Pottery Club Sale: Ceramic Crafts Sold Fast

“Pottery is a 5000-year-old tradition, belonging to almost every culture in the world,” said Professor of Art Tom Clarkson as the hallway of the Dickinson building swelled around us. People inspected, commented on, and purchased the many ceramic works created by the PVCC Student Pottery Club. The pottery was arranged on a series of tables in the Dickinson building commons. The selection was numerous and diverse, all priced between $5 and $75. As I tried to get a good look at each piece, they were getting picked up, examined, and purchased. Mugs, bowls, plates, sculptures, and more were quickly leaving the table. 

When asked what is best between form and function in pottery, Clarkson quickly responded, “Yes.” 

The creations were over halfway gone when we discussed the differences between working with three-dimensional art versus two-dimensional art. The line to the cash register was growing longer as I spoke to Karyn Smith, a second-semester PVCC Ceramics student. “I was a painter forever, changed to the third dimension and I love it,” she said. 

 I was warned to come early as the sale was “highly anticipated,” but I didn’t really believe it. When I pulled up to the parking lot and I could see the anticipatory line from outside the building, it dawned on me that many people looked forward to the annual PVCC Pottery Club Sale. 

When asked if he had anything to say to young people about pottery (and art in general), Clarkson said, “Do it; get your hands dirty.”