I made a #FaceJug for the first time since 2019 and I’m donating it to the #KaaboClay fundraiser that begins this Sunday. Face jugs are a #ceramic expression of the American South brought here by enslaved Africans (specifically Congolese, according to scholars). The #terracotta heads of the Ife Empire are part of the artistic legacy of Yoruba people of Nigeria. With this piece, I draw on the wisdom and ingenuity of our ancestors to make an offering to the next generation of creators.

Mark your calendars! This is my org’s biggest fundraiser of the year, happening this Sunday. We use funds from this #ceramics sale to support Black ceramic artists globally in the form of an Annual Award. Since 2021, we’ve distributed over $30k toward the goals of professional support, community building and cultural preservation. We are 100% #grassroots funded and rely on individual donations, so #DEI cuts cannot affect us. Check out last year’s awardees: www.kaaboclay.org

This is the piece I’m donating for the #KaaboClay Award later this month. It’s one of the first I made after developing my #WildClay #TerraSigillata surfaces. In making this type of work, I feel I’m bringing together my reverence for #nature and admiration of #AfricanDesign elements. A couple of years ago, I taught a workshop at Harvard Ceramics alongside my mentor #DavidMacDonald called “Africa Adorned” named after the photo book by Angela Fisher. I glance at it regularly for inspiration.

I started this #collective for Black ceramic #artists in 2021 as a response to the murder of #GeorgeFloyd and the resulting, temporary Black business boom of 2020. Hearing predominantly white orgs confess that they were still “listening & learning” made me realize with renewed urgency how much we need our own resources & institutions. The Kaabo Award sale, on 5/25 (the anniversary of Floyd’s death) is our biggest fundraiser of the year. Learn more: www.kaaboclay.org #pottery #ceramics #art

I can't believe I'm only just now hearing about this. #MarcyRheintgen, a young transwoman from Illinois came to #Florida and, in a planned act of #CivilDisobedience, flouted the #trans bathroom ban by entering a women's bathroom inside the State Capitol and simply washing her hands. She was arrested on the spot and has been charged with 11 months in a men's prison. “The Civil Disobedience of Marcy Rheintgen”: https://www.reddit.com/r/MI_transgender_friend/comments/1jpr373/the_civil_disobedience_of_marcy_rheintgen/?rdt=40698

I spent part of my studio time this week coil building. I want to make a piece that is a prayer for rain, based on the archetypal, spherical #African water pot. This form shows up on other continents, too, just not as much. Indians make a similarly shaped water pot called matka. The form is generous and planetary. I began building her on Tuesday and finished today. Next week, I will refine & smooth the surface, then decorate using symbols of rain, clouds and sea. Enjoy your weekend! #pottery

Like many, I grew up watching shows like Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers, Reading Rainbow and NOVA on #PBS. A couple of years ago, I had the honor of the local PBS station coming to my home studio to film a feature for a program called ArtsPlus through which I've been able to share my love for #pottery and the natural environment with a national audience. Non-commercial and educational, PBS is definitely worth fighting for. Urge Congress: Save #PublicMedia Funding

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“I take mud and turn it into something tangible, hopeful even. But hope feels like a tricky companion in times like these. I’ve been thinking about how politics and climate impacts those of us running small, local #pottery studios. Our work depends not just on creativity, but also on stability—a steady supply of materials, the ability to ship, a community that can afford to buy #handmade work, and galleries that can stay open. All of those feel increasingly precarious.”

Making Pots in Hard Times

On Politics, Pottery, and the Unsteady Ground We Work On

I made this bowl a couple of years ago. I call it a Bird Wave Bowl bc the crest of each wave is the head of a black skimmer. It’s a slightly larger piece and with all of the vulnerable wave appendages, I was too nervous to ship it, so I kept it around and then ended up donating it to Suncoast #Waterkeepers art auction. They work to protect and restore the waters in our region. I’m about to start on a new version of this form, this time decorated with my #WildClay decorating slips. #pottery

My instincts to start making ollas this winter were spot on. We’re experiencing intense drought that began late fall 2024 and this, along with our sandy soils, has made #gardening challenging. Last month, I made this large custom olla to deliver rainwater to my plantain pups. Since then, they’ve steadily put on new leaves. I companion planted sweet potatoes & marigolds beneath the plantains and everything is hydrated & happy, using about 70% less water than surface watering. #OllasByOsa