FEATURE ARTIST (S)

     The following is the story of a small group of potters and artisans who came together to form a collective and succeeded in establishing a ceramics gallery in downtown Courtenay that serves functional potter and ceramic art lovers locally, nationally and internationally.       

 

     2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the Potters Place gallery and we have cause to celebrate. What an amazing accomplishment for a collective of artists, thirty years of cooperation, support and an uplifting of potters in the Comox Valley.

 

     In 1992 an eclectic group of local artisans joined together to form The Potters Place at Tarbells in Cumberland in order to have a retail outlet for potters, artists and crafters. The following year they moved to Courtenay on Cliffe Ave and four years later moved to a small area of the Courtyard in downtown Courtenay. In 2005, after renovations, the Potters Place moved next door to a much larger space. Three of the original founders of the gallery are still working members and amazingly we have potters who are still potting at age 80.

 

     In 2016 the Potters Place Gallery evolved into a non profit society dedicated to promoting public awareness and appreciation of the ceramic arts, supporting ceramic artists by giving them an opportunity to exhibit and sell their work, awarding bursaries and helping potters in need. In 2017 we established the Robin Hopper Bursary for Ceramic Arts.

 

     From the beginning, the Potters Place operated as a collective, each member working in the shop two days a month and in addition each taking the jobs that were required to operate efficiently. The gallery is magical. Our customers enjoy a one on one experience and the opportunity to learn about the mysteries of firing clay. The quality of the work is excellent and includes functional as well as ceramic art pieces.

 

     We have a vast variety of ceramics from electric, gas, salt, wood, pit fired to raku. We continue to offer local potters a place to sell their work and at present, the Gallery carries the work of 30 Comox Valley and area potters, of which 11 are working members. After thirty years of existence the passion for creating with clay continues to flourish at The Potters Place Gallery