Members of the Brantford Potters Guild have been hard at work preparing for their annual fall pottery sale, which will run from Friday, December 6 through Sunday, December 8, 2024.
The Brantford Potters Guild is a community of people in the Brantford and surrounding area that are actively involved with the art of clay and pottery.
“We really exist to further educate people on pottery and clay, as well as to engage the community of potters in our area,” said Emily Gabriel, Chair of the Sales Committee for the Brantford Potters Guild. “Not only do we have a pottery studio for our members, but we also offer classes for kids, youth and adults there as well, and then we also host two sale events every year.”
The fall sale, previously known as the Christmas sale, has been running for over two decades and is an opportunity for holiday shoppers to check out both their favourite potters and new-to-them ceramists.
This season’s sale will feature around 46 artists that will be set up around the Woodman Park Community Centre’s gymnasium. From mugs to plates, serving dishes, and more, there will be a variety of items for people to browse and buy.
“There’ll be lots of mugs, of course, because everyone loves to buy a mug, but there will be a lot of seasonal related items too,” said Gabriel. “So, plenty of the potters will have Christmas tree ornaments and I know at least one, maybe two, potters actually make Christmas tree luminaries which are always nice. There will also be loads of functional things, like tea pots and bowls and serving platters too.”
Gabriel said one of the special things about the fall sale is the annual Empty Bowls fundraiser.
“Empty Bowls is a fundraiser for the Brantford Food Bank and all of our potters donate at least two, but most potters donate much more than that, soup bowl size bowls,” she said. “We sell them for $30 and then 100 per cent of those proceeds go directly to the Food Bank. I’ve heard that there are a record number of families that are using the food bank this year and so we’re absolutely pleased to be able to help support them.”
As always, one guild member will be set up as the featured artist with their pieces showcased at the entrance.
“Joseph Panacci is this sale’s featured artist, he’s a professional potter in the Renton area but he’s been a member of our guild for a very long time,” said Gabriel. “He works mostly in porcelain and works with a lot of really vibrant colours. He’s a really interesting artist to talk to and he loves to share stories about his pottery so he’ll be on site to chat with people who are interested or have any questions about his work.”
When asked why people are so drawn to ceramic work, Gabriel said that while anyone can purchase a mass-produced mug or plate from a store, there’s quite a few things that make ceramic art special.
“Something like a handmade mug is actually really time consuming to make and it takes many, many years of practice, if you’re throwing on the wheel, to make a really quality mug,” she said. “Most mugs are fired twice, so typically from beginning to end, a mug might be wet clay on day one and then ready to use about three to four weeks later, and so it’s a time investment. I think people really enjoy using something like a handmade mug because it can be sentimental or it may even be that picking one out for their morning coffee is part of their daily routine, right? It can really just bring an extra something to your day when you have a couple of handmade mugs that have grown on you.”
The annual fall sale also has several giveaways, one that can be entered to win through social media, as well as another door prize during the event.
For those interested in attending the event, the sale will run on Friday, December 6 from 12:00 to 8:00 p.m., Saturday, December 7 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Sunday, December 8 from 12:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
