Pottery Aplenty at Spring Fest
From floral mugs and whimsical plates, to one-of-a-kind vases and more, Clay Art Center (CAC)’s Spring Fest will showcase the diverse richness of Westchester’s pottery scene. The biennial event on June 5 will offer an outdoor pottery sale filled with hundreds of handmade ceramic works by local and tristate area artists at a reduced price.
In the past, Spring Fest has been held indoors; however, to allow audiences a way to immerse themselves in CAC’s long-running hub for ceramic artists as safely as possible, this year’s event will be held entirely outdoors.
Executive Director Emily Peck explains: “This event is always fun for the whole family, with great pottery bargains and clay activities, including a live raku firing. In fact, one-hundred percent of revenues will support Clay Art Center.”
The Center will round out this robust experience with live outdoor artist demonstrations and hands-on children’s clay activities. Throughout the event, guests will be able to experience pottery-making up close during wheel-throwing demonstrations led by CAC artists. A demonstration of the raku firing technique will also invite families to buy an unfinished piece of pottery and observe as it is glazed and fired in an outdoor kiln.
In addition, the Center’s gallery will be open for guests to tour its current exhibition, State of Emergence, presented in partnership with The Color Network. Fifteen emerging artists of color were asked to analyze current issues of race, racism, ethnicity and sexism that are prevalent in modern society. The works also comment on the present barriers found in the ceramic field, such as the lack of opportunities, resources and physical community, which has driven many artists to connect with each other online. Exhibiting works, on view through June 13, range from hand-built figurative sculpture to wheel-thrown glazed forms.
Spring Fest will be held outside of the Center’s gallery entrance in Port Chester per COVID-19 guidelines. Guests will be required to wear masks and follow social-distancing protocols during the event.