Village Potters Finds a New Home

Village Potters, a group of local ceramic artists who have been without a studio to call home since Terra Incognito its downtown La Grange location in December, will open its own facility this Wednesday, March 16, in the Village Market shopping plaza in La Grange Park.

While the studio's grand opening will not occur until April 16, the next four weeks will give interested artists and potential students an opportunity to see what the facility has to offer, Curt Hansman, a spokeswoman for the group, said.

"Our mission is to provide a facility where ceramic artists can work and develop their skills through educational and and collaborative activities, supporting one another as a community," Hansman said.

No classes will be offered immediately, but will instead be formed as enough students express interest, she said. Individual artists, however, can rent shelf space and studio time right away.

The studio initially will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m., but those days and hours too will expand as business grows, Hansman said.

The 1,600-square-foot facility features eight pottery wheels, a slab roller, areas for hand building and glazing, and a "Cone 6" electric kiln, which reaches temperatures above 2200 degrees Fahrenheit.

There is also gallery space just inside the entrance where artists can display and sell their creations.

Do not be surprised if some of the studio's equipment looks familiar, Hansman said. Much of it was purchased from Dave Toan, Terra Incognito's owner, who had no room for it at his remaining studio in Oak Park.

With a footprint significantly smaller than Terra Incognito's vacated downtown La Grange location at 35 S. LaGrange Road, Village Potters also won't be paying prime rent for a storefront directly on the main thoroughfare.

Tucked away on an indoor corridor behind the —with the Pillars community services organization as a neighbor—the new studio still offers ready access to LaGrange Road, and there's plenty of free, unrestricted parking, Hansman said.

One of the social benefits Village Potters hopes to include among its efforts is a for local food pantries, which Terra Incognito's Toan began in 2008 in concert with several downtown La Grange restaurants.

"We want to be part of the larger community," Hansman said.

Village Potters, originally formed in 2009 by some 20 students and teachers at Terra Incognito's La Grange studio, began as a cooperative whose sole function was to operate a booth at the where its members sold their wares.

Nine of the group's members are partners in the new studio, which is being operated as a L3C corporation, a relatively new type of business entity in Illinois that was created in 2009 when state lawmakers amended the Limited Liability Corporation Act.

Intended to bridge the gap between non-profit and for-profit entities, L3Cs are "low profit" companies whose mission is to provide a social benefit but also allow its investors to make a profit, Hansman said.

In addition to Hansman, Village Potter's member investors are Debbie Bradley, Juanita Davis, Nancy Gorman, Nancy Jana Kent, Laurie Marsh, Andy Rizzuto, Ann Rudinger and Barb Wilcop.

"We all have a responsibility for some aspect of the business," Hansman said. Each member serves on one of three committees: administration, operations or outreach and education.

The group conducted empirical research on local demand for a ceramics studio and classroom before committing to the venture, Hansman said.

"There are a lot of small studios out there—some with waiting lists—but none along this longitude," she said, referring to the La Grange Road corridor.

Village Potters, 333 N LaGrange Road, La Grange Park, (708) 352-2350, www.villagepotters.org