Adult Ceramic Classes

Our fall adult pottery classes are back, and we’ve got some exciting new additions! As always, we’re offering our classic 4 and 8-week classes that cover both wheel throwing and hand building, plus our popular Date Nights (with wine and cheese!) and Saturday Samplers, where you can try the wheel for a day.

This fall, we’re especially excited to introduce hand-building-only classes. If you’re looking to improve or develop your hand-building skills, these classes are for you. We’re offering a 4-week Bust Portraiture class, led by Melanie Barnett, where you’ll focus on building, hollowing, and sculpting a bust based on a figure of your choice. You’ll explore proportion and classic sculpting methods in this focused, rewarding project. Last day to register for this class is September 23rd!

We’re also thrilled to bring you an 8-week Introductory Hand Building – Coils, Slabs, and More! This class is perfect if you want to create without the wheel, using essential hand-building techniques like coil and slab construction to craft functional ware or decorative pieces.

Whether you’re looking for a fun fall activity or a new hobby, these classes are a great way to learn, connect, and enjoy the meditative nature of working with clay. But be warned, clay is a healthy addiction—once you start, you may never want to stop!

Elaine Zimmer, the creative mind behind our Collaborative Exhibition “Collection Recollection”

 

You may have heard by now about our latest exhibition, “Collection Recollection,” a collaborative show we put together with Elaine Zimmer. This show is all about cookie jars, nostalgia, and playfulness. Elaine’s collection of jars is impressive not only for their detailed and whimsical nature but also for their sheer volume, filling nearly the entire Yuill Family Gallery despite their petite size designed to fit in the palm of your hand. Her jars explore themes from her childhood and echo the original forms of Medalta’s classic cookie jars while infusing them with contemporary and imaginative elements.

In addition to Elaine’s creative pieces, the exhibition features full-sized cookie jars from our collection, offering a contrast between past and present. We’ve been telling our staff there are no cookies in them, but it’s proven difficult to keep them from snooping! You’ll also find mini-replicas that mimic the original designs and patterns of Medalta’s classic jars.

Elaine has kept the exact number of jars a secret, so you’ll have to visit the show to see for yourself and take a guess! My estimate is upwards of 100.

We had the chance to chat with Elaine about her work and uncovered some fascinating details about her body of work. Read below to learn more about Elaine and her contributions to the show “Collection Recollection.”

Interview with Elaine Zimmer

1. What inspired you to revisit and reinterpret the classic Medalta cookie jar form?
   The form of the Medalta cookie jar is a classic interpretation of the wine and oil urns of antiquity. Abundance. Conversely, It also brings to mind reliquary and canopic jars.I think it was a natural progression in my work. During my first residency at MIAIR in 2015, I was working on children’s tea sets. They were small and playful, and as well as teapot, cups, saucers, cream and sugar, and trays, they always included a cookie jar. In 2018, I began to relocate the cookie jars to the prairie using the visual of wildflowers as surface decoration.  It morphed to rocks and words and collaborations, etc in the past 2 years.

2. Can you describe the process and materials you used to create these contemporary pieces?

   Staying true to the originals, the surfaces are painted, this time with layers of underglaze, then carved and drawn into, distressed and burnished to create a depth suggesting the passage of time. It’s almost a century since Medalta produced the original cookie jars.

   I begin by throwing a batch of jars and lids, half a doz is nice. In the afternoon. Polar ice

   The ideas for the jars are usually drawn out or written down.

   The next steps include:

• layers of underglaze
• impressing
• addition of other materials,
• drawing and/or writing back through the colours,
• drying to the point of burnishing, burnishing
• knobs for lids
• firing, usually once

3. How do your reimagined jars reflect the nostalgia of the original Medalta cookie jars?
   Cookie jars make people think of cookies, cookies make people smile. The nostalgia is interesting. Almost no one remembers these cookie jars in their original context. It’s as if the cookie jars tell us about the good old days, and give us that sentimental longing.The diminutive size of my cookie jars also takes us all to being children, happy personal associations. The smell of cookies. I create my work on this scale with the intent of that childlike playfulness. To locate the inner child. Are these things nostalgia?
4. Can you share any stories or personal connections that influenced the designs and decorations on your jars?
   There are 144 titles for the jars in the installation “A Gross, 12×12=144.”

• “Good gravy” was one of my Aunt Betty’s favorite sayings.
• “Simmer down” and “Down but not out” were phrases in a conversation with my sister about our Mom.
• “Did you know your mother was a squirrel?” — a conversation with my sister about our Mom.
• “This ain’t my first rodeo” — a day my sister and I spent at Red Rock Coulee.
• “Good vibes” was my horoscope reading for October 4, 2023, just as I began my last MIAIR.
• \”Tend your garden and…” — an ongoing title from a fortune cookie I got the last time I saw my Dad.All of the collaborative jars in Conglomerate have stories. They are about sharing ideas, and I am ever grateful for the various interactions and the inventive, thoughtful knobs that adorn the cookie jars.

• “If you’re a real artist, draw me a unicorn.” — my 4-year-old niece.
• “Tomo’s baby toe.”
• “Six of one, half a dozen of another” — tied to six stories and jokes from children in my family.
• Annette ten Cate agreed to the bunny knob on the first collaboration….just to name a few.

A Baker’s Dozen — 13 jars decorated with cookie recipes from my family.

I plan to spend every Wednesday during the exhibition dates in the gallery. Please join me if you would like to hear or see more storytelling.

Heritage Christmas November 29^th & 30^th

It’s coming up quick! Make sure to save the date for  Annual Heritage Christmas Market. Set to take place at the end of November, this market, as always, promises to be filled with festive spirit. We are excited to be planning this year and can’t wait to share what we have in store.

Collection Recollection a Cookie Jar Exhibition: August 25^th– November 9^th

This exhibition will be on display until November 9^th, 2024. If you missed the opening, don’t worry—there’s still time to explore this wonderful collection. Take a stroll through the gallery and explore Elaine Zimmer’s creative interpretations of Medalta’s classic cookie jars, blending nostalgia with contemporary design.

A Chance to Win Up to $100,000 This December!

Our Annual 50/50 raffle is now open! This is a great chance to support our incredible community programs but also potentially walk away with half the jackpot, and who doesn’t need cash during the holiday season?

Whether you’re a long-time supporter or new to Medalta, this raffle is a fun and easy way to get involved. The more tickets sold, the bigger the prize grows!

How it works:

• Purchase your raffle tickets: rafflebox.ca/raffle/medalta
• Half of the funds raised go directly to supporting Medalta’s programming, while the other half could be YOURS to win!
• The draw will take place on December 21, 2024
• Players must reside in Alberta, be 18 years or older, and use a major credit card or Visa/Mastercard Debit. Credit cards used for payment must have an Alberta address

Don’t wait—grab your tickets today and take part in making a difference for Medalta while having a chance to win big!

Thanks for your support and good luck!