Pottery Notes – Chelsea

WINTER WEEK 2 – January 13

STUDIO BUSINESS
Greenwich House Pottery Artists Exhibition – Call for Entries
Our spring exhibition in the Jane Hartsook Gallery will feature work from artists at the West Village and Chelsea studios. Please visit the office for a copy of the eligibility guidelines and entry form, then prepare to drop off your work between February 22 and March 2 during regular gallery hours. The opening reception will be on Thursday, March 13, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., in-person in the Jane Hartsook Gallery.  

Outside Clay Approval 
If you are bringing in clay from outside of our Chelsea studio, you must get it approved for Cone 6 firing by our Studio Coordinator, Wren, via email (wmacdonald@greenwichhouse.org)or in person. We want to prevent any major melting of low-fire clay in our kilns. Earthenware from the West Village studio is a big NO for our Cone 6 kilns. If unapproved clay damages our kilns, we will charge for replacement equipment.  

Goodbye Glazes, Hello Cosmo 
As a reminder, the end of the glaze grace period (January 19) is the last day that Warm Gloss White and Violet will be available to students for glazing. Let’s welcome our new purple glaze, Cosmo. 

Staff Only Zones 
Just a friendly safety reminder: students are not allowed by the kilns or in the pug room for any reason. If you have a kiln or clay inquiry, please ask a Studio Assistant for help.  

Glazing Grace Period: Fall Students Finish Up 
All work on the bisque shelves must be glazed and submitted for firing no later than Sunday, January 19 at 5:30 p.m. The bisque shelves will be completely cleared the morning of January 20; anything left on the shelves will be discarded to make space for new work, regardless of individual students’ enrollment! January bisque will not be unloaded until January 20 to prevent accidental mix-up and discard with the fall work.   

GALLERY & RESIDENCY PROGRAM at GHP West Village (16 Jones Street)
Artist Talk: Gina Tibbott
Mark your calendars to join us on Tuesday, January 28 at 4:00 p.m. for an artist talk with recent artist in residence, Gina Tibbott. Gina Tibbott is a New York City-based artist whose ceramics practice is informed by her years working as a field archeologist. During her residency, Tibbott used Gisela Richter’s The Craft of Athenian Pottery published in 1923 as a jumping off point to create new work based on ancient forms. The talk is free and open to the public.  

In the Gallery: Soft Logic 
Soft Logic features work from Alfred University’s 2025 MFA cohort: Erin Berry, Seowoo Choi, Sophie Gibson, Michelle Seo, Trae Story, Eva Tellier, Alvaro Villa, and Anna Wagner. On view through February 14.  

COMMUNITY EVENTS
Indoor Sidewalk Sale – February 1
It is time once again for our famous ceramic sidewalk sale at the West Village studio. Invite your friends to join us on February 1, 12:00-4:00 p.m. Proceeds from this event will support our operations at the Pottery. 

 UPCOMING WORKSHOPS: 

  • Ceramic Love Letter – a one-time family class for parents and kids. Saturday, January 25 at GHP Chelsea.  
  • Updating Ancient Surfaces – decorative techniques and materials with Gina Tibbott. Saturday, February 8 at GHP West Village.  
  • In-House Glaze Clinic – practice your glaze skills and learn new techniques and processes. Saturday, February 8 at GHP Chelsea 
  • Valentine’s Day – are you or your friends looking for a special event with that special someone? GHP is offering wheel and handbuilding workshops on Friday, February 14 just for you! Details online. 

 

At-A-Glance Dates and Deadlines
Through February 14: Soft Logic, in the Jane Hartsook Gallery
December 2 – January 17: Gina Tibbott residency
January 6 – March 22: Lizzy Chemel residency 
January 6 – 19: Glazing grace period
Sunday, January 19, 5:30 p.m.: Deadline to glaze or remove bisqueware 
Monday, January 20: MLK Day, GHP is open, and classes will meet as normal
Saturday, February 1: Indoor sidewalk sale at GHP West Village 

 

WINTER WEEK 1 – January 5

STUDIO BUSINESS 

Welcome!
We hope that you had a happy and safe break, and we are excited to have everyone back! Whether you are a new or returning student, we ask that you carefully read the student guidelines for studio information and policies. Each week in class, teachers will read Pottery Notes, which contains all the studio updates you should know. If you miss hearing them read aloud, please check online or on the bulletin boards weekly to make sure you are aware of important announcements and deadlines. 

Glazing Grace Period: Fall Students Finish Up
All work on the bisque shelves must be glazed and submitted for firing no later than Sunday, January 19 at 5:30 p.m. The bisque shelves will be completely cleared the morning of January 20; anything left on the shelves will be discarded to make space for new work regardless of individual students’ enrollment! January bisque will not be unloaded until January 20 to prevent accidental mix-up and discard with the fall work.   

Reclaim
Make sure absolutely nothing but the correct clay goes into each reclaim bucket when cleaning up. Especially make sure no tools make it into the buckets–they injure staff and damage the pugmills. 

Studio Sessions
You can book studio sessions to work outside of class time. Each session is 4-hours long, can be booked in your respective classroom, and costs $10 per booking. The session calendar and registration instructions are posted in each classroom. You can book your session by visiting the Current Students section of our website and selecting Register for Studio Sessions. Friday evening studio session reservations are $5! Pre-registration is required, and staff will check registrations during each period. 

