OPA NEWS

OPA has been closely monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation. The health and safety of our members and patrons is our top priority. Working to make well-informed decisions, we took a member vote on Sunday, March 15th and members voted overwhelmingly to cancel Ceramic Showcase 2020.

We were so looking forward to having this signature event that connects us to our patrons and the community beyond. We want to thank both members and patrons for your ongoing support and we hope to see you all again next year – April 30-May 2, 2021 – at the Oregon Convention Center in Hall D.

In the meantime, browse our Artist Directory and consider buying something online from one of the OPA's hundreds of ceramic artists.

Ceramic Showcase Update

Ceramic Showcase is closely monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, which is changing rapidly. The health and safety of our members and patrons is our top priority and we are working to make well-informed decisions.

Governor Brown has announced a four week ban on events of more than 250 people. Because Ceramic Showcase is 7 weeks away (May 1-3), the show is scheduled to proceed as planned. However, it could be canceled by outside agencies such as Oregon Convention Center (OCC), the city of Portland or the state of Oregon. We will keep you updated with information as it becomes available.

As we continue to plan for Ceramic Showcase, here’s what you need to know.

• We will have hand sanitizing stations throughout the show and in the sales area.
• Frequent hand washing will be encouraged.
• We will ask any members and patrons who are feeling ill to please stay at home.

We will continue to stay in communication with the OCC, as well as monitor information from city, county, and state officials. We are also following the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

We thank both members and patrons for your ongoing support. If you have questions or concerns, please contact Dawn Panttaja at lostdolls@hotmail.com.

Back in January, I met with our president, Becky Clark, and she shared her vision for the future of OPA – a vibrant clay community with a ceramics center at the heart of it. It was inspiring to hear about a space that would provide: classes for all ages taught by local artists and artists-in-residence, rotating workshops with national artists, affordable studio space for working artists, and a gallery where we could exhibit and sell our work. She asked if I wanted to help make it a reality because this wasn’t just a dream, she had a plan!

Thanks to our grant from RACC and the advice they provided, we have a 4-point strategy and special teams dedicated to accomplishing the following:

1. Raise visibility and public awareness of OPA
2. Increase membership and involvement
3. Grow our income and target donors
4. Research, plan and develop a facility.

Due to my career in corporate advertising and branding, Becky asked me to tackle the first strategy and help improve our visibility. For the past 9 months, I’ve been working with a panel of OPA members (new and legacy) to develop our vision and define our identity – specifically who OPA is, what our brand looks like, how it speaks, as well as how it behaves. A special thank you to all who participated in the discussions – your input and feedback has been invaluable in developing this direction!

You’ll start to notice changes over the coming months. First up is the Fall Fair - a new sales pop-up happening on Nov. 10th. It will be the first event to feature our new branding, followed by Ceramic Showcase next April. We’re also going to update our social media branding in conjunction with the fair. And last but not least, our website and printed materials will be redesigned.

Please take a look and spread the word about our vision – we are here to leave our mark!

Sharon Greenwood

Marketing and Communications Lead

OUR VISION:

Leaving Our Mark

Every maker leaves a mark, an impression made by the creative process, that reflects our spirit and our humanity. Our clay community also leaves a mark – not just on our work – but on each person we connect with, for the rest of their lives. Whether they are artists or art lovers, teachers or students, we welcome all generations to discover and express their creativity through clay. By feeding their curiosity, inspiring their artistic growth and empowering them to live creative lives, we help each person flourish throughout their ceramic journey. Our legacy is to leave a lasting impression – in our classrooms, studios, galleries, neighborhoods and the clay community at large.

OUR IDENTITY:  Click here to see the entire branding PDF >

By Becky Clark

When we first started our strategic planning in 2017, we thought about how to move forward and two themes came to mind – Relevancy and Perception. We asked ourselves:

• As a non-profit that works towards educating, inspiring, and transforming lives of our members – are we doing all that we can to fulfill our mission?  
• Is OPA evolving with the needs of today’s ceramic artists?  
• Are we relevant?  
• What are ceramic artists looking for when they consider joining OPA? 
• What is the public perception of OPA, and is the perception good, bad, or even true?

As we move toward the future, we are thoughtfully considering answers to these questions. We have our sights set on a clay center that will provide learning and teaching opportunities for all generations. It will promote our members’ work through exhibitions and sales, and provide affordable studio space for working artists.

To accomplish this dream, we are focusing on our members and member benefits. We are addressing relevancy head on by determining the needs of today’s artists and members. We are addressing perception by narrowing our focus on demonstrating and communicating the value of our organization.

We have to clearly communicate our mission and vision to everyone. We have to engage and empower our members to take an active role, not just in Ceramic Showcase, but also in OPA. And we have to shift our perception by changing the way we behave as well as how we’re seen. We are taking a first step by creating a new visual identity and branding system that speaks with one unified voice and vision. It will ensure that the perception of OPA is this: we are relevant, and we are an important part of the arts ecosystem in our community. Take a look at our first round of branding design – [link to PDF]

Our Vision Statement:

Leaving Our Mark

Every maker leaves a mark, an impression made by the creative process, that reflects our spirit and our humanity. Our clay community also leaves a mark – not just on our work – but on each person we connect with, for the rest of their lives. Whether they are artists or art lovers, teachers or students, we welcome all generations to discover and express their creativity through clay. By feeding their curiosity, inspiring their artistic growth and empowering them to live creative lives, we help each person flourish throughout their ceramic journey. Our legacy is to leave a lasting impression – in our classrooms, studios, galleries, neighborhoods and the clay community at large.

