We’re More Than Just a Show!

The Blue Ridge Potters Guild may be best known for our Annual Show and Sale. The first show was held in 2000 and featured about 15 artists. These days we showcase upwards of 50 participants with an incredibly diverse range of styles and products, in addition to providing demonstrations, hands-on tutorials, and door-prizes throughout the weekend. Stay tuned for information on this year’s show dates, we’re aiming for early November.

While the Annual Show and Sale is our biggest event, Guild has much more to offer to our members and the public throughout the year - take a little scroll to see what else we’ll be up to this year.

WORKSHOPS

Each year the Guild hosts at least two workshops led by well-known ceramic artists. In 2025 our workshops covered stencil-making by Shalya Marsh and throwing really big pots by Lee Hazelgrove. Other recent topics and instructors have included slipwork with Chris Lively, sculptural demonstrations with Chris Gryder, carving techniques and airbrushed underglaze application with Molly Walter, and sculptural teapots with Julie Elkins. Workshops are open to our members and the public, with discounted pricing for members, and free registration for art teachers!

Plans are in the works for this year’s workshops, we hope to be announcing details soon.

CLAY COLLEGE

Clay College is a free one-day hands-on learning opportunity with short tutorials led by our members. Topics from last year’s Clay College included creating layered and visually complex surfaces through slips, underglazes, sgraffito/mishima, and screen printing (by Emily Williams), making simple flexible molds (by Ingrid Chase), creating vessels by piecing together clay shapes cut from a slab with a cookie cutter (by Sandy Walker), and a follow-up on the stencil techniques we learned from the Shalya Marsh workshop (by Ingrid Chase). Other recent topics have included teapot design, making functional slab bells, working with craft foam and tarpaper for surface impressions, making clay stamps for creating surface designs, and building slab-built birdfeeders. Clay College usually takes place in the summer, keep an eye out for further information!

THE STUDENT SHOW

The BRPG Student Show – hosted at the Salem Museum - features the talent of local high school and middle school ceramic artists. Last year’s display showcased the artwork of over 100 participants representing 8 schools. At the end of the week-long event, a closing reception is held for students, teachers, and the public and several awards are presented with ribbons and cash prizes. The student show usually takes place towards the end of the spring semester.

SCHOLARSHIPS

The Guild currently provides two main forms of scholarships. One set of scholarships is for clay classes at local pottery studios and are randomly selected from free entry slips at our Annual Show and Sale. At last year’s show we gave away multi-week classes to the Brambleton Center and Common Clay Collective in Roanoke, and to Studio 228 in Vinton.

The second set of scholarships is for the Women Working with Clay Symposium at Hollins College. Each year the Guild awards several scholarships for this event selected from applications.

OUTREACH

Our Outreach Committee brings the passion of clay to the people. We like to think of this as showing our neighbors what we do and we embrace opportunities to share the pleasure of working clay.  Whether it’s large festivals or special interest groups (think scouts or book clubs) our potters are ready to guide you through the basics of working with clay. Outreach events happen sporadically throughout the year based on requests and availability.

EMPTY BOWLS

Empty Bowls is a grassroots movement by artists and crafts people around the world to raise money for food related charities in their communities. The Guild participates in Empty Bowls through its membership requirements - each member is expected to donate at least two items to support Empty Bowls events at Ferrum College and Smith Mountain Lake - and some of our members help with these events.

This year’s Ferrum College Empty Bowls will be held March 15th and supports Panther Packs - the Ferrum Elementary School backpack program which sends food home with children throughout the school year.

The Smith Mountain Lake event will be held April 18th.

A throwdown gathering produced dozens of bowls for this year’s Empty Bowls event at Ferrum College.

Follow us on Instagram or Facebook for updates on these and other events!
See our contacts page for inquiries.