PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE – February 2023

I am thrilled to introduce myself as your newly elected president. I joined ACGA in 2018 and have been serving as a board member since 2021, including the past year as Vice President.

First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to our past president, Cheryl Costantini, for her outstanding leadership during some of the most challenging years our organization has faced. Cheryl navigated ACGA through the pandemic with grace and determination, and her contributions to our community will not be forgotten.

Despite the difficulties of the past few years, I am proud of the accomplishments we have achieved together. Our participation in NCECA 2022 for the first time was successful and rewarding and provided our members with valuable exposure and connections in the ceramic world. The Clay & Glass Festival in Palo Alto was another highlight and marked the return of attendance to near pre-pandemic levels. I would also like to give a shout-out to our communications team, who recently introduced the new newsletter platform that allows us to better connect with both our member artists and customers.

As we move forward, I am committed to continuing Cheryl’s work of making ACGA a more inclusive and welcoming community. This year, a new group of individuals brings their enthusiasm and ideas to ACGA leadership. My goals are to reach out to younger artists and expand ACGA outside the San Francisco Bay Area to ensure the growth and success of our community. I am eager to work with all of you in the coming year to build on the achievements of the past and to continue our mission of promoting and supporting the work of clay and glass artists of California.

For those of you who don’t know me, I am Mari Emori. My journey as an artist began in Kyoto, Japan, where I made kimonos. After moving to the US, I explored various creative paths, including floral design, interior design, and graphic design, before finally discovering my true passion in clay.

My most recent “Drop Series” is deeply inspired by nature, both its beauty and the power of its forces. From my studio in the Berkeley Potters Guild in Berkeley, I create pieces that reflect my connection to the natural world. When I’m not in the studio, I love to spend time in nature, hiking and wandering, always taking in new impressions that find their way into my work. I believe that art should not only be beautiful, but it should also convey a deeper message and evoke emotion in the viewer. I’m always striving to push the boundaries of my art and create pieces that truly captivate and inspire.

Mari Emori, ACGA President  

www.berkeleypotters.com/artist/mari-emori @emoriceramics

Family Gathering — Little Pete Meadow 

©️Vicki Gunter- clay, glaze, stains, wire, antique spoon – 2 x 6.5 x 4.5 inches

This cup is made entirely of clay into faux granite. The blueberry stems and handle are hand-worked wire. The plinth is an actual granite stone.

Inspired by its no-waste complexity, nature is my source and my anchor, in wild places and at home in East Oakland. My work draws from the knowledge that everything comes from the earth and the hope that we will seek solutions to gather, love and consume leaving the smallest fingerprint.

For me, Sierra cups symbolize Family Gatherings.

At the magical age of nine, 1959, my parents put an old wooden pack frame on my back, hung a metal Sierra cup on my rope belt and we “hit the trail”. I discovered the earth could sustain me and I could survive in it with little more than a spoon, a cup, dried apples, jerky and a family’s warmth. It was hard work, but so worth it, not only because of the extraordinary beauty — we were experiencing our life source.

At Little Pete Meadow we discovered we were gifted with Huckleberries. We filled our cups! We mixed them with Bisquick, making 1 giant Huckleberry biscuit over our campfire. My father carried a small cast-iron skillet for this purpose. Yes, crazy. But oh, Huckleberries, one of our simple native delights that stirs us to defend what we stand on! I feel an urgency to create art in this revolutionary time. I value clay’s infinite potential− mirroring our own.

As a native of California, the clay state, I love turning clay to stone. This little cup is made of reclaimed clay into faux granite with found: hand-worked wire stems and handle, vintage spoon, Granite stone plinth found in the Sierras.

Kathy Pallie’s “White Caps” was selected for the “The Color of Water” exhibition at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts.  The ceramic vessel which is 17″H is not only the color of water, but it can also hold water.

Exhibition dates February 11 – March 26 with an opening reception Saturday, February 11 from 2 – 4 pm.

Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 S. High Street, Sebastopol, CA

Mission Cultural Center for Latino Art, 2868 Mission Street, San Francisco

Feb. 4- March 4, 2023