BMCA Clay Studio Raises New Sign

On a cool, rainy recent Monday, Gale Jackson, Executive Director of the Black Mountain Center for the Arts watched proudly and happily as the new sign for the Center’s Clay Studio was erected and attached to the building. The renovation of the BMCA Clay Studio was completed in 2007, with grants from the Janirve Foundation and the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina. For the past two years classes, taught by potters Geoff Bird, AJ Reisman, and others, have been ongoing in the studio, which is located in the old City Garage adjacent to the Center at 225 W. State Street. Over 100 people have taken advantage of the classes each of those years. New equipment has been donated or purchased, and the studio has been an active part of the Center’s mission of “bringing arts to the people and people to the arts.”

One important thing was lacking – a way of identifying the Clay Studio to the public. The first step in making that happen was to complete a design that was appropriate and that would be acceptable within the guidelines of the Town of Black Mountain’s Historic Commission. Upon approval by the Commission and under Jackson’s leadership, the teachers and assistants in the Clay Studio, along with members of the Center’s Board of Directors, began to work together to create all the elements of the sign.

Leading the way was Maureen Joyce, a volunteer in the Clay Studio. Joyce began taking classes at BMCA as soon as it opened in 2007, and soon became “hooked” on clay. As she became more experienced, she became a studio assistant for the clay classes, but she has given so much more, pouring her time and energy into making the Clay Studio more workable, organized and user-friendly. For several occasions such as Holly Jolly, Art in Bloom, and the Sourwood Festival, she has spear-headed pottery sales of student work, seeing that up to half of the proceeds go back into the Arts Center. Joyce made large letters from clay, and she and other potters made clay pieces to decorate the sign. Drawing on her background as a sign maker, and working with local sign maker Mary Soyenova, Maureen spent hours putting together elements needed to display the Center’s logo as well as painting the backdrop.

On the day the sign was assembled and ready to hang, other volunteers helped. Under the guidance of local contracting firm All That and More, carpenters Lee Warren and Denny Jackson attached the sign to the cedar shakes on the front of the building, now allowing it to be seen from south of Sutton Avenue and recognized, not only as a working clay studio, but as a part of the Black Mountain Center for the Arts.

According to Jackson, “This was a celebration installation! We are all extremely proud of this community clay studio, and in fact the studio has become a community of artists as well. The new sign is a creative expression of this community as well as a declaration of what is being created within. We are really grateful to everyone who contributed to making it happen.”

The sign will no doubt bring more attention to the BMCA Clay Studio and the opportunities it offers to the community for experiencing the fun of working with clay through classes, samplers and workshops. For more information, call 828/669-0930.