Pottery Notes – Chelsea

SPRING WEEK 3 – May 13

Glaze Toss
You’ll notice that some items on the glaze shelf have small sparkly stickers. Over the break, technicians stickered glaze work to indicate that it is from the Winter term. If your piece is on the glaze shelf with a sticker, be sure to take it home before May 25 at 6:00 p.m. or it will be discarded. We’re making room for new Spring pieces! If you aren’t able to retrieve your piece before the deadline or are having trouble finding something, email ghpottery@greenwichhouse.org.

Maker’s Mark
We recommend that students sign their work with initials or a unique symbol. Especially among beginners, work can sometimes look similar. We have had instances where student’s work was glazed by someone else or bisqueware went missing, and we want to avoid this. Please triple check that any work you glaze or take home is yours!

Sunday Samplers
Loving your clay class and want to share the experience with friends and family? Once a month, we host Sunday Samplers at GHP Chelsea. It’s a one-off two-hour class in either wheel or handbuilding instruction, and one piece is included in the cost of the workshop, which staff will glaze and students can pick up 4-6 weeks later. Samplers are $95 per person, and a great weekend activity! The next samplers are set for June 2 and we still have open seats. Sign up online or use the QR code on the flyer by the Studio Assistant desk.

Message Center
You can find our Message Center above the measuring station! There you’ll find Pottery Notes, a studio session schedule, photos of the team here at GHP Chelsea, and a “From Your Community” section with information on happenings at 16 Jones and Chelsea. If you have openings to share, exciting gallery shows to pass along, job opportunities, available studio space, etc., feel free to post information here! You can also find the kiln unloading schedule for bisque and glaze firings in the top right corner.

Firing Trays
If you aren’t sure whether a glaze is going to run, it’s always best practice to use a firing tray to ensure that no damage is done to our kiln shelves. Find them under the measuring station! If you use a firing tray and it ends up getting damaged due to glaze running, we ask that you be a courteous studio member and make another to replace it.

At 16 Jones Street:
Casey Whittier Artist Talk and Exhibition Opening
Join us this Thursday, May 16 for an artist talk with Casey Whittier, followed by an opening reception for her NYC solo debut in our Jane Hartsook Gallery. Casey has adapted processes from a variety of craft disciplines to create mixed-media work that straddles weaving and sculpture to explore interdependence and the truths it reveals. Her artist talk will be at 4:00 p.m. and the opening will run from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at 16 Jones St. Both are free and open to the public.

GHP Jones Street At-a-Glance Dates
Tuesday, May 14: Taste of Greenwich Village, 7:00–9:00 p.m.
Thursday, May 16: Casey Whittier Artist Talk (4:00–5:00 p.m.) and Opening Reception, (5:00–7:00 p.m.)
Sunday, May 26 & Monday, May 27: Closed for Memorial Day

GHP Chelsea At-a-Glance Dates
Sunday, May 25: GHP Chelsea winter glazed work pick-up deadline
Monday, May 26: GHP Chelsea glaze toss for winter term items
Sunday, May 26 & Monday, May 27: Closed for Memorial Day

SPRING WEEK 2 – May 6

For Winter Term Students
For returning students, this is the final week of the glaze grace period. This is your opportunity to glaze and complete work from the winter term that is currently on the bisque shelves. Any work that is left on the shelves from the winter term will be discarded on May 13 to make room for new work coming out of the kilns.

Winter Session Glaze Pick-Up
If you were in a class last session all glazed pieces fired during Winter 2024 must be taken home by Saturday, May 25. Any pieces left from Winter after May 25 will be donated or discarded (all work from Winter 2024 has a sparkly sticker on it). Pieces glazed during the glaze grace period will not be held to this deadline.

Lots of Studio Time Available at Chelsea!
There are many opportunities to work independently outside of class time. Students can book studio sessions at $10 for 4 hours of work time, $5 on Friday nights. You can find a weekly studio session schedule by the Studio Assistant desk and at the Message Center, and book directly using the QR code. Be sure to check the schedule, because there are also opportunities to book studio time in the classrooms. Remember, practice makes perfect!

