As a Waldorf School child of the 70s, I saw a fair share of clay pots, macrome, and knitting needles. Hours molding beeswax creatures and firing handmade ashtrays made for my dad in a kiln were just part of being a kid. Fast forward some decades (ahem…) and the art of ceramics is everywhere again- and this isn’t just for the strange underground types or Mrs. Ropers of the world anymore. In Brooklyn now, the explosion of pottery, ceramics appreciation, and star ceramicists is ultra exciting. Being part of the Prop Styling world in New York led me into some gorgeous discoveries that need to be shared!
Brilliant Ceramicist and Stylist Aliza Simons heads the incredible Henry Street Studio with her awesome mother, Prop Workshop owner and former stylist Loren Simons. Their website is refreshing and lovely. Aliza’s creations have lent themselves to many shoots, and it’s no surprise why. When I have been with Aliza on set, her pieces are usually the editor’s top choices. I love her stuff!
The organic yet delicately elegant pieces are rare and special. I talked a little with Ms. Simons about the world of ceramics in here in Brooklyn and NYC. Supermud Pottery, which is on the Upper West Side, holds classes for kids that she teaches. She loves the place and highly recommends it for those in Manhattan. Some of her current favorite other ceramicists are fellow Brooklynites Monty Mattison whose sci-ifi inspired planters that seem to gain a life of their own as soon as they come out of the kiln:
… and Syra Gomez, who creates wall and ceiling installations consist of hundreds of tiny handmade pieces:
Aliza says that, even for beginners, one can start by, “Whatever project they want to do! What I love about ceramics is you can make just about anything you can dream up. The medium is very flexible, and there are so many possibilities. Don’t limit yourself.”
Some of my personal favorite pieces come out of the ever-cool Mondays, run by Nina Lalli and Jennifer Fiore here in Brooklyn. Jennifer Fiore muses that she started taking ceramics classes while mothering a toddler here in Brooklyn to relieve stress. Mondays pieces are totally amazing additions to your home! I find their style to be really inspiring and one-of-a-kind:
Aren’t you inspired now? So, where can we moms go to start throwing clay and relieving stress, with or without our young ones? Here are some beautiful Brooklyn spots that I found to be extremely friendly and open-armed:
Nadeige Choplet of Choplet in Williamsburg says that, “We definitely have parents who come take the class for the first time. Sometimes to relieve stress and spend some quality time around grown ups, sometimes because they are artists as well as parents. A lot of our students who took classes before having a baby come back after a few months after the birth of their child. It is their special time to do something for themselves and establish a rhythm about it.” Personally, whenever I walk by Choplet, I see people looking quite happy and interested in their work. Choplet offers after-school classes as well as Saturday classes for the family. Nadeige says “I would recommend parents to teach their children a basic hand building technique such as coil building or slab building. Slab building can be a great way to put in practice geometry courses which gives kids a much better understanding as they are building something concrete. At Choplet studio, we are also known for putting the kids on the potter’s wheel at a early age: 7 years old and up. Kids love it! Our instructors are very patient and experienced. Our philosophy is to nurture individual expression. We do not give “cookie-cutter” assignments, but rather encourage students to let their instructor know what they would like to achieve to develop their own original ideas and vision. Classes are built around group demonstrations followed by individualized help. Students also receive unlimited open studio access 7 days a week which has proven to be a great way for members to improve their craft in a short amount of time. We also offer wheel throwing semi -private classes for serious fun! With a maximum of 7 participants, this 15 hours program is the perfect class for beginners and intermediate level students who would like to learn or perfect their skills on the potter’s wheel, in a short time period.” At Choplet, there are also wheel throwing classes, Raku and mold-making workshops, one day classes, custom parties, as well as those I spoke of above.
When I asked Stiliani Moulinos, the Founder of StilClay@601 in Greenpoint (where there are many types of classes- mostly for adults), why so many people are taking pottery so passionately now, she thoughtfully answered, “It forces one to be present. In this society we are so consumed with technology, TV, Advertisements, Email. We wake up and look at our phones, before we fall asleep, we look at our phones, our life revolves so much around what we did or did not cross off our list. When your hands are emerged in it, its vey hard to do anything else. the cold feeling of the clay, the rotation of the wheel, the stimulation of the water. Clay is grounding. I think people are starting to get that, I do find that a lot of my students feel this way. Its no wonder that its an ancient material. Our ancestors worked with earth, and here we are doing the same! I think, and it still does in my case, bring us back to a time when we where kids, and maybe playing with dirt. Whatever it was that we where doing at the time. nothing mattered, except the sensation of mud.” I wanted to know, in her opinion, which types of things children should start with when learning (or adults for that matter!). “If you want a ‘finished functional piece’, go with a pinch pot. This is where you can pinch the walls of a solid piece of clay to create a small cup or bowl. Now if you want Art, just start by having them squeeze the clay, and playing with it. You’ll be surprised how quickly they figure out how to work with the clay on their own. They start off with the intention of making cups (because thats what we tell them to make, or at least thats what they think they should make), but if you let them go off into their imaginary land, and you’ll be surprised what kind of amazing creatures they create. Kids have no bills to pay, or bosses to answer to, they have different priorities, and little responsibility, so when they are in their zone, they are nowhere else. Its magic. We should respect that.” What a philosophical approach to the art form, I love it. StilClay is awesome! Check it out.
Brooklyn People’s Pottery offers classes to both adults and children as well, is on Bergen Street and is “is committed to teaching the process of working with clay through wheel throwing and hand building in a supportive, creative, and fun environment.” Although I didn’t speak to anyone there, the website is chalk-full of exciting classes coming up, take a look!
There are three locations for the Painted Pot studio, which makes getting to classes easy. It seems focused on children, and painting ceramics. People have raved to me about it during my research, saying their kids loved it. Their website says, “With three locations we offer painting pottery, mosaics, glass fusion, canvas painting, classes, summer camps, group rates and best of all…birthday parties!” They have after school classes to make all kinds of amazing things. The Carroll Gardens location offers wheel classes for children where, “Students will be taught the fundamentals of wedging, centering, lifting, trimming and glazing in the Wheel Class. In addition to being exposed to a working pottery studio, each student will receive individualized instructions according to their interests and experience.” Check out their website to figure out which location is best for your child’s needs.
Rebecca Conroy is an artist, stylist, and Editor of A Child Grows in Brooklyn. She is from New York City, and has an MFA from Columbia University in screenwriting. Rebecca often finds herself on film and photography sets making things run or look better, and is the mom of two outrageously wonderful kids.