Northwest Corner artists unite for Clay Way Tour Oct. 19-20

Now in its 8th year, The Clay Way Studio Tour is an annually held event featuring some of Connecticut’s best potters. Twenty six artists will show their work among nine studios.

The Tour takes place in Litchfield County Connecticut and Wingdale, New York Oct.19 and 20 from 10 a.m to 5 p.m. Potter and organizer Jane Herald explained the origin of the tour.

“Clay Way was the brainchild of a potter named Linda Boston, who started it with Alison Palmer about eight years ago. Originally, they aimed to gather a following for potters in the Woodbury area. For some reason it didn’t take off there, but the response was enthusiastic in the Northwest Corner. So here we are,” Herald said.

The tour is free and a great way to enjoy a weekend in beautiful Litchfield and Dutchess Counties during peak fall foliage season. The tour will take place rain or shine.

“Clay Way is a cooperative effort by the nine host potters and their guests. Ann Heywood and Jane Herold have been chairing it the last few years. By inviting guests to show with us we are able to offer a wide range of pottery in a fairly concentrated area. Quite a few regular attendees make a weekend of it, and go to all nine studios,” Herald explained.

Regarding the abundance of potters in the area, Herald said,

“Rural areas have always attracted potters, in part because they are able to afford properties that can be adapted to workshops and studios. A number of the potters on the Clay Way Tour fire wood kilns, which requires a team effort, which has probably contributed to the growth of a pottery culture here. Some of us use locally found materials including kaolin and limestone. And there’s a pottery supply shop right in Sheffield, Massachusetts.”

As to the role Clay Way Tour plays in promoting clay arts and the regional arts community in general, Herald said,

“A number of our exhibitors teach classes in the area, or host workshops, in addition to wood firing. There is a huge interest in learning to throw. I get asked about classes at least once a week at my showroom in Cornwall. I’m very happy that 5 Points Arts Center (an arts space in Torrington) now has a well equipped pottery studio where I can send people. Drew Montgomery teaches classes at his studio in Wingdale. Alison Palmer hosts about 12 workshops a year at her studio in Kent, bringing people from all over to teach and participate. The benefit to the communities extends to local inns and restaurants as well. The northwest corner is beginning to be known as a welcoming place for potters. We hope this can extend to other craft-based businesses as well.”

As a potter herself, Herold makes pots that are “useful” including dishes.

“But holding food is not what makes them useful. The most important task of a useful pot is to generate caring. Most of modern life does not generate this emotion. Things many of us think of as useful or even essential – cell phones, automobiles, computers, fast food, microwaves – don’t generate real caring at all. We could live very well without many of these things. But we can’t live good lives at all if we are callous and uncaring. Being indifferent, unconscious, unawake is not something that you can turn on and off at will. We must either find ways of living that encourage awareness or face a loss of sensibility that is likely to seep into all areas of our lives.”

The Clay Way Studio Tour is free and takes place rain or shine, much of it outdoors if the weather cooperates. For more information including examples of each artist’s work and a printable map, go to: www.ClayWay.net