Summer Teen Wheel
Registration for summer teen wheel at both Jones Street and GHP Chelsea is now live! Teens ages 13 through 18 can sign up for any of our four two-week sessions. Potters of all experience levels are invited. Seats are $515 and include all materials, tools, and firing fees. The session dates are as follows:
Jones St.
Session 1: July 8–18
Session 2: July 22–August 1

GHP Chelsea
Session 1: August 5–15
Session 2: August 19–29

Firing Trays
Testing a new glaze combo? Unsure whether glazes will run? We encourage students to use a firing try so we don’t risk ruining our kilns shelves. We have a limited supply of firing trays on the shelves below the measuring station. This selection is what we can provide, but if you need a firing tray to fit specific dimensions, it is best to make your own.

Reclaim Buckets  
The Studio Assistants mix new clay from the goop in our reclaim buckets. Make sure that only unfired brown and white clay scraps or sludge are going in their respective buckets. Please be careful not to put tools, bisqueware, newsprint, colored slips and washes, or other clays in those buckets. This will keep the Assistants safe and the clay consistent!

Lost and Found
Leave something behind at the studio? Check the lost and found bin under the table at the measuring station. Items are dated, anything left in the lost and found bin for more than a month will be discarded.

Communal Tools
On our note about cleaning last week: items like the extruder, slab roller, and wedging tables are shared amongst students and it is expected that everyone chip in to keep them clean. We’ve noticed lately that the wedging table is often left quite messy, so we ask that students be mindful if they use that area during class or open studio time!

At 16 Jones Street:
Casey Whittier Artist Talk
Mark your calendars to join us next week, Thursday May 16 for an artist talk with Casey Whittier, followed by an opening reception for her NYC solo debut in our Jane Hartsook Gallery. Casey has adapted processes from a variety of craft disciplines to create mixed-media work that straddles weaving and sculpture to explore interdependence and the truths it reveals. Her artist talk will be at 4:00 p.m. and the opening will run from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

GHP Jones Street At-a-Glance Dates
Tuesday, May 14: Taste of Greenwich Village, 7:00–9:00 p.m.
Thursday, May 16: Casey Whittier Artist Talk (4:00–5:00 p.m.) and Opening Reception, (5:00–7:00 p.m.)
Sunday, May 26 & Monday, May 27: Pottery Closed for Memorial Day

GHP Chelsea At-a-Glance Dates
Monday, April 29-Sunday, May 12: Glaze grace period for winter term
Monday, May 13: Bisque toss for winter term items

SPRING WEEK 1 – April 29

Welcome!
We are so excited to welcome new and returning students! Students should have received an email including the student guidelines. Each week in class, teachers will read Pottery Notes, which contains important studio information. If you miss hearing them read aloud, please check online or at the message center in the glaze room to stay aware of important deadlines and announcements week-to-week.

For returning students, the next two weeks, April 29-May 12 at 6:00 p.m., are the glaze grace period. This is your opportunity to glaze and complete work from the winter term that is currently on the bisque shelves. Any work that is left on the shelves from the winter term will be tossed on May 13 to make room for new work coming out of the kilns.

Bathroom Code
Bathrooms are located on this floor in the hallway. To enter, press 2 and 4 at the same time and then 3.

Class Drawers
Each class has a set of shelves with a bottom drawer for shared class storage. Be sure to label any tools that you put in the drawers with your first and last name, and be mindful of only storing essentials so that the drawer is equally shared by class members.

Keep Clay in the Studio!
As you move in and out of the studio, try to be mindful of whether you are dusty or tracking clay along with you. We have a mat outside the studio to wipe your feet on before you walk down the hall. Especially when using the bathroom, be sure to get your hands clean first at the sinks in our space, as the bathroom sinks do not have proper clay trapping equipment.

A Clean Studio is a Happy Studio!
We want to acknowledge all the hard work put in by the GHP Chelsea team cleaning over the break. Though things are just getting started, we want to start off the term with high cleaning standards so that we keep the studio spotless and sparkling! Faculty will walk students through cleaning protocols, but cleaning lists can also be found above the sinks for reference. Go that extra mile, clean your space and be sure to tackle a communal space as well! Especially as you start to book studio time and work independently, remember to leave things cleaner than you found them for good clay karma!

