the fraser valley potters guild

the fraser valley potters guild

Our province is full of talented craftspeople whose practice builds communities around craft-based art and impacts our culture and society. Starting this September, we are pleased to connect and collaborate with the Fraser Valley Potters Guild, whose members’ work can now be found in the CCBC Shop & Gallery in Vancouver. 

FVPG and CCBC Member, Amy Gogarty tells us more about the Guild below. We invite you to learn more about the FVPG and to come view their work, now featured in our shop. 

The Fraser Valley Potters Guild (FVPG) was established in 1975 by a group of alumni of the Surrey Campus Ceramics Department of Douglas College. A non-profit association, the guild was formed to continue the camaraderie started in the college classes and to promote opportunities for professional growth and development. The Guild moved to its present location at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU), Surrey Campus, in the late 1980s. Today the Guild boasts close to 100 members from around the GVR, including pottery enthusiasts, ceramics and art teachers, professional ceramicists, students, and hobby potters. Members have shown their work nationally and internationally, and have included their work in public art commissions, community projects, and one-person shows.

 

layla daire
amy gogarty

The Guild meets on the second Thursday of each month, September through May. Meetings feature presentations and demonstrations by ceramic professionals working in a wide variety of techniques. Since the onset of Covid-19, the Guild has met virtually through zoom, which has allowed them to present speakers from across North America. In addition to monthly meetings, the Guild organizes juried exhibitions, sales opportunities, soda and wood firings at the Shadbolt Centre, and Raku events that engage the public. 

Currently, the juried members show, Of the Earth, is on view at t Place des Arts in Coquitlam from September 9 to November 3, 2022, and online September 16 to November 3 at Place des Arts. The FVPG undertakes community outreach and charitable events, including supporting a bursary for a KPU student. It also sponsors skill-development workshops for members. Most importantly, the Guild offers opportunities to meet, exchange ideas, develop projects, form friendships, and network with other dedicated ceramicists in the region. Examples of members’ work can be seen on the website at fraservalleypottersguild.com and anyone interested is invited to join.

cheryl stapleton
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