On Mother’s Day weekend, pottery lovers and ceramic artists from across the country will flock to Chisago County for the 24th annual Pottery Studio Tour and Sale. Seven establishments in the Upper St. Croix River Valley open their doors May 6–8 for this three-day celebration of handmade art.
“People enjoy meeting the potters, seeing how artists work and live, and being connected to the maker,” says Will Swanson, whose pottery studio has been part of the tour since its inception.
The pottery tour started as an agreement between the seven rural studios to all hold sales on the same weekend, giving people an incentive to travel to the area and see where potters work. Each studio is within a short drive of the others, so the self-guided tour can be completed in an afternoon or spread throughout the weekend.
After three years, the original potters started inviting guest artists they met at workshops and art fairs to be a part of the event. Each studio invites its own guests, and while they all work in the same medium, their styles range from the purely functional to the delightfully whimsical.
This year, 49 guest potters will be on hand to show and discuss their work. Most are returning guests, but a few well-known artists will be attending for the first time including Michael Kline, Doug Casebeer and Julia Galloway.
