For millennia, the shaping of vessels and other objects in clay has been recognized all over the world as a fundamental human practice, a universal activity that infuses the mundane reality of the earth with the spirituality of expressive form. The watery, two-handed act of “hitting” and centering a lump of clay on a spinning wheel requires a rare combination of full-body coordination and Zen-like mental balance. When things go well, ceramicists enjoy a satisfaction that can only come through total absorption in the creative process.
Clay Studio, a dazzling, new, 24,000-square-foot, ceramics-centered arts venue, opened in the hills of Goleta just before the pandemic hit last year. Directed by Patrick Hall and funded in large part by Lynda Weinman, the nonprofit organization intends to create a world-class ceramics scene just 15 minutes from downtown Santa Barbara. Hall, who received his BFA and MFA degrees from UCSB, has worked in both ceramics and design for decades. The clean modern lines of the studio’s reception area and art gallery reflect his aesthetic, and the ambitious buildout that he’s envisioning for the property reveals the potency of the collaboration he’s initiated with Weinman. Walking through the facility’s various spaces with him and his dog, it’s possible to get lost in a dream of community and creativity. Soon that dream will become a reality.
While the wheels have been loaned out to members who are working from home, the site’s many kilns, large and small, are still in place, as are several impressive, new 3D clay printers and an extraordinary array of carefully crafted spaces designed to offer artists one-stop solutions for all their needs, from glazing and firing to taking catalog-worthy photographs of their work. Although it will be several months before COVID restrictions ease enough to allow artists to return to work there in groups, a charming gallery show of work by the great ceramic sculptor Don Reitz can be seen now by appointment.