Potter and teacher Jean Ann Savery works clay on a potters wheel at Nature Speaks Pottery Studio.
March 22 – April 3, 2025 @ Johnson County Center for the Arts
Pottery and the ceramic arts have a long history in the Appalachian mountains and Johnson County, Tennessee. It is an art form that you learn through touch and feel, and has been passed down through the ages with hands-on teaching. There are several opportunities this spring to learn pottery at Johnson County Center for the Arts and at Jean Ann Savery’s Nature Speaks Studio.
Ceramic artist and teacher, Tara Belk said, “I first had my hands in clay in the mid 1980s while getting my bachelor’s degree at UNCC (University of NC, Charlotte) and instantly fell in love with the medium.” Belk focused on sculpture initially and then branched into pottery. “I took classes there under the instruction of Joan Tweedy, an amazing potter and an encouraging teacher.” Belk continued her studies with potters like Akio Takamori, Gay Smith, Maggi Blackand at workshops at Penland School of Craft, an arts and craft educational center located in Mitchell County North Carolina.
Belk will be teaching this spring at Johnson County Center for the Arts Education Center. Her first class is called “Curious About Pottery?” This class meets Saturday, March 22, 29and April 5 from 1 to 4 p.m. These three classes introduce students to the basics and give them the skills needed to create personally designed dinnerware, bowls and cups. Participants can try one class for $35, two classes for $60, or three classes for $90. If you take multiple classes there is a finishing glaze class offered Saturday April 26.
On Friday, April 4from 1 to 4 p.m. Belk’s second class “Treasure Bowls” begins. Students learn ways to make fun, hand-built sauce or trinket dishes that they can personalize with unique shapes and textures. Cost is $25 and all materials are provided.
The Center for the Arts offers additional classes with potter Paige Janeri. Janeri is new to the area and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from her time at Warren Wilson College and Odyssey Clayworks in Asheville, North Carolina.
”FUNctional Pots!" with Paige Janeri starts Tuesday, April 1 from 2 -5 p.m. In this five-week class students create one-of-a-kind pieces of pottery using handbuilding and wheel-throwing techniques. Supplies are included. Ages 12+. Cost is $125.
The next Mountain Garden Pottery class with Paige Janeri begins April 3. This five-week pottery class meets on Thursdays from 2 to p.m. and provides a unique opportunity to learn about handbuilding and wheel-throwing techniques as you create decorative forms for your garden. Ages 12+. Cost is $125.
Category: Workshop