I wanted my own copy to read, in my own time!

For several years, I volunteered for the Raku U event on Granville Island. It was a great experience; learning about raku and meeting other potters. Then Kimcha, the gallery manager of that time, asked me if I would join the gallery committee that she was putting together. Our role was to support the gallery manager in whatever way she needed. This mostly seemed to consist of painting the back wall and plinths every six months, moving a lot of pottery, office clean-ups, parcel runs to the post office, garbage disposal, and purchasing. The five-person gallery committee still supports the manager, but luckily we have already done most of the grungy

stuff like scraping paint off the cement floor, and Brenda makes sure things don't go out of control.

With a vested interest in the gallery, I decided in 2003 to join the board and work with the dedicated group of people who were striving to re-energize the guild for its 50th anniversary. Keith Rice- Jones asked me to work with him with a view to taking over as president in 2004. And the rest, as they say, is history.

It was a steep learning curve, as I had never presided over a board before and there were many challenges such as speaking in public, writing articles for the newsletter, understanding financial reports and the functioning of a gallery. ] have learnt so much and met so many interesting people. It has been a wonderfully rewarding experience and I am so glad ] made that first step.

‘There is always room for more members to participate on the board—why don’t you check it out?

—Jinny Whitehead

September 2008 Gallery Exhibition

KSA Out There Samantha Dickie, Robin Dupont, Maggie Finlayson, Garry Graham, Katharine Hofmann, Lise Kuby, Sarah Lawless, David Lawson, Pamela Nagley-Stevenson, Donna Partridge, Tanis Saxby

Exhibition: September 6 to 29

Opening reception: Sat., Sept. 6, 1-3 p.m.

Three Kootenay School of the Arts clay instructors have selected the work of nine talented and diverse former students of the past decade who are working professionally in ceramics to join with us in this group show, KSA Out There.

It is fulfilling and fun to have this opportunity to affirm together the spirited creativity, passionate inspiration and high technical standards found at KSA Clay.

This exhibition celebrates each of the eleven individual voices as clay artists out there and our ever-evolving and expanding circle of connection through KSA at Selkirk College.

We hope you will join us at the KSA Out There opening at the Gallery of BC Ceramics on Sat., Sept. 6, 1-3 p.m.

Maggie Finlayson

David Lawson

Robin Dupont

Guild Fundraiser By Jinny Whitehead

‘The guild fundraising sale will take place at the Lougheed Mall Oct. 18 and 19. lam looking for donations of your good seconds, trials and tests or pieces that you just don't like—maybe someone else will love it! Work can be clearly labeled and dropped off at the gallery on Granville Island or you can contact me at vwhitehead@shaw.ca to make alternative arrangements.

I need volunteers to work one of the four shifts, to help set up and take down, or to collect donations. Please contact me ASAP, as the dates will very soon be upon us. This is an important event for the guild and has been our most successful fundraising activity. It’s fun, and some of the local residents have become regular purchasers and look forward to the sale. Come on—join the team!

Potters Guild of BC Newsletter - September 2008 3