We would like to express our appreciation to the Ventura County Star
for sponsoring this page. Please follow the Ventura County Star link on our Links page to see
what's happening in Ventura County.
The Ventura County Potters Guild was founded
in 1957, which means 2007 is our 50th anniversary. We are a not-for-profit
organization formed to promote the art and craft of ceramics in
the community and to provide a forum for local potters to share
their experiences and knowledge of clay. This knowledge is passed
on through guest speaker presentations, member's show and tell,
informative newsletter, workshops, shows, sales and a library
that features both books and videos.
The Guild is comprised of professional and recreational potters
and ceramists; instructors from local high schools and colleges;
as well as people simply interested in ceramics in and around
the Ventura County area. For $20/year for singles or $30 for couples,
members receive a monthly newsletter published 9 times a year;
can attend the monthly meetings; have access to the guild library
of books and videos; receive discounts to the sponsored workshops,
and once juried, can participate in the Guild's shows and sales.
Sample work of some of our members can be viewed in our member
gallery.
Guild meetings are typically held on the fourth
Monday of the month between September and May except for December.
Invited specialists in the field of ceramics give demonstrations,
lectures, and slide shows. In addition, day-long and multi-day
workshops featuring internationally renowned ceramicists are sponsored
by the guild, often in cooperation with local colleges. Social
gatherings are traditionally held in August and December, the
latter featuring a member's pottery exchange.
In the interest of promoting those engaged in the study of ceramics,
the guild awards a number of scholarships annually. Several scholarships are awarded
to students in the ceramics curriculum at local colleges. In memory and honor of our past member,
Vivika Heino, the guild has awarded the Vivika Heino Memorial Scholarship annually to a graduate student
in ceramics attending a California university.
The Ventura County Potters Guild gets together
a few times a year for a show and sale. For the past 48 years,
the Guild has been privileged to hold its major sale in conjunction
with the Ojai Music Festival
in Libbey Park, Ojai, California.
The Festival takes place in the beginning of June. The next event
will be on June 7 and 8, 2008. Normal hours are 9am - 6pm.
This year, we will be participating in the
Ventura Art Walk, held on April 26 and 27 in downtown Ventura.
We'll be located in the mini-park near Main and Palm.
Our members produce functional and non-functional
works in most of the available clay varieties (earthenware, lowfire,
highfire, stoneware, porcelain) in sizes ranging from scale miniatures
to large urns and sculpture pieces. Plan to stop by for a weekend
of clasical music and shopping for pottery gifts! For more information
on the Ojai Festival, please see our links page.
