Ceramic Artist Finds Her Niche In Barrington

Meg Jones didn't set out to court controversy or change the world.

This artist and mom of four began her adult working life painting furniture and ceramics that she sold through her small business, Weirdgirl Creations, near Poughkeepsie, NY.

As a graduate of SUNY New Paltz, she was used to change – her dad worked for IBM and the family moved frequently. A change in locations was something Jones was quite used to, and happy to accommodate, but bigger changes awaited this talented artist and designer when Jones moved her family to Rhode Island in 1999.

Jones had been part of the HOT (Higher Order Thinking) Schools team that helped develop the former arts magnet program at Reynolds School in Bristol. She wanted her younger kids, Bianca, now 20, and a sophomore studying art at Rhode Island College, and Cade, now a 17-year-old senior at Barrington High School, to be part of the new program.

Jones and her husband, Carl Pearson, a property developer for a company in Massachusetts, moved to Bristol with their family, including Tanya, now 30, and an English and education major at Cape Cod Community College, and Kyla, now 28, who has a fine arts degree in ceramics and a B.A. in art education.

After a few years in Bristol, Jones discovered that Barrington had more of the sorts of arts programs they wanted for their kids after they moved on to middle and high school. The family moved to Barrington and Jones set about establishing Weirdgirl Creations, at 33 Kent St., as THE place for people to find and create distinctive and personalized ceramic creations.

While the business became successful, Jones found herself and her family blindsided by some tragedies within their new community -- notably the deaths of some teens believed to have been caused by the use of drugs and alcohol. A member of the town's Substance Abuse Task Force, Jones felt disheartened by the money being spent to bring negative stories to the town's kids.

She said stories abound about the negative impact drugs and alcohol have on lives. They have an immediate, but temporary, effect on behavior. So, she wanted her children and the kids in the community to have some positive experiences involving a life free from alcohol and drugs.

It was around that same time in 2007 that Jones discovered, to her deep shock and dismay, that her eldest daughter, Tanya, was abusing alcohol. Jones become involved with AA, trying to find ways to help her daughter. She was ultimately fortunate to find help in the form of a couple of doctors who participated in classes at her studio.

They referred her to SSTAR, a program in Fall River, Mass. After what Jones described as “a very difficult intervention,” Tanya finally agreed to go to SSTAR, and has remained sober for the last three years.

As part of the process of supporting her daughter in attaining her sobriety, and wanting to promote the positive aspects of staying free of alcohol and drugs, Jones and her family founded FAB.

The acronym stands for “For Anything But...alcohol, drugs or tobacco.” Her son, Cade, is deeply involved with FAB. He runs skateboarding clinics at the YMCA and Friday Night Hoops basketball games teens. And Weirdgirl Creations creates special tile murals as part of their summer art program. They are displayed in businesses throughout Barrington.

When Bruegger's Bagels opened 18 months ago, for instance, they arranged for FAB to bring tiles for customers to decorate, which were then installed in the restaurant as part of their grand opening celebration. And every year in September, Starbucks premieres new tiles, and then the new tiles are rotated through area businesses as mural displays.

Jones said she's seen a definite change over the last few years in the way the community now responds to substance abuse, particularly among teens. She said it used to be that many people wouldn't think it was a big deal if kids were using drugs or alcohol. But the parents she speaks to now are horrified at the thought of condoning such activities, and are more vigilant about looking out for the kids in the community.

Despite the challenging time they experienced, Jones said her family feels very supported by the Barrington community.

“Summer camp is always full,” she said.

And she's grateful that they have been able to give back to their community, as “this community really does support the arts.”

Jones may have begun as a painter and ceramic artist. But after 30 years, this community activist seems to have found another niche as well.