Once created mostly by artists, pottery is now one of the hottest hobbies in America, with ceramics classes full to bursting across the country. And pottery artists and instructors say this rise in popularity isn’t slowing down.
Kate Kuligowski, a ceramics artist and instructor at Mudflat Studio in Somerville, said her classes have long waiting lists of students hoping for their chance to learn how to use a potter’s wheel or make clay sculptures. She thinks part of the allure is the mindfulness aspect: Pottery requires patience, focus and undivided attention.
“It’s just a really good way to kind of disconnect from that everyday and really hone in on spending time with other people, not being on your phone, and enjoying yourself,” Kuligowski said. “It’s bringing joy to your life in a way that’s unique.”
Kuligowski entered the world of pottery in high school. Though she was ready to pursue a career as an illustrator, she said she tried pottery and was hooked. She now combines her illustrative skills into her ceramics work.
Jesse Golden, founder of Clay Lounge, also began in high school but did not pursue the art form as a career. After working in marketing and picking up his old hobby again, he decided to open a Boston studio in 2019. The explosive popularity of ceramics led to class after class filling up quickly, and he expanded to a second location in Somerville this year.
“This turned into a nice community of regulars, people that really wanted to dive further into the craft,” Golden said. “They make it their habit to come every Monday night or every Tuesday night.”
Both Clay Lounge and Mudflat Studio offer programs and one-off classes for people of all ages, backgrounds and experience levels.
The ceramics program at Harvard, which has existed since 1970, has a different approach: semester-long programming lasting 12 weeks, allowing students to immerse themselves in the craft.
“We want to provide a pathway for somebody to get into it if they’re dedicating themselves not only to functional pottery but also to sculpture. It’s more mirroring of our academic program,” said Kathy King, director of the ceramics program and visual arts initiatives at Harvard’s Office for the Arts.
Harvard’s ceramics program serves both Harvard students and the larger community. And like the smaller ceramics studios, King said their studio saw a tremendous upswing in registration.
“We can serve about 350 students at our facility, and right now we have 495 waitlisted,” King said. “And that’s about the same as the last few semesters.”
King, Kuligowski and Golden all said social media has had a significant impact on the surge in popularity of ceramics — not just in the creation of work, but also in the collecting of ceramics, Kuligowski said. Videos of artists making functional pottery on a wheel can be hypnotizing, even to artists themselves, but Golden said it also leads to some misconceptions, particularly around the ease of making pottery.
“We do a lot of these one-time workshops and people come in and say, ‘Hey, I want this large fruit bowl as the centerpiece,’” Golden said, “And I jokingly, but not so jokingly say, ‘All right, I’ll see you in ten years of hard dedication to the craft.’”
He emphasized the time it takes to learn each step in the process and the importance of not having expectations when beginning to work with pottery, because it is a journey full of learning.
“There’s so many areas to explore. You need two lifetimes to fully understand the craft.” Golden stated
But will the ceramics craze continue? All three artists say they hope and expect so.
“It definitely has longevity,” Kuligowski said, “it’s going to continue to be very prevalent and really important to people.”
Guests:
- Kathy King, artist, instructor and director of the ceramics program and visual arts initiatives at Harvard’s Office for the Arts
- Jessie Golden, artist and founder of the Clay Lounge in Boston’s South End and Somerville
- Kate Kuligowski, artist and instructor at Mudflat Studio in Somerville
