If shopping local is high on your list this holiday season, two events this week offer the opportunity to support our ceramic communities.
Courtesy photo
If shopping local is high on your list this holiday season, two events this week offer the opportunity to support our ceramic communities.
First, the Ceramics Club of Aspen is hosting their annual art student holiday sale from Wednesday to Friday at Colorado Mountain College’s Aspen campus. The Holiday Sale, which runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., features affordable, handmade ceramics, jewelry, and art by CMC students and faculty with all proceeds going back to the program.
“I’ve been doing it for 22 years. When my children were babies, my therapist told me to find something to do for myself, and I started doing pottery,” member Emily Lanese said. “(I) became obsessed, so that’s what I do for mental health.”
Lanese said that what she loves about the program at CMC is the camaraderie and community with other artists, both the veterans and those brand new to pottery.
“It’s so fun because we have new students at the college every year that have never done pottery, taking a class with someone who has a degree in art, and everyone helps everyone else,” she said. “It’s so nice to have everyone working together.”
From 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, the club will hold a reception with the artists with wine and homemade light bites. CMC students and faculty will show their creations, from wheel-thrown and hand-built functional ceramics to sculpture; cast and formed jewelry; paintings, drawings, and more.
On Friday, Carbondale Clay Center will host its 23rd annual Cup Auction at Marble Distillery from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Each year, this event brings 250 cups from around the nation to the Roaring Fork Valley to fundraise for the Carbondale Clay Center.
The first CCC Cup Auction began in 1999 with CCC founder Diane Kenney and a handful of Roaring Fork Valley potters reaching out to fellow clay artists for cup donations. Postcards were also sent to ceramic artists across the nation, seeking their support and donation of a cup. The list of participating artists grew over the years and evolved as new artists emerged on the clay scene.
The Cup Auction is one of CCC’s largest fundraisers. It is an opportunity to share and educate people about clay and showcase handmade ceramics. The in-person event allows the community to investigate each cup, see the range of makers — from innovators to students, and give each cup a test drive before bidding.
All proceeds raised directly benefit every facet of CCC, including the Artist Residency Program, Gallery & Exhibitions, Educational Ceramic Classes, Community Outreach, Kids Programming, and more. The event is free and open to the public.
Sarah Girgis is the Arts and Entertainment Editor for The Aspen Times. She can be reached at 970-429-9151 or sgirgis@aspentimes.com.