Volunteers needed
Do you have a little time to volunteer? We need some help with some jobs around the studio:
- Kiln loading - Margaret is jet-setting again for a few weeks, this time to Australia. Exciting adventures to be had. While she is away, we could do with some help loading the kilns. If you have an hour or two in an afternoon, say on a Wednesday or a Friday as well as some kiln loading experience, we could use some help over the coming weeks.
- Play with Clay - we could always use some extra help looking after our Play with Clay visitors on Tuesday nights, Wednesday mornings or Saturday mornings. If you would like to volunteer at the occasional session, please get in touch. It is the only way to keep those sessions running. We especially need help on Tuesdays in October with both Margaret and Tess away, and most Wednesday mornings.
- Committee members - we haven't many committee members right now and as a charity, it is a requirement that we have governance representation. Please get in touch if you would consider some time in a strategic role at WSP. We currently need a Secretary and general committee members.
If you would like to volunteer at WSP, please contact Sarah manager@waikatopotters.co.nz
Thanks to David Kenny who has been working on trouble shooting our recent glaze and kiln problems, and David Martin who has been doing some jobs in the studio for us lately. Alex, Libby and Burns have been amazing helping us get caught up with the gas firing backlog (check out that wonderful red vase above fired in a sweet spot by Libby last weekend),
Reminder of some club firing rules
With new members coming on board, it is a good time to put a reminder out about some of our club firing rules:
- To fire in our kilns, you must be a member. You should not be firing at our club on behalf of anyone who is not a member. WSP is an incorporated society that is member based, not a commercial pottery firing service. The exceptions to the membership rule are people attending classes and workshops, or work made by non-members during our community Play with Play sessions.
- Commercial firing rates apply not just to work that is retailed, they also apply to volumes of more than 4 items in a week or work made for exhibitions other than a WSP exhibition. We trust our members to play by the rules so appreciate your support in this.
- Clay suitability - Only use a Cone 6 suitable clay in our electric kilns or Cone 10 clay in our gas kiln. We have had some disasters with low fire clay being put through recently and other member's work has been ruined.
- Glaze suitability - Only use Cone 6 (electric) and Cone 10 (gas) glazes on your work. If you are unsure if your gaze is suitable, ask one of the team. And please, no strange experiments. If you are experimenting with unusual techniques you saw on Instagram, please let us know and ask if it is ok. If you are using anything even a little bit questionable, please use a biscuit and, even better, try a test tile on a biscuit first.
Artist in Residence vacancy
Do you need a studio space? We have a vacancy for an artist-in-residence. In exchange for one duty day a week helping out with studio jobs, we can offer the use of a private studio space with a potters' wheel if you like. The preference is for a person who has some clay experience but can be relatively new as you will have access to learning opportunities and development. Our greatest need at present is for someone who can give us a hand on Wednesdays as it is a busy day here. Please get in touch with Sarah manager@waikatopotters.co.nz if you are interested in joining the team.
Upcoming workshops
There are only a few spaces left on these two upcoming workshops:
Next week at WSP
Play With Clay: Tuesday 6-9pm; Wednesday 9.30am-12.30pm; Saturday 10am-1pm. Note Yasmin will not be here on Wednesday 21 September so there will be no tutor support that session.
Open Studio: Monday - Thursday 1-4pm
Tools: Alex will be at PWC on Saturday 24 September selling tools.