Please join us on this journey and ask OPA leadership how you can help us achieve our dream!

membershipoutreach@oregonpotters.org

Greetings!

On January 19th we met for the first meeting of 2018.  President Linda Workman-Morelli passed the torch onto Becky Clark, incoming President of 2018, and we thanked the 2017 Board and Program Coordinators for a great year, and their tremendous amounts of time and effort for the benefit of OPA.

Elections were also held, and the results are tallied:
2018 Board Members
Vice-President - unfilled
President - Becky Clark
Past President - Linda Workman Morelli
Treasurer - Matt Wolden
Secretary - Rosemary Tobiga
Ceramic Showcase co-chairs - Dawn Pantaja and Ginger Steele
Membership Director - Andy Clift
Clay in Education - Chris Baskin
Communications Director - 
Development co-chairs - Jeanne Henry, Michelle Gallagher
Member at Large - Teresa Vaughn
Member at Large - Unfilled

2018 Program Coodinators
Data Coordinator - Nick Molatore
Empty Bowls - Gretchen Lambert
Empty Bowls - Manya Wubbold
Group Buy - Ken Pincus
Hospitality Coordinator - Carolyn Blaze
Justice Center Windows - RJ Tonneson
Member Outreach Coordinator - Connie Chiefetz
Manual Editor - Brenda Scott
Newsletter Editor - Denise Krueger
Newsletter Editor - Susan Gallacher - Turner
Ray Grimm Award Coordinator - Michael Simmons
Scholarships Coordinators - Meg and Sam Turner
Social Media Coordinator - Yvonne Tornata
Webmaster - Andy Clift
Workshop Coordinator - Donna Cole

Announcements
Jeanne Henry announced:
An update on the Hokkaido Project.  Funds are still needed to ship the children peace poles to Hokkaido.  All members are encouraged to seek donations for shipping artwork.  Donations can be made directly on the website.

Please post any photos of your class making a peace pole onto the website or on OPA Facebook Page

OPA members are invited to make a peace pole that will be donated at the upcoming Ceramic Showcase, profits from the poles will go towards Clay in Education and the Hokkaido peace pole projects.

Michael Simmons announced:
OPA member-created peace pole workshops are listed on the front page of the website.  Some workshops are full already! There are currently still enough poles for artists to take and work on independently.

Presentation
The January meeting presentation was a brief introduction to Instagram, Creating an online Shopping Cart, and Photographing your artwork at home.  Presented by OPA members Rafa Orderica-rea, Andy Clift, and Chris McClelland.  The video can be viewed on the OPA Facebook page any time.  

Thank you Rafa, Andy, and Chris!  The presentation was great, and more members have joined Instagram as a result!

Follow OPA on Instagram! @oregonpotters.  https://www.instagram.com/oregonpotters/

The Next Meeting is the Ceramic Showcase Booth Picking Meeting!
March 9th, in the Auditorium at the Multnomah Art Center.

It's Empty Bowls at the Waterfront Blues Festival time again! Time to help feed the hungry, because no one should be hungry. OPA partners with the Oregon Food Bank and Georgies for this event. The Food Bank sets up the big tent, June 30 - July 4, Georgies hosts a Throw-a-thon, and stores the donations, we donate our work, make pots at the Throw-a-thon, and sell them at the Blues Festival. 100% of the money raised from donations goes to the Food Bank.

 Gretchen Lambert and Robin McDonald are the chairs this year and we are now signing up volunteers and sellers. Sellers keep 75% of their sales (the rest goes to the Food Bank), get 2 four-foot shelves the last 3 days of the event, agree to work three shifts plus either set up or breakdown, donate approximately $100 of work, and know they are doing a truly positive thing for their community.

The Throw-a-thon at Georgies is scheduled for June 16 - 30 this year.

Contact Robin McDonald, levasseurr@comcast.net, to volunteer. Contact Gretchen Lambert, gretchen.lambert@gmail.com, to donate work.

14 potters had great fun making flowers, birds, bees, and of course some monsters- for the  2017 Showcase Installation project.  We gathered at Sara Swink’s beautiful studio on February 12.  Take a look at all these ideas!

We're hoping our members will be inspired and get to work!  Bamboo sticks will be available at the booth pick meeting on March 10.  If you have any questions email Pat Berman: pat.berman@gmail.com

OPA member Michael Simmons, and Buckman elementary's art teacher, is the recipient of the Oregon Art Teacher of the Year Award

Oregon's Art Educator of the year is our own Buckman Elementary Arts Teacher, Michael Simmons. Hear what these 2nd graders think of their award winning teacher.