Union Project has undergone a few changes over the years, including the addition of new staff, new facilities, and more. The public will get the chance to experience some of these developments when the Highland Park nonprofit organization and community center hosts its first in-person Mother of All Pottery Sales event in two years.
Taking place Sat., May 7, Mother of All Pottery Sales is described on Union Project's website as bringing the local ceramics community together, artists and patrons alike, for a day of "demonstrations, mingling, selling, and sharing." The annual event, which started in 2014, invites ceramic artists to exhibit and sell their work, as well as demonstrate techniques like wheel throwing and Raku firing to visitors.
Due to the pandemic and spread of COVID-19, the annual pottery sale had to move online with events like A Virtual Celebration of Clay in 2021, which featured several days of sales, demonstrations, and artists.
"Artists and craftspeople often create their work in isolation," reads a Union Project press release, adding that events like the pottery sale "create opportunities for them to catch up and connect with each other as well as their fans."
During the event, over 15 artists will sell work ranging from housewares and decorative items to jewelry. The Spotlight Gallery, managed by Union Project staff and volunteers, will feature pottery by clay artists like Milo Berezin, Marcé Nixon-Washington, Justin Rothshank, Isaac Scott, and Kara Zupancic. Also being highlighted is Mac Star McCusker, a ceramic artist and educator who, in September 2021, came on as the Union Project's studio manager.
Union Project will also get to show off its Kiln Shelter, which debuted in November 2021. The facility includes a covered classroom area and a loading dock, as well as improved lighting and other features that will enable its use year-round, even at night.
While the Mother of All Pottery Sales has returned to in-person, Union Project will require COVID-19 safety precautions like mask-wearing, social distancing, and timed entry for indoor spaces in order to "provide the safest experience for everyone involved."
Mother of All Pottery Sales. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat., May 7. Union Project. 801 N. Negley Ave., Highland Park. Free. unionproject.org
Union Project gets fired up with Mother of All Pottery Sales
