Why pottery is building in popularity
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Americans are increasingly turning to pottery as they seek to build community and connection away from their screens.
The big picture: Throwing pottery on a wheel is a calming and therapeutic activity that's also challenging. It takes some logic and creativity, but is accessible to people who don't think of themselves as artsy.
What they're saying: "I think it's always good to have other outlets outside of the norm of going to restaurants or going to bars," Lindsay Werner, who owns Mud Studio locations in San Antonio and Austin, told KSAT.
- "We're so isolated and technology-focused today … and this is like getting back to the earth," Chicago resident Kelsie Huff told the Sun Times.
Zoom out: New ceramics studios are opening around the country, from Overland Park, Kansas, to Atlanta.
- Longtime spot Greenwich House Pottery in New York City opened a second location last year, citing an explosion in bookings.
Zoom in: I began throwing wheel pottery a little over a year ago, and I love how it's embedded with life lessons — one of the biggest of which is learning to control what you can and let go of what you can't.
- Clay teaches me to assert myself and be direct. If I want the clay to do something, I have to tell it.
- But the practice also helps me accept that things will go wrong and break — constantly. And it's OK because I can't make beautiful vessels without creating wonky items too.
- My first mugs are shallow with lopsided handles. Now, I can create mugs with symmetrical bases and comfortably smooth handles.
The bottom line: "People want a community and they want to make things with their hands rather than swipe the screen all day," Fabio J. Fernández, director of Greenwich House Pottery, told The Art Newspaper.