Credit Request Shelf
If your piece is damaged by staff, you can request credit or a free re-fire via our new credit request shelf above the hospital shelf. See adjacent instructions and helpful notes. Wren, our Studio Coordinator, reviews requests about once a week.

Studio Sessions Available
We are fortunate here at GHP Chelsea to have a dedicated studio session room with 5 wheel and 5 handbuilding seats. Students can sign up to work in 4-hour blocks of time, mornings, afternoons, or evenings, for $10 per session, and only $5 on Friday nights! We ask that everyone be mindful of not booking too many sessions in advance or on the same day, and we encourage reviewing our studio session policies for that room.

At 16 Jones Street:
Save the Date! Boyer/Saito Collections Fundraising Sale
Join us on May 1 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. for the unveiling of Gifts from Friends, a sale from the collections of Takako (Toni) Saito and Michael Boyer to support the Pottery’s capital campaign. Many of the available works were collected from renowned artists during their exhibitions or workshops at Greenwich House Pottery over decades, and include work by Posey Bacopoulos, Paulus Berensohn, Fong Chow, Karen Karnes, Warren Mackenzie, and Byron Temple. The sale will continue through May 5, but be sure to join us on May 1 to get first pick!

Spring Sidewalk Sale
We will be hosting our annual spring Sidewalk Sale on Sunday, May 5 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at our 16 Jones Street location. Shoppers will be invited to browse hundreds of handmade objects made and donated by our very own faculty, students, and staff. Interested in volunteering? It is a great way to meet people! Email pottery@greenwichhouse.org.

GHP Jones Street At-a-Glance Dates
Wednesday, May 1: Opening reception for the Saito/Boyer Collection Fundraising Sale, 5:00–7:00 p.m.
Friday, May 1–Sunday, May 5: Saito/Boyer Collection Fundraising Sale continues until 5:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 5: Sidewalk Sale, 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Tuesday, May 14: Taste of Greenwich Village, to benefit Greenwich House

GHP Chelsea At-a-Glance Dates
Monday, April 29: Spring term at GHP Chelsea begins
Monday, April 29-Sunday, May 12: Glaze grace period for winter term
Monday, May 13: Bisque toss for winter term items

WINTER WEEK 9 – April 15

End of Term Business: Final Week!

As we come to the final week 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 SPRING 2024 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. This ‘glaze grace period’ will run April 29–May 12.
Keep an eye on your inbox. You will receive a feedback survey next week. Let us know what you loved about the studio, how awesome the teachers and studio assistants are and where we can improve. We value your feedback.

End of Term Potluck
A reminder that we are gathering to celebrate our first term at Greenwich House Pottery Chelsea this Thursday, April 18 from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the glaze room. Bring something to share!

Share the Love
We look forward to seeing you again in the spring and please tell a friend. We still have many open classes in both wheel throwing and handbuilding, from beginning to advanced.

Keep Glazing!
The bisque shelves are getting so full that it’s harder to find space for work coming out of the kilns. Though it can be hard to decide how to finish a piece, even getting one piece glazed as a way to practice or to test a glaze combination will help make room on our bisque shelves. Never fear, there will be time to finish up work during the ‘glaze grace period’ next term. Once your work has been fired, please take it home or discard any unwanted items in the blue trash bin in the glaze area, intended for heavier items.

Drum Roll Please…Black Slip Has Arrived!
Our apologies for the delay, we had some issues with material shortages. Look for black slip now in the glaze area.

Kiln Schedule
You’ll notice we added a kiln schedule to the top right corner of the message center. You can consult the dates for bisque and glaze firings to know when new work will be unloaded. Remember that it can take up to two weeks to get work back from bisque or glaze firing.

GHP Chelsea At-a-Glance Dates
Saturday, April 20: Chelsea Spring Term Ends
Sunday, April 21–Sunday, April 28: Chelsea closed for interterm break
Monday, April 29–Saturday, June 29: Spring Term at GHP Chelsea

SPRING WEEK 3 – May 13

SPRING WEEK 2 – May 6

SPRING WEEK 1 – April 29

WINTER WEEK 9 – April 15

Support Greenwich House this Holiday Season!