 

GALLERY & RESIDENCY PROGRAM at GHP West Village (16 Jones Street) 

Exhibition Opening
The opening reception for the new exhibition Soft Logic will take place on Thursday, January 9, 5:00–7:00 p.m. Please join us to meet the artists and see work from Alfred University’s 2025 MFA cohort: Erin Berry, Seowoo Choi, Sophie Gibson, Michelle Seo, Trae Story, Eva Tellier, Alvaro Villa, and Anna Wagner.   

GHP Residency
Please help us welcome our winter artist in residence, Lizzy Chemel. Lizzy is a New York City-based artist who makes sculptures in ceramic, found materials, wax, bronze, and cement. She uses mold-making to combine unlike objects that draw from her curiosity about undocumented ancestry. Adopted from Southern China and raised in California, Chemel’s works are influenced by ancient Chinese artifacts, translations, and folklore, as well as memories and iconography of her American upbringing. Be sure to stop by the residency studio to see what she’s working on while she’s with us through March 28! 

You will also see Gina Tibbott working in our studios until January 17. Gina is continuing as a special break resident in December and January. 

 

UPCOMING EVENTS 

Community Town Hall
Save the date for a zoom town hall on January 23 at 6:00 p.m. An invitation will be emailed to all students and faculty shortly. Please RSVP to receive the link to the meeting. 

Indoor Sidewalk Sale
Invite your friends for our semi-annual sidewalk sale, which will be on February 1, 12:00-4:00 p.m. at GHP West Village. Proceeds from this event will support Pottery operations.  

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS: 

  • Ceramic Love Letter – a one-time family class for parents and kids. Saturday, January 25 at GHP Chelsea.  
  • Updating Ancient Surfaces – decorative techniques and materials with Gina Tibbott. Saturday, February 8 at GHP West Village.  
  • In-House Glaze Clinic – practice your glaze skills and learn new techniques and processes. Saturday, February 8 at GHP Chelsea 
  • Valentine’s Day – are you or your friends looking for a special event with that special someone? GHP is offering wheel and handbuilding workshops on Friday, February 14 just for you! Details online. 

At-A-Glance Dates and Deadlines 

Sunday, January 5: Classes begin at GHP Chelsea
January 5 – 19: Glazing grace period
December 2 – January 17: Gina Tibbott residency
January 6 – March 22: Lizzy Chemel residency
Thursday, January 9: Exhibition opening, Soft Logic, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, January 19, 5:30 p.m.: Deadline to glaze or remove bisqueware
Monday, January 20: MLK Day, GHP is open, and classes will meet as normal
Saturday, February 1: Indoor Sidewalk Sale at GHP West Village 

FALL – December 9

Shine, Shine, Shine
On the last day of your class, we ask that all wheel throwers deep clean your wheel, splash pan, and stool; handbuilders please each choose one community supply (e.g. sort and fold canvas, wipe down the rolling pin shelf, or clean the dried clay off of the threads of a slip container so that it closes smoothly). Every tiny effort makes for a better studio experience for all.

End of Term Business

  • Glaze, glaze, glaze! We’ll fire a lot of kilns over the break. Please focus on glazing during the last week of class.
  • As we come to the final weeks of the term, we encourage you to wrap up all work in progress. If you are unable to finish a piece before the end of the term and ONLY if you are returning next semester, clearly label it with your NAME and WINTER 2025 with the orange tape provided in the classrooms. Any greenware pieces found unlabeled over break will be reclaimed, no exceptions. Staff will be working hard during the break to prepare the studio for the spring term.
  • Check your firing log through the self-measuring system and settle any unpaid balances.
  • Clear anything unwanted from your class shelves, and bring your tools home during the break or they will be donated to the studio.
  • If you were unable to glaze all of your pieces during this term, you can come in during the first two weeks of the next term to glaze any remaining work, even if you are not enrolled in a winter term class. This ‘glaze grace period’ will run from January 6 to January 19.

In the Jane Hartsook Gallery at 16 Jones Street
Be sure to check out the exhibition in the gallery, The Things I Want to Tell You, with work by April D. Felipe, Andréa Keys Connell, and Kensuke Yamada. United by a passion for using figurative ceramics to tell stories about human connection, each artist engages a different aspect of the figure’s narrative qualities to playfully tease apart the more difficult parts of being human.

Winter Break Pickup Days at GHP Chelsea
While the Pottery will be closed December 15 – January 5, we will be open 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. on the following days only for students to pick up work (no studio access):

Wednesday, December 18
Monday, December 23
Thursday, January 2

Test Tile Toss
All test tiles in the bin and the on the glaze pick-up shelves will be tossed at the end of our winter break (our first test tile toss ever!). If you have made test tiles this term or earlier please make sure you grab them out of the bin and store them with your tools or take them home. If your tiles are fired during break, we will keep them separated so they will not be tossed with the older ones.

GHP Chelsea At-A-Glance Dates
Now through December 20: The Things I Want to Tell You Exhibition in Jane Hartsook Gallery at GHP West Village
Saturday, December 14: Final day of the fall term at GHP Chelsea
Wednesday, December 18, 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.:  GHP Chelsea is open for fired work pick-up
Monday, December 23, 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.: GHP Chelsea is open for fired work pick-up
Thursday, January 2, 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.: GHP Chelsea is open for fired work pick-up
Sunday, December 15 – Sunday, January 5: Inter-term break
Monday, January 6: GHP reopens for winter term at 6:00 p.m.