The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, July 19, 1983 - Page 15 Potters form tradition in clay By Jackie Young Porcelain plates, stoneware pots and potters, working diligently at their wheels, have been a part of the art fair since it began in the 1950s. The Ann Arbor Potters Guild, which has a booth this year on the corner of South and East University streets, dates back 30 years when Harvey Lit- tleton landed the group in a building buried in a Maynard Street alley where McDonald's is today. A NON-PROFIT organization limited to 40 members, the Guild provides artists with a cheaper alter- native than working in their own studios. Guild artists work in a studio near Division and Hill Streets in cram- ped quarters making it essential that the members get along well together, said guild member Mary Chambers. Pottery is hard physical labor, and the Guild provides atmosphere making work a lot easier, says a cooperative Chambers while dipping a hand-crafted pot into orange glaze. Chambers, a Guild member, explains that after the pot is fired in a special oven or kiln it will turn red. "A COPPER GLAZE," she says, "can turn out to be red, green, or blue. With different places in the kiln the same color can look very different." similar to chemicals in a lab. There's Vanadium, Spodumene, Cryolite, and Iron Oxide Red. Members must have several years' experience crafting clay and are required to show their work as a guest member for one year before joining, said member Bobbi Stevens. THE GUILD IS managed and funded by members making profits from selling their works during the Decem- ber and summer art fairs. Members are drawn from different backgrounds and complement each other for a mix- ture that is as crucial as form is to pot- tery. "Each person has very different things that they like to make," said Guild member Maggie Rotmon. "I like making basket shapes on the wheel and also hand building not using the wheel." Working with clay also gives Rotmon a tie to the past. "When I look at the primitive work of early potters in museums, I feel a strong bond with the people. They had an advanced level of skill which is still carried on today." Some artists join the Guild for social reasons, said Rotmon. "We support each other with ideas. (We) share ideas and information which is part of why people join the potter's guild," ad- ded Chambers. "It's also nice to have someone around that knows how to do something that you don't know how to do." Potters must also have some chemistry knowledge to mix the wide variety of glazes which are labeled Daily Photo by ELIZABETH SCOTT Members of the Potters Guild display works, similar to the one being made, at the fair. Guild links artists (Continued from Page 3) works in fairs the guild sponsors. Associate members, however, can display their work at the summer fair by sharing a booth with an exhibiting member. audience or get some response. It's an opportunity to meet people," Bartolo said. And people enjoy meeting the ar- tist too, she added. "It beats going to Hudson's where you don't have the op- portunity to learn about the work," she said. Guild members exhibit a wide range of works including jewelry, quilting, weaving, enameling, and watercolor. But the organization's rules about what can be exhibited are strict. It requires that all works be handcrafted without the aid of kits, and that any machine work not dominate the ap- pearance of the object. THE GUILD'S members are divided into "exhibiting members" and "associate members." Only the exhibiting members are allowed to sell Although the other two groups in the fair "jury" or judge works to decide which artists can exhibit, the Guild does not have a special selective procedure for the fair. Instead, she said, the organization has a more com- plex quality check that operates all year long. Exhibiting members must have their work reviewed periodically by a panel of members and experts in their field. "It is difficult to have never done a fair before and have to fill a booth for four days," she said. " , M 15% off " . A a& 5 All Merchandise WITH THIS COUPON 201 E. Washington : (except sale items) ! at Fourth We stock a full line of boots, camp- " Open M-Sat 9-6 ' ing equipment, hunting clothing ! 994-3572 u & winter coats.