For sale at Chuck Hafner’s Farmer’s Market and Garden Center Greenhouse in North Syracuse is an array of fresh produce, seasonal decorations and plants for purchase. This main shopping area is sandwiched between two large greenhouses, but instead of plants, one was filled with pottery. 

Clayscapes Pottery Inc., a pottery gallery, ceramics school and clay vendor on West Fayette Street, hosted its third-annual market at Chuck Hafner’s Garden Center Greenhouse on Oct. 5 and 6.  

Don Seymour, the president of Clayscapes Pottery, said they created the event so they could showcase potters and ceramic artists in the area and allow them to sell their work. It allows the artists to interact with the community and expand their knowledge on pottery, he said.  

“We’re trying to give back to the community by making clay a broader part of the community,” Seymour said. 

The event hosted 40 artists who were selected through an application process. The capacity of the space means the jury sometimes has to reject people, Seymour said, but the process keeps up the quality of the work. 

Jess Hafner, vice president of the garden center, said they decided to let Clayscapes rent out their space two years ago because there weren’t many plants in the greenhouse as it was “out of season.” Since then, the center has hosted more events in the greenhouses. Hafner said it’s nice because the greenhouse makes people feel like they’re outside even when it’s too cold to host events outdoors. 

The event also featured live demonstrations of people making clay on the potter’s wheel. Karen Jean Smith from the Independent Potters’ Association was part of the demonstration and decorated bowls while member Alan Stankiewicz worked with the clay.  

The market featured ceramic-making demonstrations on a potter’s wheel from members of the Independent Potter’s Association. Sarah Slavin | Asst. Feature Editor

Many of the artists were selling what most people think of when it comes to pottery: plates, cups and bowls. Seymour said this is a common form of pottery that he appreciates because it’s functional.  

“It’s something that you can use in your daily lives. It’s something to enjoy your cup of coffee or a cup of tea, or eat your lunch or dinner on a plate,” he said. “So, it’s something that I’m attracted to because it’s interactive within our lives, versus being a painting that just sits on the wall.” 

Another artist at the market was Russel Spillmann, who had an array of works that are functional products like mugs, plates and vases. He said all of his work is porcelain that comes from River Thames in England. 

What Spillmann emphasized was that in order to be a potter “you have to be able to make every shape” of pottery. He said he doesn’t take requests from clients. Instead, he makes what he wants to make. 

Spillmann, a Homer resident, said this event is different for him because he usually sells his work at galleries like the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester and the Everson Museum gift shop.  

Russel Spillmann, an artist who featured his work at the event, said that he solely works with porcelain. Sarah Slavin | Asst. Feature Editor

Similar to Spillmann, another artist at the market who specialized in working with porcelain was Stacey Esslinger. Rather than use a potter’s wheel to create her pieces, she uses the slab build process which is done using a slab roller — a tool that’s larger than a potter’s wheel. 

To create patterns in her work, she uses textured fabrics and presses them onto the surface to make an imprint. She compared the process to dressmaking, where she joins the seams of the patterns and adds buttons and zippers. 

“The most interesting thing is you start with this bag of clay, this big block, and then you are able to transform it into anything,” Esslinger said. “You can make something functional, like I make we can drink out of it, or you can make something sculptural of it.” 

Peter Valenti founded the Independent Potters’ Association in 2011 when he decided to bring more ceramic décor rather than functional pieces. He said it was a way to have his own niche market. He said it’s easier to sell people décor for people to hang on their walls rather than a mug in their cabinet.  

The retired East Syracuse Minoa Central High School ceramics teacher also works as a ceramics teacher at Clayscapes Pottery. He uses the raku firing to produce his work, a process where he takes pieces of pottery out of the kiln at 1,850 degrees, puts them in a garbage bin and lights it on fire. He said this creates a unique way of firing pottery. 

Valenti said he hopes people who attended the market appreciate the work that the potters do because “they are made from the art.” He said that people put their “heart and soul,” into the products they make so they’re better than the manufactured version. 

“I really love the idea of making functional and decorate objects by hand and I love the history of ceramics” Valenti said. “People have been doing it for thousands and thousands of years and it’s the one art form that lasts forever.”  

Published on October 7, 2019 at 1:25 am

Contact Sarah: srslavin@syr.edu